Abstract
Organisms selecting retreat sites may evaluate not only the quality of the specific shelter, but also the proximity of that site to resources in the surrounding area. Distinguishing between habitat selection at these two spatial scales is complicated by co-variation among microhabitat factors (i.e., the attributes of individual retreat sites often correlate with their proximity to landscape features). Disentangling this co-variation may facilitate the restoration or conservation of threatened systems. To experimentally examine the role of landscape attributes in determining retreat-site quality for saxicolous ectotherms, we deployed 198 identical artificial rocks in open (sun-exposed) sites on sandstone outcrops in southeastern Australia, and recorded faunal usage of those retreat sites over the next 29 months. Several landscape-scale attributes were associated with occupancy of experimental rocks, but different features were important for different species. For example, endangered broad-headed snakes (Hoplocephalus bungaroides) preferred retreat sites close to cliff edges, flat rock spiders (Hemicloea major) preferred small outcrops, and velvet geckos (Oedura lesueurii) preferred rocks close to the cliff edge with higher-than-average sun exposure. Standardized retreat sites can provide robust experimental data on the effects of landscape-scale attributes on retreat site selection, revealing interspecific divergences among sympatric taxa that use similar habitats.
Highlights
Many animals spend long periods sheltered within retreat sites and the choice of retreat site may influence organismal fitness [1,2,3]
Most research on retreat site selection has focused on the attributes of individual retreat sites
Many species are restricted to distinctive macrohabitats so that to understand habitat selection, we need to gather data at a variety of spatial scales [14,15]
Summary
Many animals spend long periods (on a diel cycle, and/or seasonally) sheltered within retreat sites and the choice of retreat site may influence organismal fitness [1,2,3]. Many ectotherms select retreat sites based on thermal regimes [6,7,8,9], scent cues from other species [10,11,12], and/or the three-dimensional structure of the retreat site itself [13]. People buying homes are influenced by the specific features of the house, and by the resources accessible from that site. The latter often may be more important (as suggested by the real-estate agent’s adage that the three most important factors in house desirability are ‘‘location, location, location’’)
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