Atherton Tableland Research Articles

Community survey of the distribution of Lumholtz's Tree-kangaroo on the Atherton Tablelands, north-east Queensland

Lumholtz's Tree-kangaroo Dendrolagus lumholtzi is endemic to the rainforests of north Queensland, Australia. Most records of D. lumholtzi are from upland forests on the Atherton Tablelands, an area extensively cleared for agriculture. In 1997, residents of the Tablelands formed the Tree Kangaroo and Mammal Group Inc. (TKMG) with the aim of promoting the conservation of the species. The first project of TKMG was an intensive community-based survey of the distribution of D. lumholtzi. Residents of all postal districts encompassing areas of upland rainforest within the range of D. lumholtzi were sent a written questionnaire seeking details of tree-kangaroo sightings. The Malanda postal district was surveyed in 1998 while all other postal districts were surveyed in 1999. In total, 10 122 questionairres were distributed in the survey. "Nearly 800 responses were received to the survey, providing 2 368 sighting records of D. lumholtzi. Of these, 367 records were of dead tree-kangaroos, mostly road-kills." The survey has provided a much more comprehensive account of the distribution of the species than was previously available. Most records of D. lumholtzi obtained in the survey were from upland forests between Atherton and Ravenshoe, particularly remnant forests in the central and western Tablelands. Although the survey methodology is biased towards areas frequented by humans, these patterns are consistent with independent surveys. The conservation of D. lumholtzi on the Tablelands would benefit from the protection of remnant forests, the restoration of habitat and a reduction in the incidence of road-kills and dog attacks on tree-kangaroos.

The diet of the common blossom bat (Syconycteris australis) in upland tropical rainforest and the importance of riparian areas

The diet of the common blossom bat (Syconycteris australis) was investigated in upland rainforest on the Atherton Tablelands. Faeces or fur pollen samples from 62 S. australis and feeding observations on 5 captive and 10 radio-tagged bats were collected. Syconycteris australis fed on blossoms from at least 18 plant species found in rainforests (plus unidentified species of Loranthaceae), 2 species from non-rainforest communities and from flowers of the cultivated banana (Musa sp.) grown on farms. Rainforest plants included 13 species of trees, 1 shrub and 4 climbers. Myrtaceae was the most important family contributing to the diet of S. australis, particularly the genus Syzygium. The chiropterophilus flower syndrome was only partly useful as a predictor of the diet of S. australis in these forests. Fruit was also eaten, being most common in the diet from late summer to autumn (wet season). Twelve months of mist-netting in riparian and non-riparian rainforest found higher capture rates in riparian rainforest in spring and summer, but not during autumn or winter. It is suggested that the availability of food species (both blossom and fruit) is high in riparian rainforest during spring and summer when S. australis is most frequently caught in this habitat. Efforts to rehabilitate rainforest along degraded creeks should offer a significant conservation benefit to this small pollinator.

North–South Patterns within Arboreal Ant Assemblages from Rain Forests in Eastern Australia1

This paper describes the ant assemblages sampled from rain forest canopies ranging from southern Victoria through to Cape York Peninsula, Australia, and also in Brunei. Specifically, it examines the influence of decreasing latitude and variations in elevation on the character, richness, and abundance of the arboreal rain forest ant fauna, and also the relative contribution of ants to the total arthropod community. The sites that were examined included: cool temperate Nothofagus cunninghamii forest from a range of locations in Victoria; cool temperate N. moorei forest at both Werrikimbe and Styx River, New South Wales; notophyll vine forest in Lamington National Park, southeast Queensland; high elevation notophyll vine forest in Eungella National Park, central Queensland; complex notophyll vine forest at Robson Creek, Atherton Tablelands, north Queensland; complex mesophyll vine forest at Cape Tribulation, north Queensland; and mixed dipterocarp forest in Brunei. Although these sites represent a gradient increasingly tropical in character, botanically speaking, Eungella is less tropical than Lamington because of its high elevation. All samples were obtained by fogging the canopy with a rapid-knockdown pyrethrin pesticide. In all cases, circular funnels were suspended beneath the foliage of individual trees or small plots of mixed canopy. Arthropods were collected four hours after fogging. Following ordinal sorting, ants were identified and counted to morphospecies level. The resulting catch were then standardized across sites as numbers caught per 0.5 m2 sampling funnel. Generic and species richness were higher at the lowland tropical Cape Tribulation sites than at the sites to the south and was comparable with values in the Brunei site. Species richness was negatively correlated with latitude and elevation. Within the Australian rain forest, the lowland/highland break appears to be the strongest predictor of ant relative abundance, with a weaker latitudinal relationship superimposed.

