Fire and habitat management for a mycophagous marsupial, the Tasmanian bettong Bettongia gaimardi

The Tasmanian bettong, Bettongia gaimardi , is a mycophagous marsupial that occurs in fire‐prone dry sclerophyll forests. Previous studies have demonstrated that some of the hypogeous fungi on which it feeds become abundant soon after fire, and have suggested that it might depend on regular burning of its habitat. The longer‐term effects of burning on B. gaimardi and its food supply were evaluated by comparing six sites, matched for soil, vegetation and climate, in southeastern Tasmania that had been left unburnt for periods ranging from 1 to 50 years. At each site, the density of B. gaimardi diggings was measured and sporocarps of hypogeous fungi were surveyed. Abundance of hypogeous sporo‐carps was low at sites 2 years or less post‐fire, but was high at sites 4 years and more post‐fire. Species richness was similarly low at recently burnt sites, an effect that was due to the absence of many shallow‐fruiting taxa. All species (with one exception) present at recently burnt sites were also present in long‐unburnt sites. Densities of B. gaimardi diggings were highest at a very recently burnt (<1 year) site and at a site left unburnt for 10 years. These trends suggest that a high frequency of burning may be unfavourable to B. gaimardi in the forest type investigated in this study.