Explore the structural and functional connectivity of a restored wildlife corridor habitat 25 years after restoration, focusing on aspects of landscape fragmentation, habitat loss, and faunal decline. The study delves into the development and colonization of the habitat, examining the outcomes in terms of flora, fauna, and genetic diversity.
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Presentation Transcript
Development and colonisation of wildlife corridor habitat: Aspects of structural and functional connectivity 25 years after restoration. Nigel Tucker - Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia Biotropica Australia, Millaa Millaa, QLD
Background Landscape fragmentation results in habitat loss and isolation leading to faunal decline, loss of genetic diversity and ecological interactions including seed dispersal Restoring connectivity is a defragmentation action, breaking the continuity of disturbance Structural connectivity - habitat distribution and its connectedness across a landscape Functional connectivity- degree to which landscape configurations support wildlife movement Donaghy s Corridor is a restored corridor designed to restore continuous habitat between the 500ha Lake Barrine fragment and the 1.2km distant Gadgarra National Park (80,000ha)
Initial Outcomes In 2000, 3years after planting: 4472 seedlings from 119 species , 48 families 3-5m closed canopy, no understory 25 new plant species 7 native ground mammals 25 birds, 8 rainforest-dependent 4 native skinks Genetic exchange documented for Rattus fuscipes Sources: Jansen 2005, Tucker and Simmons 2009, Paetkau et al. 2009
Vegetation: Floristics Re-survey of 12 permanent transects in 2022: 4501 seedlings from 153 species (+34), 63 families (+15) including endemics Species diversity increased from 6.9/15m2 (2000) to 15.4m2 (2022) Most are fleshy-fruited Lauraceae, Sapindaceae 50 new species since 2000 Source: Tucker et al. 2023(a)
Vegetation: Successional Changes Late Intermediate-Late Successional stage Intermediate Gap 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Number of species stage 2021 stage 2000 Source: Tucker et al. 2023(a)
Vegetation: Structure Plantings are now complex and multi-layered with understory and shrub layers Canopy height averages 20m Plank buttresses, vines, palms, ferns, orchids and rattans present Gap species mortality is creating natural disturbance and dead wood habitat Source: Tng et al. 2023
Vegetation: Structure and Diversity Lake Barrine mature rainforest (RF) T-test Significance (effect direction) Donaghy s Corridor (DC) restored forest Totals (within 900m2 of each forest type) Species richness (all observations within plots) Species richness ( 1cm DBH) No. of individuals ( 1cm DBH) No. of individuals ( 1cm DBH) per hectare (n ha-1) Stem basal area ( 1cm DBH) (m2) No. of small stems (<1cm DBH or <1.3m height) within 15m2 subplot 157 92 446 4955.6 74.3 621 199 111 466 5177.8 109.1 507 - - - - - - Small stems basal area (m2) Small stems basal area per hectare (m2 ha-1) Plot level means ( S.D.) No. of individuals 1cm DBH Basal area per hectare (m2 ha-1) of individuals 1cm DBH Biomass of individuals 1cm DBH (Mg) % Individuals 1cm DBH of successional species % Individuals 1cm DBH of mature forest species % Individuals 1cm DBH - animal dispersed % Individuals 1cm DBH - wind dispersed species % Individuals 1cm DBH - mechanically dispersed species No. of small stems Seedlings basal area (m2 plot-1) Species richness of individuals 1cm DBH (n plot-1) Shannon's Diversity (H') of individuals 1cm DBH Pielou's Evenness (J') of individuals 1cm DBH % small stems of successional species % small