Species Richness and Habitat Associations of Non-flying Mammals in Gibraltar Range National Park

Abstract

We surveyed mammals in Gibraltar Range National Park using a range of census methods between May 2003 and September 2005. Our primary survey techniques included 5780 trap nights and more than 40 km of walked spotlighting transects, and our observations, coupled with previously collected datasets, revealed the occurrence of 28 native species and six introduced species of non-flying mammal. To examine the importance of habitat heterogeneity in influencing this high mammal species richness, we surveyed mammals across a steep vegetation gradient from swamp, through two eucalypt forest types, to rainforest. The mammal community responded strongly to this gradient, with different suites of species favouring different parts of the gradient. We also attempted to describe the entire mammal community in one of these forest types, wet eucalypt forest, because we suspected it to be one of the more species-rich habitats in the park. The mammal community in this forest type was assessed on two 2.6-ha grids using Elliot and cage trapping (plus incidental observations), and comprised at least 12 species of non-flying native mammal. Brown antechinus (Antechinus stuartii), bush rats (Rattus fuscipes), and fawn-footed melomys (Melomys cervinipes) were the most abundant ground-dwelling mammals in this community.