Nested clade analysis of the freshwater shrimp, Caridina zebra (Decapoda: Atyidae), from north-eastern Australia.

The freshwater shrimp, Caridina zebra, is endemic to montane rainforest streams of the Atherton Tableland, north-eastern Australia. As the confluences of many of the headwater streams are in unsuitable habitat, dispersal is expected to be highly restricted. Results from a previous allozyme survey for this species suggested that historical dispersal between separate river drainages had occurred due to rearrangements of the drainage lines at some stage in the recent past. The aim of this study was to use temporal information from the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (CO-I) gene to determine whether the observed genetic structure was a result of historical processes, or alternatively, due to low levels of terrestrial dispersal. The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data were analysed using nested clade analysis, which can differentiate between historical fragmentation and range expansion vs. contemporary restricted gene flow. The results displayed three divergent clades that were likely to have arisen in allopatry. One widespread clade, with individuals in more than one river drainage, reflected a pattern of restricted gene flow. This suggests that this species is capable of terrestrial dispersal.

Ecological correlates of folivore abundance in north Queensland rainforests

The ecological factors controlling the distribution and abundance of the folivorous marsupials endemic to the rainforests of northern Australia are not understood. In this study, we surveyed folivore abundance at 40 sites stratified by altitude and geology in rainforests of the Atherton Tableland, north Queensland. All five species of folivore that inhabit the study area were more abundant in highland (800–1200 m) than in upland (400–800 m) forests. Allowing for the effects of altitude, four species of folivore were more abundant in forests on nutrient-rich basalts than in forests on nutrient-poor acid igneous or metamorphic rocks. The abundance of two folivore species also varied inversely with rainfall. Altitudinal variation in folivore abundance in the study area has been attributed to habitat destruction, Aboriginal hunting, the distribution of host plants and climate; however, none of these hypotheses has been tested. Variation in folivore abundance with geology is plausibly explained as a response to the nutritional quality of foliage. Foliage quality may also explain the inverse relationship between two of the folivores and rainfall. The results of this study show that only a relatively small proportion of north Queensland rainforests support abundant populations of the endemic folivorous marsupials.

Distribution and habitat of the flutenosed batMurina florium(Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) in the wet tropics of north-eastern Queensland

The flute-nosed bat Murina florium is a poorly known species that was first discovered in Australia at Mt Baldy State Forest on the Atherton Tablelands in north-eastern Queensland in 198 1. Subsequently there have been few other documented records despite intensive harp trapping studies, with the species only recorded from an additional six localities up until December 1995. This study provides four new locality records for the species, including two records which extend the known southern range limits of M. florium by 150 km across the Herbert River discontinuity within the Wet Tropics bioregion. The broad habitat characteristics of all known localities for the species are reviewed and the paper presents the first account of this bat occurring in non-rainforest habitat Occurrence of M. florium in this habitat is discussed using current knowledge of roosting and ecomorphology characteristics. A predicted distribution of M. florium based on the I I locality records, is calculated using DOMAIN and 16 biophy...

