干旱区生态环境知识资源中心(Arid): Location of long-term communal burrows of a threatened arid-zone lizard in relation to soil and vegetation

Arid

DOI	10.1111/aec.12656
	Location of long-term communal burrows of a threatened arid-zone lizard in relation to soil and vegetation
	Ridley, Jenna C. H.1; Schlesinger, Christine A.1; Bull, C. Michael 2
通讯作者	Schlesinger, Christine A.
来源期刊	AUSTRAL ECOLOGY
ISSN	1442-9985
EISSN	1442-9993
出版年	2020
卷号	45 期号:4 页码:444-453
英文摘要	The great desert skink (Liopholis kintorei) of the Egerniinae subfamily (Reptilia: Scincidae) is a communal burrowing lizard that inhabits arid spinifex grasslands in central Australia. Great desert skink activity is centred in and around the burrows which are inhabited for many years. However, it is not known whether skinks select burrow sites with specific attributes or how continuing occupancy of burrows is influenced by the surrounding habitat; especially post-fire, when plant cover is reduced. Here, we test whether great desert skink burrows in areas burnt 2 years previously and in longer unburnt areas are associated with particular habitat attributes, and whether there are differences between occupied and recently abandoned burrow sites. Vegetation composition, cover and soil surface characteristics at 56 established great desert skink burrows, including occupied and recently unoccupied burrows, were compared with 56 random nearby non-burrow control sites. Burrow sites had higher plant cover compared with the surrounding landscape in both recently burnt and longer unburnt areas and were more likely to be associated with the presence of shrubs. Soil stability and infiltration were also higher at burrow sites. However, we found no evidence that burrows with lower cover were more likely to be abandoned. Our results suggest that great desert skinks may actively select high cover areas for burrow construction, although differences between burrow and control sites may also partly reflect local changes to plant cover and composition and soil properties resulting from burrow construction and long-term habitation of a site. Further research should determine if burrows with shrubs or higher plant cover provide greater protection from predators, more structural stability for burrow construction, increased prey abundance or other benefits. We recommend that maintenance of areas with relatively higher plant cover be prioritized when managing great desert skink habitat.
英文关键词	burrow desert habitat selection Liopholis kintorei threatened species
类型	Article
语种	英语
国家	Australia
收录类别	SCI-E
WOS记录号	WOS:000536487100006
WOS关键词	AUSTRALIA ; ECOLOGY ; BETTONG ; VERTEBRATES ; ABUNDANCE ; DYNAMICS ; ANIMALS ; HISTORY ; EGERNIA ; FIRE
WOS类目	Ecology
WOS研究方向	Environmental Sciences & Ecology
资源类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.177/qdio/handle/2XILL650/318723
作者单位	1.Charles Darwin Univ, Res Inst Environm & Livelihoods, Alice Springs Campus,POB 795, Alice Springs, NT 0871, Australia; 2.Flinders Univ S Australia, Sch Biol Sci, Adelaide, SA, Australia
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Ridley, Jenna C. H.,Schlesinger, Christine A.,Bull, C. Michael. Location of long-term communal burrows of a threatened arid-zone lizard in relation to soil and vegetation[J],2020,45(4):444-453.
APA	Ridley, Jenna C. H.,Schlesinger, Christine A.,&Bull, C. Michael.(2020).Location of long-term communal burrows of a threatened arid-zone lizard in relation to soil and vegetation.AUSTRAL ECOLOGY,45(4),444-453.
MLA	Ridley, Jenna C. H.,et al."Location of long-term communal burrows of a threatened arid-zone lizard in relation to soil and vegetation".AUSTRAL ECOLOGY 45.4(2020):444-453.