Landscape ecology of the burrowing bettong: fire and marsupial biocontrol of shrubs in semi-arid Australia
Back to previous page
| Authors: | Noble, JC; Hik, DS; Sinclair, ARE |
| Year: | 2007 |
| Journal: | Rangeland J. 29: 107-119 Article Link (DOI) |
| Title: | Landscape ecology of the burrowing bettong: fire and marsupial biocontrol of shrubs in semi-arid Australia |
| Abstract: | Prior to European settlement, medium-sized marsupials, especially bettongs (Bettongia spp.), were widely distributed across arid and semi-arid Australia. Most disappeared rapidly in the late 1800s in the earliest settled rangelands such as the West Darling region of western New SouthWales following the spread of domestic herbivores, rabbit invasion, exotic predators and loss of habitat. Because the burrowing bettong ( Bettongia lesueur) is the only fossorial macropod species, it left a clearly visible record of its past presence, distribution and habitat preferences in the form of substantial relict warrens, particularly in stony, 'hard-red' habitats. With the reduction in. re frequency because of excessive grazing pressures following European settlement in the 19th century, there was a rapid increase in the density of unpalatable native shrubs. We examine the hypothesis that periodic wild. res and browsing by bettongs were together able to regulate shrub densities in semi-arid rangelands in Australia. Information from various sources concerning the effects of. re, rainfall and browsing on the demography of shrubs was used to construct a model of shrub population dynamics. The model indicates the potential for two states for a given bettong density: first,a low shrub density maintained by a combination of periodic. re and bettong browsing; and second, a high shrub density in the absence of fire. These results have broad implications for pastoral and conservation management in Australian semi-arid rangelands. |
Please send suggestions for improving this publication database to
sass-support@sfu.ca.
Departmental members may update their publication list.