N2O emission from tropical forest soils of Australia

Three different tropical rain forest sites (Kauri Creek, Lake Eacham, and Massey Creek) on the Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Australia, were investigated for the magnitude of N2O emission from soils during different seasons, that is, wet season, dry season, and transition periods. Highest mean N2O emission rates were observed for soils derived from granite at the Kauri Creek site with 74.5±25.2 μg N2O‐N m−2 h−1, whereas for soils derived from Metamorphics (Lake Eacham site) mean N2O emission rates were much lower (13.1±1.1 μg N2O‐N m−2 h−1). For the Massey Creek site, with soils derived from Rhyolite, a mean annual N2O emission rate of 46. ±1.1 μg N2O‐N m−2 h−1 was calculated. The mean annual N2O emission rate calculated for all three sites over the entire observation period was 39.0 μg N2O‐N m−2 h−1 and thus at the high end of reports from tropical rain forest soils. N2O emission rates showed at all sites pronounced temporal as well as spatial variability. The magnitude of N2O emissions was strongly linked to rainfall events; that is, N2O emissions strongly increased approximately 6–8 hours after precipitation. Correlation analysis confirmed the strong dependency of N2O emissions on changes in soil moisture, whereas changes in soil temperature did not mediate considerable changes in N2O fluxes. Spatial variability of N2O fluxes on a site scale could be explained best by differences in water‐filled pore space, CO2 emission, and C/N ratio of the soil. On the basis of all published N2O flux rates from tropical rain forest soils we recalculated the contribution of such forests to the global atmospheric N2O budget and come up with a figure of 3.55 Tg N2O‐N yr−1, which is approximately 50% higher than reported by others.

The Nesting Biology of the Grey-headed Robin Heteromyias albispecularis (Petroicidae) in Australian Upland Tropical Rainforest

SummarySeventy-eight nests of the Grey-headed Robin Heteromyias albispecularis were studied on the Paluma Range, north Queensland, during 1978–89 and three on the southern Atherton Tableland in 1997. Only one pair of birds attended each nest. The presumed female built, incubated, brooded and fed young, provisioning herself and being fed by her mate. The male did not feed the offspring directly. Nests took 12–15 days to build and often remained empty for 2–4 weeks before egg laying. Nests were open cups typically built upon the spiny stems of a climbing palm Calamus sp. or in the crowns of saplings, mostly < 3 m above ground. Nesting at Paluma began in late August-early September. Most (90%) clutches were incubated during September-November, with October the peak month (59%) and 81% of nestlings left the nest in November. Of 46 clutches, 56% were of two eggs and 44% of one egg (mean clutch size 1.6). Fresh eggs (1–3 days old) weighed 15% of mean adult female weight on average, and were incubated for 17–19 days in bouts averaging 6.8 min at a rate of 5.8 per h. There was little variation in nestling period between broods of one and two; the median for all broods was 12–13 (range 10–14) days. Females brooded young for 33% of diurnal observation time and fed them 9.7 times per h. Males provisioned nesting females 1.3 times per h during incubation, 5.2 times per h during the nestling stage and overall provided 47% of nestling meals indirectly. Eighty-three per cent of eggs hatched and 54% of nestlings fledged; 39% of eggs produced fledglings at a rate of 0.7 per nest. Overall nest success rate was 45%, or higher (53%) if restricted to only those nests whose fate was known. These findings are compared with those of other Australasian robins.

Diatoms from lakes and marshes of the Atherton Tableland, Australia

(2000). Diatoms from lakes and marshes of the Atherton Tableland, Australia. SIL Proceedings, 1922-2010: Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 140-140.

Moth assemblages as indicators of environmental quality in remnants of upland Australian rain forest

Summary 1. Despite great concern about the effects of fragmentation on biodiversity, quantitative studies are still scarce with respect to many major groups and important environments. Well‐studied natural reference sites are few. 2. Extensive light trapping surveys for moths were thus carried out in both dry and wet seasons in nine remnants of complex notophyll vine forest on basalt on the Atherton Tablelands in tropical north Queensland, Australia. Three sites had never been cleared, three secondary sites had substantial regrowth, and three sites were newly cleared. 3. A total of 15 632 moths of 835 species was collected, counted and identified. These represent more than 17% of the named Australian fauna of our target families. 4. A principal components analysis (PCA) indicated clear discrimination among assemblages based on forest type. This discrimination did not differ qualitatively between seasons (although abundance levels of moths did) but the pattern was most evident in the smaller dry season samples. 5. Taxa, the relative abundance of which increased significantly with disturbance, were the Arctiinae, Amphipyrinae, Catocalinae, Hadeninae, Heliothinae, Hypeninae, Noctuinae, Plusiinae, Hermeniidae and Phycitinae. In contrast, a number of subfamilies showed a marked decrease in relative abundance with increased disturbance, namely Ennominae, Geometrinae, Larentiinae, Oenochrominae, Epipaschiinae, Lymantriidae and Anthelidae. 6. A weighted sum with importance values based on the eigenvalues associated with each of these taxa derived from the PCA is a powerful predictor set of forest quality. 7. These differential responses may be explained on the basis of broad known and expected host‐plant patterns. The results show how moth assemblages are powerful indicators of forest disturbance, and should prompt parallel studies elsewhere in the world.

