Three-dimensional use of space by a tropical rainforest rodent, 'Melomys cervinipes', and its implications for foraging and home-range size

Title
Three-dimensional use of space by a tropical rainforest rodent, 'Melomys cervinipes', and its implications for foraging and home-range size
Publication Date
2006
Author(s)
Rader, Romina
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9056-9118
Email: rrader@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:rrader
Krockenberger, Andrew
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
CSIRO Publishing
Place of publication
Australia
DOI
10.1071/WR04117
UNE publication id
une:21467
Abstract
This study investigated the factors that influence the home-range size of a tropical Australian rodent, 'Melomys cervinipes', using radio-tagged individuals. 'Melomys cervinipes' frequently used the canopy and, when measured according to height level, its home-range areas were much larger than calculated by traditional two-dimensional home-range calculations. Home-range size did not significantly differ between the sexes, with an average home range of 0.42 ± 0.06 ha and core area of activity of 0.091 ± 0.074 ha. 'M. cervinipes' did not maintain exclusive home ranges and overlapped with both other focal individuals and individuals not fitted with tracking devices. There was a relationship between the core range of 'M. cervinipes' and individual trees of the dominant canopy species at the site. Core ranges of 'M. cervinipes' included 2 (1.96 ± 0.27) individual canopy trees independent of the area of that core range, whereas the number of individual trees within their total range was proportional to the size of that range. This suggests that 'M. cervinipes' sets the core of its range to include a specific level of canopy resources regardless of the size required to achieve that level, but that its overall range is merely a representative sample of trees from the site.
Link
Citation
Wildlife Research, 33(7), p. 577-582
ISSN
1035-3712
1448-5494
Start page
577
End page
582

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