Journal article
Does temperature variation influence nest box use by the eastern pygmy-possum?
Australian Mammalogy, Vol.42(1), pp.77-84
2020
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Abstract
Cavity-using birds and mammals reliant on nest boxes may be negatively affected by the poor thermal buffering of nest boxes. I investigated whether nest box use by the eastern pygmy-possum (Cercartetus nanus) over a 4-year period was influenced by maximum ambient temperature, which ranged from 15.6 to 34.9°C during survey occasions. Occupancy modelling of 144 site detections over 30 survey occasions suggested that a model that included maximum temperature had little support whereas a model involving time-varying detection (i.e. detection differed across sample occasions) was the most plausible. I also investigated how temperatures in nest boxes and tree hollows varied over the four hottest days of summer, including one day when the temperature reached 40.6°C. Maximum temperatures were 3–4°C cooler in plywood nest boxes and 5–8°C cooler in tree hollows compared with ambient temperatures. Together, these results suggest that eastern pygmy-possums using nest boxes in coastal areas are unlikely to experience heat stress. Cavity-using species are a heterogeneous group such that empirical studies are required to identify those that may be vulnerable to heat stress if nest boxes are used to provide population support.
Details
- Title
- Does temperature variation influence nest box use by the eastern pygmy-possum?
- Creators
- Ross L Goldingay (Corresponding Author) - Southern Cross University
- Publication Details
- Australian Mammalogy, Vol.42(1), pp.77-84
- Publisher
- CSIRO
- Identifiers
- 991012902199902368
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; Science; School of Environment, Science and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article