Linkage restoration: Interpreting fragmentation theory for the design of a rainforest linkage in the humid Wet Tropics of north‐eastern Queensland

Summary Studies of forest fragmentation, particularly in the species‐rich tropical zone, have contributed significantly to our understanding of its effects and impacts, and allow us to predict a cascade of flow‐on effects likely to emerge in the coming decades. Practical management strategies to combat these effects, however, have not been forthcoming, despite intuitive assumptions and a growing body of scientific evidence that maintaining and restoring habitat connectivity is likely to be critical for the long‐term persistence of many life forms in these fragmented landscapes. This paper reviews the potential problems involved with linkages, and examines some of the strategies adopted to overcome these issues in a linkage restoration project on the Atherton Tableland, in the Wet Tropics of north‐eastern Australia. The paper concludes with the suggestion that restoration projects, such as the Donaghy’s Corridor example, offer opportunities for researchers and practitioners to collaboratively observe and validate these strategies, and develop ‘real world’ techniques to reverse the ecological, social and economic effects of forest fragmentation.

Taxonomic revision of the Salwoods: Acacia aulacocarpa Cunn. ex Benth. and its allies (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae: section Juliflorae)

A taxonomic revision of Acacia aulacocarpa Cunn. exBenth. and its seven close relatives is presented. These species comprise theA. aulacocarpa group in the AcaciaMill. section Juliflorae and occur naturally in eastern and northernAustralia, New Guinea and Wetar, eastern Indonesia. In the past, the nameA. aulacocarpa has been widely misapplied. This speciesis relatively uncommon but has an extensive geographic range extending fromthe Atherton Tableland region in Queensland, south to northern New SouthWales. Acacia aulacocarpa var.fruticosa C.T.White is considered conspecific withA. aulacocarpa. The nameA. lamprocarpa O.Schwarz is reinstated for a northernAustralian taxon that extends from western Queensland through NorthernTerritory to the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Five new taxa aredescribed from A. aulacocarpa sens. lat., namelyA. celsa Tindale (Queensland),A. disparrima subsp. disparrimaM.W.McDonald &amp; Maslin (northern New South Wales and Queensland),A. disparrima subsp. calidestrisM.W.McDonald &amp; Maslin (Queensland), A. midgleyiM.W.McDonald &amp; Maslin (Queensland) andA. peregrina M.W.McDonald &amp; Maslin (New Guinea).A full description is provided for A. crassicarpa Cunn.ex Benth. Mainly on the basis of their mode of pod dehiscence, two subgroupswithin the A. aulacocarpa group are defined:A. aulacocarpa, A. celsa andA. disparrima comprise theA. aulacocarpa subgroup and have pods that dehisce alongthe dorsal suture; and A. crassicarpa,A. lamprocarpa, A. midgleyi,A. peregrina and A. wetarensiscomprise the A. crassicarpa subgroup and have pods thatdehisce along the ventral suture. All species in the group, including theIndonesian species A. wetarensis, are illustrated and akey to the taxa is provided. Acacia celsa,A. crassicarpa, A. peregrina andA. midgleyi have considerable potential for wood production in tropical plantation forestry.