stems of mature forest species % small stem species - animal dispersed % small stem species - wind dispersed % small stem species - mechanically dispersed Leaf litter cover scale Canopy cover (%) 0.017 11.81 0.023 15.79 - - Ns Ns P < 0.016(DC<RF) P < 0.001 (DC>RF) P < 0.001 (DC<RF) Ns Ns Ns Ns Ns Ns Ns Ns P = 0.001 (DC>RF) P = 0.001 (DC>RF) P < 0.001 (DC<RF) Ns P = 0.001 (DC<RF) Ns P = 0.048 (DC>RF) 78.3 ( 34.9) 825.3 ( 333.6) 7.81 ( 3.91) 51.8 ( 7.9) 20.7 ( 7.2) 75.7 ( 4.5) 19.3 ( 5.0) 5.0 ( 3.4) 103.5 ( 32.9) 2.95 E-3 ( 1.51 E-3) 31.8 ( 5.6) 2.989 ( 0.358) 0.869 ( 0.111) 50.9 ( 9.7) 49.1 ( 9.7) 87.3 ( 2.8) 6.2 ( 6.2) 6.5 ( 3.9) 5 ( 0) 85.7 ( 2.17) 86.7 ( 21.7) 1212.1 ( 405.8) 16.94 ( 6.71) 48.2 ( 7.9) 79.3 ( 7.2) 75.8 ( 5.1) 15.0 ( 6.7) 9.2 ( 3.1) 84.5 ( 25.2) 3.95 E-3 ( 5.6 E-3) 34.2 ( 7.5) 2.986 ( 0.237) 0.85 ( 0.029) 27.7 ( 8.8) 72.3 ( 8.8) 69.9 ( 7.3) 8.6 ( 2.7) 21.5 ( 7.3) 5 ( 0) 83.6 ( 0.77) Source: Tng et al. 2023
Birds 3 seasonal point count surveys completed over 12 months 40 species recorded in the corridor, 29 species in reference forest 5 endemics recorded in the corridor vs. 8 species in reference forest 68.2% (Bray Curtis similarity) of corridor birds shared with forest reference sites Large-gape frugivores present, aerial insectivores most prominent guild Source: Tucker et al. 2024(a)
Birds Numbers of endemic and rainforest-dependent birds at Donaghy's Corridor 1996/98 Year of Survey 2008 2022/23 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 Number of Species Regional Endemics Rainforest Dependent Source: Tucker et al. 2024(a)
Reptiles Pitfall traps were previously used Piles of old fence posts - easily sampled, consistent dimensions 24 log piles, sampled at 6 and 12 months Increasing number of rainforest-dependent species, 5 rainforest skinks including endemics and specialized arboreal species 1 endangered species Source: Tucker et al. 2024(b)
Reptiles Species Rainforest- dependent WT 2000 2022 Total piles occupied Endemic Rainbow skink No No x (13) Carlia rubrigularis Tiger skink Yes Yes x 2 2 Concinnia tigrina Prickly forest-skink Yes Yes x 19 14 Gnypetoscincus queenslandiae Eastern water dragon No No 4 4 Intellagama lesueurii Australian lace-lid frog (Endangered) Yes Yes x 2 1 Litoria dayi Cane toad No No 6 6 Rhinella marina* Basilisk shade-skink Yes Yes 25 14 Saproscincus basiliscus Four fingered shade-skink Yes Yes 5 5 Saproscincus tetradactylus Source: Tucker et al. 2024(b)
Microbats Anabat detectors deployed in corridor, reference forest and pasture, sampled twice over 12months Call analysis frequency, pulse duration, time between pulses, slope and pulse curvature - used to identify species Aspect Ratio (AR) is a key morphological feature determining habitat preference Low AR species are clutter adapted high AR species are adapted to fast, open-area flight 12 species recorded 7 x av.AR6.1, 5 x av.AR7.6 Clear separation based on Aspect Ratio Source: Tucker and Ford 2023
Ground mammals Trail cameras used rather than live-trapping 10 cameras, 5days/4nights, every 4 months Species turnover appears complete Grassland species are absent Endemic rainforest species present Endemics responsible for dispersal of large-fruited species internally and externally
Ground mammals Species VAC 2000 2021 Antechinus flavipes 4 * Yellow-footed antechinus Hydromys chrysogaster 2 Water rat * Hypsiprymnodon moschatus 6 Musky-rat kangaroo * Isoodon macrourus 1 * Brown bandicoot * Melomys burtoni 0 * Grassland Melomys Melomys cervinipes 4 * Fawn-footed Melomys * Mus musculus 0 * House mouse Perameles pallescens 5 *1 Long-nosed bandicoot * Rattus fuscipes/R. leucopus 4/5 * Bush rat/Cape York rat * Rattus sordidus 0 * Cane-field rat Thylogale stigmatica 5 Red-legged pademelon * Uromys caudimaculatus 5 * Giant white-tail rat * VAC: Vertebrate Atlas Classification - 0 = not rainforest dependent, 6 = rainforest dependent Source: Tucker et al. 2024(a)
