The importance of forest area and configuration relative to local habitat factors for conserving forest mammals: A case study of koalas in Queensland, Australia
The importance of forest area and configuration relative to local habitat factors for conserving forest mammals: A case study of koalas in Queensland, Australia
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DOI：
10.1016/j.biocon.2006.03.021
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发表时间：
2006-10-01
影响因子：
5.9
通讯作者：
Possingham, Hugh P.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
McAlpine, Clive A.;Rhodes, Jonathan R.;Possingham, Hugh P.
人类土地利用造成的森林栖息地丧失和破碎化被认为是影响依赖森林的动物群减少的重要因素。依赖森林栖息地的哺乳动物物种对栖息地丧失和破碎化特别敏感，因为它们具有高度特定的栖息地要求，并且在许多情况下穿过和利用土地利用矩阵的能力有限。我们通过对澳大利亚昆士兰州东南部破碎的城乡景观中调查的考拉（Phascolarctos cinereus）进行案例研究来解决这个问题。我们应用逻辑建模和分层分区分析来确定森林面积及其相对于地点（局部）和斑块级栖息地变量的配置的重要性。在考虑空间自相关和调查年份后，我们发现考拉的出现随着所有森林栖息地的面积、栖息地斑块的大小和主要桉树树种的比例而增加；并随森林斑块之间的平均最近邻距离、森林斑块密度和封闭道路密度而减小。生境面积和配置之间的影响差异并不像理论预测的那么大，随着森林生境面积的减少，残存林的配置变得越来越重要。我们的结论是，森林面积、其在景观中的配置以及土地利用矩阵是考拉出现的重要决定因素，在保护依赖森林的哺乳动物（如考拉）时，栖息地配置不应被忽视。我们强调这些发现对考拉保护的影响。 (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. 保留所有权利。
The loss and fragmentation of forest habitats by human land use are recognised as important factors influencing the decline of forest-dependent fauna. Mammal species that are dependent upon forest habitats are particularly sensitive to habitat loss and fragmentation because they have highly specific habitat requirements, and in many cases have limited ability to move through and utilise the land use matrix. We addressed this problem using a case study of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) surveyed in a fragmented rural-urban landscape in southeast Queensland, Australia. We applied a logistic modelling and hierarchical partitioning analysis to determine the importance of forest area and its configuration relative to site (local) and patch-level habitat variables. After taking into account spatial auto-correlation and the year of survey, we found koala occurrence increased with the area of all forest habitats, habitat patch size and the proportion of primary Eucalyptus tree species; and decreased with mean nearest neighbour distance between forest patches, the density of forest patches, and the density of sealed roads. The difference between the effect of habitat area and configuration was not as strong as theory predicts, with the configuration of remnant forest becoming increasingly important as the area of forest habitat declines. We conclude that the area of forest, its configuration across the landscape, as well as the land use matrix, are important determinants of koala occurrence, and that habitat configuration should not be overlooked in the conservation of forest-dependent mammals, such as the koala. We highlight the implications of these findings for koala conservation. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.