Riley Joanna, Turpin Jeff M, Zeale Matt R K, Jayatilaka Brynne, Jones Gareth
School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.
J Mammal. 2021 Apr 23;102(2):588-602. doi: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab024. eCollection 2021 Apr.
Dasyurids are small mammals that can conserve energy and water by using shelters that insulate against extreme conditions, prevent predation, and facilitate torpor. To quantify the diurnal sheltering requirements of a poorly known, endangered dasyurid, the sandhill dunnart, , we radiotracked 40 individuals in the Western Australian Great Victoria Desert between 2015 and 2019. We assessed the effect of habitat class (broad habitat features), plot-level (the area surrounding each shelter), and shelter characteristics (e.g., daily temperature ranges), on shelter selection and sheltering habitat preferences. Two hundred and eleven diurnal shelters (mean of 5 ± 3 shelters per individual) were located on 363 shelter days (the number of days each shelter was used), within mature vegetation (mean seral age of 32 ± 12 years postfire). Burrows were used on 77% of shelter days and were typically concealed under mature spinifex, spp., with stable temperature ranges and northern aspects facing the sun. While many burrows were reused ( = 40 across 175 shelter days), spinifex hummock shelters typically were used for one shelter day and were not insulative against extreme temperatures. However, shallow scrapes within hummock shelters had thermal advantages and log shelters retained heat and were selected on cooler days. requires long-unburned sheltering habitat with mature vegetation. Summer fires in the Great Victoria Desert can be extensive and destroy large areas of land, rendering them a key threat to the species. We conclude that the survey and conservation of requires attention to long-unburned, dense lower stratum swale, sand plain, and dune slope habitats, and the tendency of to burrow allows the species to survive within the extreme conditions of its desert environment.
袋鼬科动物是小型哺乳动物，它们可以通过利用能够抵御极端条件、防止被捕食并便于进入蛰伏状态的庇护所来保存能量和水分。为了量化一种鲜为人知的濒危袋鼬科动物——沙丘 Dunnart（袋鼬）的日间庇护需求，我们在2015年至2019年期间，对西澳大利亚大维多利亚沙漠中的40只个体进行了无线电追踪。我们评估了栖息地类别（广泛的栖息地特征）、样地水平（每个庇护所周围的区域）和庇护所特征（例如，每日温度范围）对庇护所选择和庇护栖息地偏好的影响。在363个庇护日（每个庇护所被使用的天数）内，共定位到211个日间庇护所（每个个体平均5±3个庇护所），这些庇护所位于成熟植被中（火灾后平均演替年龄为32±12年）。在77%的庇护日中使用了洞穴，这些洞穴通常隐藏在成熟的三齿稃属植物下，温度范围稳定，朝北向阳。虽然许多洞穴被重复使用（在175个庇护日中有40个），但三齿稃属植物小丘庇护所通常只使用一天，并且对极端温度没有隔热作用。然而，小丘庇护所内的浅刮痕具有热优势，原木庇护所能够保持热量，在较凉爽的日子被选择使用。沙丘 Dunnart 需要有成熟植被的长期未燃烧的庇护栖息地。大维多利亚沙漠的夏季火灾可能范围广泛，会摧毁大片土地，这对该物种构成了关键威胁。我们得出结论，对沙丘 Dunnart 的调查和保护需要关注长期未燃烧、下层植被茂密的洼地、沙地平原和沙丘斜坡栖息地，并且沙丘 Dunnart 打洞的习性使其能够在沙漠环境的极端条件下生存。