The last glacial cycle from the humid tropics of northeastern Australia: comparison of a terrestrial and a marine record

A detailed pollen record from the Ocean Drilling Program Site 820 core, located on the upper part of the continental slope off the coast of northeast Queensland, was constructed to compare with the existing pollen record from Lynch's Crater on the adjacent Atherton Tableland and allow the production of a regional picture of vegetation and environmental change through the last glacial cycle. Some broad similarities in patterns of vegetation change are revealed, despite the differences between sites and their pollen catchments, which can be related largely to global climate and sea-level changes. The original estimated time scale of the Lynch's Crater record is largely confirmed from comparison with the more thoroughly dated ODP record. Conversely, the Lynch's Crater pollen record has assisted in dating problematic parts of the ODP record. In contrast to Lynch's Crater, which reveals a sharp and sustained reduction in drier araucarian forest around 38,000 yrs BP, considered to have been the result of burning by Aboriginal people, the ODP record indicates, most likely, a stepwise reduction, dating from 140,000 yrs BP or beyond. The earliest reduction shows lack of a clear connection between Araucaria decline and increased burning and suggests that people may not have been involved at this stage. However, a further decline in araucarian forest, possibly around 45,000 yrs BP, which has a more substantial environmental impact and is not related to a time of major climate change, is likely, at least partially, the result of human burning. The suggestion, from the ODP core oxygen isotope record, of a regional sea-surface temperature increase of around 4°C between about 400,000 and 250,000 yrs BP, may have had some influence on the overall decline in Araucaria and its replacement by sclerophyll vegetation.

Responses of Lumholtz's tree-kangaroo ( Dendrolagus lumholtzi) to loss of habitat within a tropical rainforest fragment

A key challenge for wildlife biologists is to predict how fauna will respond to habitat loss. During an ongoing study of habitat use by Lumholtz's tree-kangaroos ( Dendrolagus lumholtzi), an unexpected opportunity arose to study the responses of this rare arboreal marsupial to habitat disruption. The study took place on the Atherton Tableland in north Queensland, Australia, when half of a 20-ha rainforest fragment was unexpectedly clearfelled by the landowner. Prior to clearing, six animals had been fitted with radiocollars to monitor their locations and activity within the fragment. Most animals responded to clearing by remaining in trees until just before they were felled. Animals then fled for short distances (mean=33 m), but returned to their home ranges within 12–24 h. Nine additional resident animals were captured after forest clearing and radiocollared, and along with the original animals were tracked at ca. 12-h intervals for several months. Six females and five males directly affected by clearing continued to use their original home ranges, amongst the 1–2 m-tall tangles of woody debris. Contrary to expectations, animals did not relocate to nearby forest blocks, and only one animal established a completely new home range. Mortality rates of affected animals appeared to increase after clearfelling, with at least four perishing from attacks by domestic dogs or dingoes. Although some surviving tree-kangaroos lived within the debris for several months, their prospects for long-term survival were poor as the debris was eventually burnt to create cattle pasture, destroying the already modified habitat and leaving them vulnerable to predators. The remarkably strong site-tenacity of this species suggests that habitat availability will be critically limiting to their populations, and that displaced animals will have limited prospects for survival.

Common blossom bats ( Syconycteris australis) as pollinators in fragmented Australian tropical rainforest

The effectiveness of the common blossom bat ( Syconycteris australis) as a pollinator of the rainforest tree Syzygium cormiflorum was assessed by comparing movements, pollen loads, and visitation frequency, with those of birds. The study was carried out in a fragmented rainforest landscape in north Queensland and movements were determined by radio-telemetry. Bats carried 6 times more pollen than birds, but were less frequent visitors to S. cormiflorum, suggesting that the quantity of pollen distributed by the two groups may not differ greatly. However, pollen quality (the geographic/genetic distance moved) may be a more important factor in determining pollinator effectiveness. Bats were very mobile in the fragmented landscape, with home ranges varying from 12 to 1796 ha and often encompassing more than one forest fragment. Bats usually moved along strips of vegetation, but were found to fly up to 5.8 km (mean=1 km) across cleared land. This mobility led to similar numbers of S. australis being caught in small (<50 ha) forest fragments and continuous forest. At the scale of individual trees, bats fed for an average of 1.2 min per tree, compared to 5.0 min for birds. Short foraging times per tree and frequent movements of >200 m should increase the opportunity for movement of pollen between individual trees. Collectively, these observations suggest that S. australis carry pollen of high quality. Although they fly across cleared land, fragmentation may impact bat populations by allowing increased owl predation in open country and by increasing the reliance of bats on flower resources in the agricultural matrix. On the Atherton Tablelands, the latter is provided mostly by cultivated bananas ( Musa sp.), which produce nectar but not pollen.

