Activity patterns of free-ranging koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) revealed by accelerometry Ryan, Michelle A., Whisson, Desley A., Holland, Greg J. and Arnould, John P.Y. 2013, Activity patterns of free-ranging koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) revealed by accelerometry, PLoS ONE, vol. 8, no. 11, pp. 1-10, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080366. Attached Files Name Description MIMEType Size Downloads ryan-activitypatternsof-2013.pdf Published version application/pdf 1.25MB 271 Title Activity patterns of free-ranging koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) revealed by accelerometry Author(s) Ryan, Michelle A. Whisson, Desley A. orcid.org/0000-0002-4221-0706 Holland, Greg J. Arnould, John P.Y. orcid.org/0000-0003-1124-9330 Journal name PLoS ONE Volume number 8 Issue number 11 Start page 1 End page 10 Total pages 10 Publisher Public Library of Science Place of publication San Francisco, Calif. Publication date 2013-11-04 ISSN 1932-6203 Keyword(s) koala activity patterns behavioral response environmental change accelerometry Summary An understanding of koala activity patterns is important for measuring the behavioral response of this species to environmental change, but to date has been limited by the logistical challenges of traditional field methodologies. We addressed this knowledge gap by using tri-axial accelerometer data loggers attached to VHF radio collars to examine activity patterns of adult male and female koalas in a high-density population at Cape Otway, Victoria, Australia. Data were obtained from 27 adult koalas over two 7-d periods during the breeding season: 12 in the early-breeding season in November 2010, and 15 in the late-breeding season in January 2011. Multiple 15 minute observation blocks on each animal were used for validation of activity patterns determined from the accelerometer data loggers. Accelerometry was effective in distinguishing between inactive (sleeping, resting) and active (grooming, feeding and moving) behaviors. Koalas were more active during the early-breeding season with a higher index of movement (overall dynamic body acceleration [ODBA]) for both males and females. Koalas showed a distinct temporal pattern of behavior, with most activity occurring from mid-afternoon to early morning. Accelerometry has potential for examining fine-scale behavior of a wide range of arboreal and terrestrial species. Language eng DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0080366 Field of Research 060201 Behavioural Ecology Socio Economic Objective 960806 Forest and Woodlands Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity HERDC Research category C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal Copyright notice ©2013, Public Library of Science Free to Read? Yes Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30060857 Document type: Journal Article Collections: Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment School of Life and Environmental Sciences Open Access Collection Centre for Integrative Ecology Related Links Link Description Connect to published version (restricted access) Go to link with your DU access privileges     Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright for items in DRO is owned by the author, with all rights reserved. Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that permission has been obtained for items included in DRO. If you believe that your rights have been infringed by this repository, please contact drosupport@deakin.edu.au. Versions Version Filter Type Fri, 21 Feb 2014, 08:28:21 EST Tue, 25 Feb 2014, 10:52:44 EST Wed, 05 Mar 2014, 15:27:58 EST Wed, 05 Mar 2014, 15:29:39 EST Tue, 11 Mar 2014, 09:31:32 EST Wed, 23 Apr 2014, 11:45:31 EST Thu, 28 Aug 2014, 07:34:49 EST Thu, 09 Oct 2014, 10:20:30 EST Wed, 14 Oct 2015, 13:42:57 EST Wed, 18 Nov 2015, 07:48:09 EST Wed, 06 Dec 2017, 06:03:08 EST Fri, 07 Sep 2018, 16:56:53 EST Filtered Full Citation counts:   Cited 19 times in TR Web of Science Cited 17 times in Scopus Search Google Scholar Access Statistics: 793 Abstract Views, 271 File Downloads  -  Detailed Statistics Created: Fri, 21 Feb 2014, 08:28:21 EST