Fire severity alters spatio-temporal movements and habitat utilisation by an arboreal marsupial, the mountain brushtail possum (Trichosurus cunninghami)

doi:10.1071/WF15204

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Fire severity alters spatio-temporal movements and habitat utilisation by an arboreal marsupial, the mountain brushtail possum (Trichosurus cunninghami)

Berry, L.E., Lindenmayer, D.B., Dennis, T.E., Driscoll, D.A. and Banks, S.C. 2016, Fire severity alters spatio-temporal movements and habitat utilisation by an arboreal marsupial, the mountain brushtail possum (Trichosurus cunninghami), International journal of wildland fire, vol. 25, no. 12, pp. 1291-1302, doi: 10.1071/WF15204.

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Title	Fire severity alters spatio-temporal movements and habitat utilisation by an arboreal marsupial, the mountain brushtail possum (Trichosurus cunninghami)
Formatted title	Fire severity alters spatio-temporal movements and habitat utilisation by an arboreal marsupial, the mountain brushtail possum (Trichosurus cunninghami)
Author(s)	Berry, L.E. Lindenmayer, D.B. Dennis, T.E. Driscoll, D.A. orcid.org/0000-0002-1560-5235 Banks, S.C.
Journal name	International journal of wildland fire
Volume number	25
Issue number	12
Start page	1291
End page	1302
Total pages	12
Publisher	CSIRO Publishing
Place of publication	Clayton, Vic.
Publication date	2016
ISSN	1049-8001 1448-5516
Keyword(s)	biodiversity ecosystems fire regimes mosaic post-fire effects
Summary	Understanding how severe wildfires influence faunal movement is essential for predicting how changes in fire regimes will affect ecosystems. We examined the effects of fire severity distribution on spatial and temporal variation in movement of an Australian arboreal mammal, the mountain brushtail possum (Trichosurus cunninghami). We used GPS telemetry to characterise the movements of 18 possums in landscapes burnt to differing extents by a large wildfire. We identified a temporal change in movement patterns in response to fire. In unburnt landscapes, individuals moved greater distances early and late in the night and had less overlap in the areas used for foraging and denning, than in high-severity burnt landscapes. Habitat selection was dependent on the spatial context of fire in the surrounding landscape. Forest recently burnt at high severity may provide suitable habitat for species such as the mountain brushtail possum, if protected from subsequent disturbance, such as salvage logging. However, spatial and temporal patterns of habitat use and selection differ considerably between burnt and undisturbed landscapes. The spatial outcomes of ecological disturbances such as wildfires have the potential to alter the behaviour and functional roles of fauna across large areas.
Language	eng
DOI	10.1071/WF15204
Field of Research	050204 Environmental Impact Assessment 060207 Population Ecology 050202 Conservation and Biodiversity 0705 Forestry Sciences 0502 Environmental Science And Management 0602 Ecology
Socio Economic Objective	970105 Expanding Knowledge in the Environmental Sciences
HERDC Research category	C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal
ERA Research output type	C Journal article
Copyright notice	©2016, IAWF
Persistent URL	http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30090585

Document type:	Journal Article
Collections:	School of Life and Environmental Sciences Centre for Integrative Ecology


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