Shrinking forest shrinks skink: morphological change in response to rainforest fragmentation in the prickly forest skink ( Gnypetoscincus queenslandiae)

Large-scale fragmentation of rainforest occurred on the Atherton Tableland in the Australian Wet Tropics from 50 to 100 years ago, leaving numerous fragments of varying sizes. Eleven fragments (from <1 to 75 ha in area) and eight continuous-forest sites were studied to assess the effects of fragmentation on the morphology and demography of the rainforest-endemic prickly forest skink ( Gnypetoscincus queenslandiae). Skink abundance (number of individuals captured per hour of search effort) was significantly greater in continuous forest than in forest fragments. Moreover, both skink abundance and the availability of decaying logs, which provide key habitat for this species, increased with fragment area. Fragments contained a smaller proportion of adults, and individuals in fragments were smaller on average for all measured morphological features, than those in continuous forest. Thus, although prickly forest skinks appear to be maintaining populations in rainforest remnants, they are nonetheless being affected by fragmentation. These demographic and morphological changes may be caused by alterations in habitat and prey availability and/or by microclimatic changes associated with edge effects.

Aridity in Australia: Pleistocene records of Palaeohydrological and Palaeoecological change from the perched lake sediments of Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia

Abstract A Quaternary sedimentary sequence (ca. 600 ka) from a perched lake (Old Lake Coomboo Depression) on the World Heritage-listed coastal sandmass of Fraser Island has been analysed for dry bulk density, carbonised particles, pollen and chemistry. A chronology has been constructed for the organic sediments using a combination of radiocarbon and uranium/thorium disequilibrium analysis. The lake basin is small (ca. 9 ha) with a restricted groundwater catchment, delimited by an aquitard, and minimal surface runoff. It therefore acts as a sensitive raingauge with the perched groundwater-table, and hence the sediment facies deposited within the lake, reacting sensitively to any changes in the water budget. The sequence passes through a series of glacial cycles, demonstrating hydrologic and vegetation change. The record indicates a long-term, three-stage fall in the water-table from lake-full ca. 600 ka to an ephemeral lake in the Holocene, paralleled by a shift in the vegetation composition from predominantly rainforest to sclerophyllous components. The evidence for fire is minimal at the beginning of the record, increases from >350 ka through the sequence culminating at or before the LGM, is low during the LGM and is relatively high during the Holocene. Succession, fire and climatic change, along with the accumulative effect of a series of 100 ka cycles, are believed to have driven the hydrologic and vegetation change and a human factor is not required to explain the record. Within the overall long-term increase in aridity recorded through about six glacial cycles, there appears to be a variation in the ‘dryness’ signal of glacial maxima, suggesting some form of ‘supercycle’ phenomenon. This record complements and extends the information available from some of the oldest pollen-analysed Quaternary lake sequences in Australasia, such as Lynch’s Crater in the Atherton Tableland of north Queensland and Lake George in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales; and from some of the most sensitive lacustrine/fluvial sedimentary records in the Lake Eyre basin. Signals for major environmental changes recorded in deep sea cores and the loess deposits of China may also be represented in the record. The implications of the Depression record, if further corroborated, are significant in relation to climatic modelling, rainforest survival and faunal extinction.

Australia's tree-kangaroos: current issues in their conservation

Lumholtz's tree-kangaroo ( Dendrolagus lumholtzi) and Bennett's tree-kangaroo ( Dendrolagus bennettianus) are the two largest arboreal folivores in Australia and are both restricted to the tropical rainforests and adjacent forest communities in North Queensland. Both species display cryptic and secretive behaviour, and consequently are poorly studied. Bennett's tree-kangaroos are found within a relatively small area (∼2000 km 2) of the Wet Tropics, however the majority of this area is within a protected `World Heritage Area', and consequently the conservation status of this species is considered moderately safe despite its rarity. The overall distribution of Lumholtz's tree-kangaroo, which is also considered rare, covers a larger area (∼5500 km 2), which also has considerable overlap with the `World Heritage Area' (WHA). Despite this, the species appears to maintain its highest densities in forest outside the WHA conservation zone. Lumholtz's tree-kangaroos are more commonly found in the fragmented forests on the Atherton Tablelands, and are often associated with remnant and secondary rainforests on basalt soils. These forest communities are considered rare and are poorly represented in existing reserves. This paper considers the conservation issues for both of these species, but focuses particularly on Lumholtz's tree-kangaroos for which more data is available. Issues discussed include the loss of habitat outside the World Heritage Area, road deaths of animals, predation by canids, traditional hunting, and fecundity and recruitment. Measures for the conservation of these species are suggested, including measures for the retention of habitat on private land, public education, translocation and captive breeding. The applicability of research on Australian tree-kangaroos to the conservation of the eight species of tree-kangaroos in Papua New Guinea is also considered.

