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Persistence of a threatened species in a modified alpine resort environment: the broad-toothed rat

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posted on 2015-02-15, 00:00 authored by Desley WhissonDesley Whisson, Gregory Holland, T R Kelly
Habitat change due to resort development threatens rare and endemic fauna of alpine and subalpine regions. There is an urgent need to understand species persistence in such areas. The broad-toothed rat (Mastacomys fuscus) is a rare, specialist species found in alpine and subalpine regions of Australia. We conducted fecal pellet surveys in an alpine resort to determine the species' distribution and habitat requirements. Eight individuals were radiotracked to investigate movement patterns and habitat use. Fecal pellets were found in areas of dense vegetation cover up to 1 m above ground. Home ranges were small (1,488-6,106 m2) and encompassed managed indigenous vegetation on or beside ski runs. Five individuals regularly crossed a narrow (3-5 m) cleared track. Two adult males dispersed (including traversing a wide grassy ski run) up to 1 km. The ability to cross modified areas and move throughout the landscape is proposed as a key factor facilitating the persistence of M. fuscus in the resort. Enhancing the capacity of species to move between habitat patches should be incorporated into alpine resort management plans. Such management will become increasingly important as anthropogenic disturbance increases in alpine regions.

History

Journal

Journal of mammalogy

Volume

96

Issue

1

Pagination

151 - 158

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Location

Oxford, Eng.

ISSN

0022-2372

eISSN

1545-1542

Language

eng

Publication classification

C Journal article; C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2015, Oxford University Press