Palatability mapping: a koala’s eye view of spatial variation in habitat quality

Moore, Ben D., Lawler, Ivan r., Wallis, Ian R., Beale, Colin M., and Foley, William J. (2010) Palatability mapping: a koala’s eye view of spatial variation in habitat quality. Ecology, 91 (11). pp. 3165-3176.

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Abstract

Ecologists trying to understand the value of habitat to animals must first describe the value of resources contained in the habitat to animals and, second, they must describe spatial variation in resource quality at a resolution relevant to individual animal foraging. We addressed these issues in a study of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) in a Eucalyptus woodland. We measured beneficial and deterrent chemical characteristics as well as the palatability of trees using a near-infrared spectroscopic model based on direct feeding experiments. Tree use by koalas was influenced by tree size and foliar quality but was also context-dependent: trees were more likely to be visited if they were surrounded by small, unpalatable trees or by large, palatable trees. Spatial autocorrelation analysis and several mapping approaches demonstrated that foliar quality is spatially structured in the woodland at a scale relevant to foraging decisions by koalas and that the spatial structure is an important component of habitat quality.

Item ID: 14956
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1939-9170
Keywords: associational defense; Australian Eucalyptus woodland; formylated phloroglucinol compounds; generalized additive mixed modeling; habitat quality; koala; NIRS; patch use; Phascolarctos cinereus; plant secondary metabolites; spatial autocorrelation.
Additional Information:

Reproduced with permission from Ecological Society of America (ESA)

Date Deposited: 17 Nov 2010 00:09
FoR Codes: 05 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 0501 Ecological Applications > 050104 Landscape Ecology @ 33%
05 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 0502 Environmental Science and Management > 050211 Wildlife and Habitat Management @ 33%
06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0602 Ecology > 060203 Ecological Physiology @ 34%
SEO Codes: 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9605 Ecosystem Assessment and Management > 960505 Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Forest and Woodlands Environments @ 50%
96 ENVIRONMENT > 9605 Ecosystem Assessment and Management > 960506 Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Fresh, Ground and Surface Water Environments @ 50%
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