Suchergebnisse

Data from 152 plots (0·8 ha) and 659 small quadrats (0·04 ha)
were used to assess rooting activity by feral pigs in forest communities in
north Queensland. Study sites spanned the rainforest–sclerophyll-forest
gradient along the western margin of the wet tropics region. Detailed
floristic, physiognomic and edaphic data were recorded for each plot and used
to develop a predictive model of pig activity in these habitats.
The most striking result was that rooting activity varied markedly among
different forest types. Wet sclerophyll forests consistently had the greatest
area disturbed, followed by mesic and dry sclerophyll forests. Both rainforest
and rainforest-invaded sclerophyll forests had relatively low activity levels.
There were some differences in rooting activity among different geographic
regions, but few effects of local topography, soil type or proximity to water.
A mathematical model was developed to predict the ecological associations of
pig rooting activity, using generalised linear modeling. Pig rooting was
associated with certain attributes of wet sclerophyll forests and with slopes
and ridge tops, but the model had limited effectiveness, with fitted values
explaining 16% of the actual variation in rooting activity. This may
have resulted because microhabitat preferences of pigs varied among different
forest types and seasons. We suggest that pigs could be consuming fungal
fruit-bodies in sclerophyll forests, and if so they may compete for food with
some native, mycophagous mammals.