Home range and habitat use by Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus lumholtzi) within a rainforest fragment in north Queensland

Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus lumholtzi), one the largest arboreal mammals in Australia, has been poorly studied owing to its limited distributional range and secretive habits within tropical rainforests. This study investigated the way D. lumholtzi used its habitat within a rainforest fragment on the Atherton Tableland, North Queensland. Thirteen animals were fitted with radio-collars to determine their spatial and temporal use of habitat. Female D. lumholtzi used exclusive home ranges averaging 0.7 ha in area (90% harmonic mean), while males occupied larger home ranges of an average of approximately 2 ha, allowing for a density of 1.4–1.5 adult tree-kangaroos per hectare within the study area. The exception to this home- range size was one juvenile male presumably undergoing post-natal dispersal that used several forest fragments and other habitats, with a home range of 332 ha. Home ranges of males overlapped in part the ranges of several females. Home ranges of males tended to abut those of other males, and antagonistic encounters occurred at the boundaries of the home ranges. Males had a significantly larger body size than females (males 8.63 kg; females 7.05 kg). Social interactions between individuals, apart from antagonistic male–male encounters, were observed infrequently. Only 6% and 2.7% of fixes for females and males, respectively, included the presence of another animal in the same or adjacent tree at the time of location. Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroos were associated with a wide range of rainforest trees and a smaller number of vine species. However, in general, individual animals regularly associated with only a small suite (mean 3.5 species with &gt;10% usage) of tree species present within their home range, and appeared to display individual preferences for certain species. Individual radio-tracked D. lumholtzi were visible only 9.4% of the time at night, and 20% of the time during the day. Males and females were as visible as each other, and both were seen significantly lower in the canopy and into the mid-storey during the night than during the day.

Ants as bioindicators of habitat disturbance: validation of the functional group model for Australia's humid tropics

A functional group model of ant community composition has been widely used in Australia to analyse biogeographical patterns of ant community structure and the responses of ant communities to disturbance. The model has provided valuable support to the widespread use of ant communities as bioindicators of ecological change. However, the model was developed from studies of arid-zone faunas, and its applicability to the World Heritage rainforests of Queensland's humid tropics has not yet been validated. Here we test predictions based on the functional group model for ant communities in Queensland's humid rainforests, by documenting ant community composition and its responses to disturbance on the Atherton Tablelands. Five sites were studied, comprising two relatively undisturbed reference sites representing contrasting rainforest types, and three previously cleared sites, two of which were undergoing revegetation. A variety of sampling techniques were employed, including pitfall trapping, litter extractions, baiting, and general searching. A total of 50 ant species from 29 genera were collected. Site species richness was highest at the reference sites, and lowest at the unvegetated disturbed site, and overall was negatively related to mean ground temperature. As predicted by the functional group model, behaviorally dominant dolichoderines were uncommon or absent at the reference sites, and the most common ants were Generalized myrmicines and Opportunists. Also as predicted, habitat disturbance favored Opportunists, and, as the disturbance involved canopy clearance, this led to colonization by Iridomyrmex and other Dominant dolichoderines. Opportunists represented about 40% of total ants in traps at the reference sites, compared with 80–95% at the disturbed sites. Except one species, Tropical Climate Specialists and Specialist Predators were absent from disturbed sites. In conclusion, patterns of ant composition in relation to disturbance on the Atherton Tablelands conform to the functional group model that has been widely applied to ant faunas elsewhere in Australia. The model may therefore play an important role in the use of ants as bioindicators of ecological change in the World Heritage rainforests of this region.