Influences on koala habitat selection across four local government areas on the far north coast of NSW

Clive A. McAlpine; John Callaghan; Daniel Lunney; Jonathan R. Rhodes; Ross Goldingay; Will Goulding; Christine Adams-Hosking; Kelly Fielding; Scott Benitez Hetherington; Angie Brace; Marama Hopkins; Liz Caddick; Elisha Taylor; Lorraine Vass; Linda Swankie

doi:10.1111/aec.13313

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Influences on koala habitat selection across four local government areas on the far north coast of NSW

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Influences on koala habitat selection across four local government areas on the far north coast of NSW

Clive A. McAlpine, John Callaghan, Daniel Lunney, Jonathan R. Rhodes, Ross Goldingay, Will Goulding, Christine Adams-Hosking, Kelly Fielding, Scott Benitez Hetherington, Angie Brace, …

Austral ecology, Vol.48(5), pp.928-951

08/2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13313

Appears in Recent Faculty of Science and Engineering Publications

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Abstract

Ecology

Environmental Sciences & Ecology

Life Sciences & Biomedicine

Science & Technology

Colwell phosphorus

cross-scale interactions

habitat preferences

habitat quality

landscape connections

mixed-models

private land

regional conservation

Conserving habitats crucial for threatened koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) populations requires rating habitat quality from a fine spatial scale to patches, landscapes and then regions. The koala has a specialized diet focused on the leaves of a suite of Eucalyptus species. We asked: what are the key regional influences on habitat selection by koalas in the far north coast of New South Wales? We addressed this question by investigating the multi-scale factors, and within-scale and cross-scale interactions, that influence koala habitat selection and distribution across four local government areas on the far north coast of New South Wales. We assembled and analysed a large data set of tree selection, identified by the presence of scats, in a wide range of randomly selected 5 x 5 km grids across the region. This resulted in more than 9000 trees surveyed for evidence of koala use from 302 field sites, together with associated biophysical site features. The dominant factor influencing habitat use and koala occurrence was the distribution of five Eucalyptus species. Koalas were more likely to use medium-sized trees of these species where they occurred on soils with high levels of Colwell phosphorous. We also identified new interactions among the distribution of preferred tree species and soil phosphorous, and their distribution with the amount of suitable habitat in the surrounding landscape. Our study confirmed that non-preferred species of eucalypts and non-eucalypts are extensively used by koalas and form important components of koala habitat. This finding lends support to restoring a mosaic of koala-preferred tree species and other species recognized for their value as shelter. Our study has provided the ecological foundation for developing a novel regional-scale approach to the conservation of koalas, with adaptability to other wildlife species.

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Title: Influences on koala habitat selection across four local government areas on the far north coast of NSW
Creators: Clive A. McAlpine - University of Queensland
John Callaghan - Southern Cross University
Daniel Lunney - University of Sydney
Jonathan R. Rhodes - University of Queensland
Ross Goldingay - Southern Cross University
Will Goulding - University of Queensland
Christine Adams-Hosking - University of Queensland
Kelly Fielding - University of Queensland
Scott Benitez Hetherington - Tweed Shire Council
Angie Brace - Lismore City Council
Marama Hopkins - Tweed Shire Council
Liz Caddick - Byron Shire Council
Elisha Taylor - Ballina Shire Council
Lorraine Vass - Friends of the Koala
Linda Swankie - Friends of the Koala
Publication Details: Austral ecology, Vol.48(5), pp.928-951
Publisher: Wiley
Number of pages: 24
Grant note: LP160100486; FT200100096 / Australian Research Council
Identifiers: 991013103290702368
Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Austral Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Ecological Society of Australia. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Academic Unit: Faculty of Science and Engineering; Science
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

Influences on koala habitat selection across four local government areas on the far north coast of NSW

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