Ground mammals Musky rat-kangaroo Giant white-tailed rat Red-legged pademelon
Soil Seed Banks Measure of ecological resilience and re- organisational capacity after disturbance Soil cores taken every 100m along the corridor, in reference forest and adjacent pasture 20m from the corridor edge Emerging seedlings counted/identified monthly for 3months Differences in composition between sites
Soil Seed Banks Numbers of exotic and native species in the 3 site types Pasture Site type Reference Forest Corridor 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Number of Species Exotic Native Numbers of species and individuals in the 3 site types Pasture Site type Reference Forest Corridor 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Number Individuals Species Source: Tucker et al. in review
Soil Seed Banks Significant differences in relationships between above- and below-ground vegetation Close similarity between above and below ground species in pasture and corridor samples No similarity between above- and below-ground in reference forest Forest and corridor samples were dominated by pioneer/gap phase species and Ficus (25% of all species in corridor samples). Planting pioneer and framework species appears to have below-ground benefits 75% of seed bank species were planted Source: Tucker et al. in review
Development and colonisation of wildlife corridor habitat: Aspects of structural and functional connectivity 25 years after restoration References Tucker, N. and Murphy, T. 1997. The effects of ecological rehabilitation on vegetation recruitment: some observations from the Wet Tropics of North Queensland. Forest Ecology and Management, 99, 133-152 Jansen, A. 2005. Avian use of restoration plantings along a creek linking rainforest patches on the Atherton Tablelands, North Queensland. Restoration Ecology 13: 275 283. Paetkau, D., Vasquez, E., Tucker, N. and Moritz, C. 2009. Monitoring Movement into and Through a Newly Planted Rainforest Corridor Using Genetic Analysis of Natal Origin. Ecological Management and Restoration 10(3):210-216. Tng DYP, Tucker NIJ and Apgaua D. 2023. How does the forest structure, diversity and species composition of a restored forest 25 years after planting compare with mature rainforest? North Queensland Naturalist 53: 73-87. Tucker, NIJ., Elliott, S., Holl, KD., and Zahawi, RA. 2023. Restoring Tropical Forests: Lessons Learned from Case Studies on Three Continents. In: Ecological Restoration:Moving forward using lessons learned (Eds) S. Florentine, L. Broadhurst, P. Gibson-Roy and K. Dixon. Springer-Link Tucker, NIJ and Ford, G. 2023. Observations on the utilisation of a restored wildlife corridor by echo-locating microbats in North Queensland s Wet Tropics. Ecological Management and Restoration 24:1 pp.7-11 Tucker NIJ, Freeman AND., and Marshall TJ. 2024(a). Structural and functional connectivity in a 25-year old restored wildlife corridor an example from the upland Wet Tropics of north-eastern Australia. North Queensland Naturalist 54: 69-78. Tucker, NIJ., Colman, D., and Snodgrass, P. 2024(b). Using log piles to assess reptile habitat development in Donaghy s Corridor. North Queensland Naturalist 54 Tucker, NIJ., Colman, D., Vogado, NO., and Snodgrass, P. in review. Soil seed banks in three restored wildlife corridors, reference forest and adjacent pastures; Implications for linear habitats in tropical environments.
