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Mammal Species Diversity in Australian Heathlands: the Importance of Pyric Succession and Habitat Diversity

  • Conference paper
Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 43))

Abstract

Many of the ecological studies of Australian small mammals have related to the effects of fire, predominantly forest fire (Cowley et al. 1969; Christensen and Kimber 1975; Newsome et al. 1975; Recher et al. 1975, 1978; Schmidt and Mason 1975; Fox and McKay 1981). Cockburn (1978) and Fox (1980; 1982b) are the only studies dealing specifically with heathland regeneration after fire. However, the areas studied by both Newsome et al. (1975) and Recher et al. (1975) contained heath components, as did that of Catling and Newsome (1981) who recently explored the proposition that Australian vertebrate fauna has adapted to an environment subject to frequent burning over evolutionary time, as has been suggested for the flora by Mount (1964) and Gill (1975). Newsome and Catling (1979) produced a habitat complexity score, made up of components important to heathland small mammal species, and used it to analyse faunal habitat relations in lowland and highland heaths, and changes in small mammal faunas in pyric succession.

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Authors
  1. B. J. Fox
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environment Affairs and Fisheries, South African Forestry Research Institute, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa

    Frederick J. Kruger

  2. Department of Botany, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa

    Derek T. Mitchell

  3. Department of Zoology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa

    Jennifer U. M. Jarvis

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© 1983 Springer-Verlag Berlin · Heidelberg

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Fox, B.J. (1983). Mammal Species Diversity in Australian Heathlands: the Importance of Pyric Succession and Habitat Diversity. In: Kruger, F.J., Mitchell, D.T., Jarvis, J.U.M. (eds) Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems. Ecological Studies, vol 43. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68935-2_24

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68935-2_24

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-68937-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-68935-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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