5 - The core findings: the effects of landscape context on animals and plants

Summary

This chapter summarises the results of studies of landscape context effects for nine groups of animals and plants. The description of findings for each group is preceded by an outline of how each group was surveyed – the counting method and the number of sites surveyed was different in each case. The final part of this chapter contrasts the results for different groups and reflects on the main lessons of the work.

Survey methods

All empirical studies of landscape change and habitat fragmentation are underpinned by the quality of the field data gathered. Data quality is, in turn, influenced by the field methods employed. Failure to consider the efficacy of such methods may mean that what are perceived to be the effects of landscape change and habitat fragmentation are, in fact, artefacts of the field survey techniques.

A sub-theme at Tumut was therefore to test the accuracy and effectiveness of methods for sampling the major groups of vertebrates targeted in the study, particularly terrestrial mammals, birds and arboreal marsupials. These data were used to assist in the interpretation of field data or to modify field counting protocols to ensure that the best quality data were gathered. In addition, different methods and/or different subsets of the 166 sites were surveyed to estimate presence, abundance or cover. For example, it was logistically impossible to survey all 166 sites for invertebrates and bryophytes, and hence a subset of sites was selected.