College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.
PLoS One. 2023 Oct 19;18(10):e0286813. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286813. eCollection 2023.
Knowledge of the spatial requirements of a species is fundamental to understanding its environmental requirements. However, this can be challenging as the size of a species' home range can be influenced by ecological factors such as diet and size-dependent metabolic demands, as well as factors related to the quality of their habitat such as the density and distribution of resources needed for food and shelter. Until recently, the genus Petauroides was thought to include only a single species with a widespread distribution across eastern Australia. However, a recent study has provided genetic and morphological evidence supporting Petauroides minor as a distinct northern species. Previous studies have focused on the ecology of P. volans, but there has been inadequate research on P. minor. Data on home range and habitat use were obtained for both species using a combination of techniques including GPS collar locations, radiotelemetry, and spotlighting and comparisons were made using consistent methodology. Home range sizes of P. minor (4.79 ha ± 0.97 s.d., KUD .95) were significantly larger than those of P. volans (2.0 ha ± 0.42 s.d., KUD .95). There were no significant differences between male and female home range sizes in either species. Both species showed site-specific preferences for tree species and for larger diameter trees for both forage and shelter. Tree size and biomass/ha were significantly greater in the P. volans study sites than the P. minor study sites and there was a negative correlation between home range size and eucalypt biomass. Larger home range size is likely driven by the substantial differences in biomass between northern (tropical) and southern (temperate) eucalypt-dominated habitats affecting the quality and quantity of resources for food and shelter. Understanding landscape use and habitat requirements within each species of Petauroides can provide important information regarding limiting factors and in directing conservation and management planning.
物种的空间需求知识是了解其环境需求的基础。然而，这可能具有挑战性，因为物种的栖息地范围大小可能受到生态因素的影响，例如饮食和大小相关的代谢需求，以及与其栖息地质量相关的因素，例如食物和庇护所需资源的密度和分布。直到最近，Petauroides 属被认为仅包含一种分布广泛的物种，分布在澳大利亚东部。然而，最近的一项研究提供了遗传和形态学证据，支持 Petauroides minor 是一个独特的北方物种。以前的研究侧重于 P. volans 的生态学，但对 P. minor 的研究不足。使用包括 GPS 项圈位置、无线电遥测和聚光灯在内的多种技术获得了这两个物种的栖息地范围和栖息地利用数据，并使用一致的方法进行了比较。P. minor（4.79 公顷±0.97 标准偏差，KUD.95）的栖息地范围大小明显大于 P. volans（2.0 公顷±0.42 标准偏差，KUD.95）。在这两个物种中，雄性和雌性的栖息地范围大小都没有显著差异。这两个物种都对树种表现出特定地点的偏好，并且对用于饲料和庇护的较大直径的树木也有偏好。P. volans 研究地点的树木大小和生物量/公顷明显大于 P. minor 研究地点，并且栖息地范围大小与桉树生物量呈负相关。较大的栖息地范围大小可能是由北部（热带）和南部（温带）以桉树为主的栖息地之间生物量的巨大差异驱动的，这影响了食物和庇护所资源的质量和数量。了解每个 Petauroides 物种的景观利用和栖息地需求，可以为了解限制因素并为保护和管理规划提供重要信息。
