Abstract
Numerous studies have detailed the home-range size of a variety of species. However, few have been able to determine the underlying contribution of species' traits (e.g. body mass and diet) versus the external environment (e.g. resource availability) on variation in home-range size. We investigated the importance of body mass and resource availability on the home-range size of a marsupial, the savanna glider (Petaurus ariel), in the tropical savannas of northern Australia. A strong rainfall gradient occurs over the region, resulting in substantial variation in resource availability throughout the geographic range of P. ariel. To determine P. ariel home-range size, we radio-tracked individuals from populations at the climatic extremes of the species’ geographic range, representing areas of high and low rainfall (mean annual rainfall: 1695 mm and 1074 mm, respectively). Additionally, we conducted spotlight surveys at each site to determine population density and collated live-trapping data to model the body mass of P. ariel over its geographic range. We found an almost 10-fold increase in P. ariel’s seasonal home-range size between the two study areas (high rainfall: 2.5 ha vs. low rainfall: 23.0 ha). Body mass (67.5 g vs. 101.1 g) and density (1.1 individuals ha–1 vs. 0.2 individuals ha–1) also varied significantly between the high and low rainfall populations, respectively. The mean seasonal home-range size of P. ariel was larger than any other similar-sized Australian Petaurid and was in the top 6% of home-range size, relative to body mass, of terrestrial, omnivorous mammals globally. The disproportionately large home-range size of P. ariel is most likely driven by low resource availability within the species' geographic range. Our findings highlight that when resources are limiting, home-range size can far exceed what is predicted by body mass and diet alone.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 199-212 |
| Journal | Journal of Zoology |
| Volume | 315 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 11 Jun 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank the Tiwi Land Council, Jawoyn Traditional Owners and Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission for supporting our research. We acknowledge the field assistance provided by N. Dowling, R. Brandle, K. Blaylock, A. McLean, H. Davies, B. Spencer, C. Buters, E. Burton, L. Lafourniere, Z. Luca, S. Alyott, E. Wemyss, A. Lewis, A. Moorfield, M. Brun, A. Matthews, C. Millen, M. Evans, K. Evanochko, C. Menz, B. Clarke‐Wood, A. Gibson Vega and M. Tranthem. This work was funded by the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment, the Australian Research Council (LP150100615) and the generous donations made by supporters of the ‘Unknown Glider’ crowdfunding campaign. We also thank Rebecca Montague‐Drake for data collected during her initial live‐trapping surveys of . This research was conducted under scientific research permit 54813 with the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission and ethics permit A12043 with Charles Darwin University. Petaurus ariel
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© 2021 Zoological Society of London.
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Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.