Effects of logging on lizards in eucalypt forest at Eden, New South Wales

Abstract

Summary The effects of logging and aspect on reptiles in eucalypt forest were studied near Eden, New South Wales. Reptiles were sampled by concurrent pitfall trapping and transect counts in alternate small (ca. 15ha) logged and unlogged coupes four years after logging. The reptile faunas present in unlogged and logged coupes were generally similar. The two most common species, Eulamprus heatwolei and Lampropholis guichenoti were influenced in different ways by logging and aspect. Logging did not appear to influence population density of E. heatwolei. Significant differences in abundance were found between aspects for E. heatwolei, it being lower on northern than on other aspects. L. guichenoti was clearly more abundant in unlogged forest (as measured by pitfall trapping but not by transect counts) with abundance generally lower on northern aspects. The number of species recorded by the two sampling methods was dissimilar with some species detected primarily by pitfall trapping and others by transect censu...