The distribution and abundance of an island population of Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) in the far north of their geographic range.

Koalas are an iconic species of charismatic megafauna, of substantial social and conservation significance. They are widely distributed, often at low densities, and individuals can be difficult to detect, making population surveys challenging and costly. Consequently, koala population estimates have...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales:	Denise C McGregor, Sarah E Kerr, Andrew K Krockenberger
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2013
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/156047bb1d9d433dbbb7067a4071c925
Etiquetas:	Agregar Etiqueta Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!

id	oai:doaj.org-article:156047bb1d9d433dbbb7067a4071c925
record_format	dspace
spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:156047bb1d9d433dbbb7067a4071c9252021-11-18T07:53:04ZThe distribution and abundance of an island population of Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) in the far north of their geographic range.1932-620310.1371/journal.pone.0059713https://doaj.org/article/156047bb1d9d433dbbb7067a4071c9252013-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/23527258/pdf/?tool=EBIhttps://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203Koalas are an iconic species of charismatic megafauna, of substantial social and conservation significance. They are widely distributed, often at low densities, and individuals can be difficult to detect, making population surveys challenging and costly. Consequently, koala population estimates have been limited and the results inconsistent. The aims of this study were to estimate the distribution, relative abundance and population size of the koalas on Magnetic Island, far north Queensland. Population densities were estimated in 18 different vegetation types present on the island using a Fecal Standing Crop Method. Koala density ranged from 0.404 ha(-1), recorded in forest red gum and bloodwood woodland, to absence from eight of the vegetation types surveyed. The second highest density of 0.297 koalas ha(-1) was recorded in mixed eucalypt woodland, which covers 45% of the island. The total abundance of koalas on Magnetic Island, not including those present in urban areas, was estimated at 825±175 (SEM). The large variation in koala density across vegetation types reinforces the need for sampling stratification when calculating abundance over large areas, as uniformity of habitat quality cannot be assumed. In this context, koala populations also occur in low densities in areas generally regarded as poor quality koala habitat. These results highlight the importance of protecting vegetation communities not traditionally considered to have high conservation value to koalas, as these habitats may be essential for maintaining viable, widespread, low-density populations. The results from this study provide a baseline to assess future trends in koala distribution, density and abundance on Magnetic Island.Denise C McGregorSarah E KerrAndrew K KrockenbergerPublic Library of Science (PLoS)articleMedicineRScienceQENPLoS ONE, Vol 8, Iss 3, p e59713 (2013)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Denise C McGregor Sarah E Kerr Andrew K Krockenberger The distribution and abundance of an island population of Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) in the far north of their geographic range.
description	Koalas are an iconic species of charismatic megafauna, of substantial social and conservation significance. They are widely distributed, often at low densities, and individuals can be difficult to detect, making population surveys challenging and costly. Consequently, koala population estimates have been limited and the results inconsistent. The aims of this study were to estimate the distribution, relative abundance and population size of the koalas on Magnetic Island, far north Queensland. Population densities were estimated in 18 different vegetation types present on the island using a Fecal Standing Crop Method. Koala density ranged from 0.404 ha(-1), recorded in forest red gum and bloodwood woodland, to absence from eight of the vegetation types surveyed. The second highest density of 0.297 koalas ha(-1) was recorded in mixed eucalypt woodland, which covers 45% of the island. The total abundance of koalas on Magnetic Island, not including those present in urban areas, was estimated at 825±175 (SEM). The large variation in koala density across vegetation types reinforces the need for sampling stratification when calculating abundance over large areas, as uniformity of habitat quality cannot be assumed. In this context, koala populations also occur in low densities in areas generally regarded as poor quality koala habitat. These results highlight the importance of protecting vegetation communities not traditionally considered to have high conservation value to koalas, as these habitats may be essential for maintaining viable, widespread, low-density populations. The results from this study provide a baseline to assess future trends in koala distribution, density and abundance on Magnetic Island.
format	article
author	Denise C McGregor Sarah E Kerr Andrew K Krockenberger
author_facet	Denise C McGregor Sarah E Kerr Andrew K Krockenberger
author_sort	Denise C McGregor
title	The distribution and abundance of an island population of Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) in the far north of their geographic range.
title_short	The distribution and abundance of an island population of Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) in the far north of their geographic range.
title_full	The distribution and abundance of an island population of Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) in the far north of their geographic range.
title_fullStr	The distribution and abundance of an island population of Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) in the far north of their geographic range.
title_full_unstemmed	The distribution and abundance of an island population of Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) in the far north of their geographic range.
title_sort	distribution and abundance of an island population of koalas (phascolarctos cinereus) in the far north of their geographic range.
publisher	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
publishDate	2013
url	https://doaj.org/article/156047bb1d9d433dbbb7067a4071c925
work_keys_str_mv	AT denisecmcgregor thedistributionandabundanceofanislandpopulationofkoalasphascolarctoscinereusinthefarnorthoftheirgeographicrange AT sarahekerr thedistributionandabundanceofanislandpopulationofkoalasphascolarctoscinereusinthefarnorthoftheirgeographicrange AT andrewkkrockenberger thedistributionandabundanceofanislandpopulationofkoalasphascolarctoscinereusinthefarnorthoftheirgeographicrange AT denisecmcgregor distributionandabundanceofanislandpopulationofkoalasphascolarctoscinereusinthefarnorthoftheirgeographicrange AT sarahekerr distributionandabundanceofanislandpopulationofkoalasphascolarctoscinereusinthefarnorthoftheirgeographicrange AT andrewkkrockenberger distributionandabundanceofanislandpopulationofkoalasphascolarctoscinereusinthefarnorthoftheirgeographicrange
_version_	1718422807414571008

The distribution and abundance of an island population of Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) in the far north of their geographic range.

Ejemplares similares