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Recolonization of coastal heath by Pseudomys novaehollandiae (Muridae) following sand mining
Author(s) -
FOX BARRY J.,
FOX MARILYN D.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
australian journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1442-9993
pISSN - 0307-692X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-9993.1978.tb01191.x
Subject(s) - seral community , vegetation (pathology) , ecology , biomass (ecology) , species richness , species diversity , biology , abundance (ecology) , ecological succession , medicine , pathology
The regeneration of coastal heath after disturbance by mineral sand mining was studied on mid‐seral stages from 4 to 11 years old at Hawks Nest, N.S.W. The main purpose was to gain some understanding of factors influencing recolonization by pioneer species of small mammals such as Pseudomys novaehollandiae. Changes in floristics and vegetation structure with time were studied as possible contributing factors together with environmental variables. An apparently linear relationship was found between plant species diversity (X 1 ) and P. novaehollandiae biomass which was also correlated with an index representing the proportion of heath species present (X 2 ). Both plant species diversity and P. novaehollandiae biomass showed a linear increase with regeneration age.A multiple regression analysis revealed a predictive equation explaining 96% of the variation in P. novaehollandiae biomass (Y): Y=‐7.92 + 1.21X 1 +3.92X 2 ‐ 3.09X 3 The third variable (X 3 ) is a measure of soil hardness. A path diagram using contribution coefficients based on a partial correlation analysis included the effects of vegetation structure below 50 cm and regeneration age. On mid‐seral stages after sand mining P. novaehollandiae is associated with areas having a variety of heath plants, with vegetation cover below 50 cm and softer substrates; its abundance increases with increasing regeneration age and with the total amount of vegetation present.A minimum of 20 years is seen to be necessary for both total amount of vegetation and P. novaehollandiae biomass to reach values encountered on control plots of undisturbed heath.