HABITAT USE OF THE QUOKKA, SETONIX BRACHYURUS (MACROPODIDAE: MARSUPIALIA), IN THE NORTHERN JARRAH FOREST OF AUSTRALIA

Abstract

Habitat use of quokka (Setonix brachyurus) in the northern jarrah forest of Western Australia was determined by monitoring movements of 58 quokkas over 2 years in 5 local populations. Quokkas were largely restricted to Agonis swamps that occur patchily throughout the jarrah forest. Within swamps, they are habitat specialists, preferring early seral stages that have been burned within the previous 10 years. This preference derives from a combination of dietary requirements and refuge from predation. As swamps mature they become suboptimal, forcing quokkas to colonize new patches. Since the collapse of the metapopulation following the introduction of the European red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in the 1930s, quokkas have been forced to remain at a site because predation inhibits dispersal.