Ecology of greater gliders, Petauroides Volans Kerr 1792, in relation to variations in habitat quality in eucalypt forests in south-east New South Wales
type: CreativeWork
description: L.W. Braithwaite and co-researchers hypothesised that the population density and diversity of the arboreal marsupial fauna of the eucalypt forests near Eden, New South Wales were primarily determined by the concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the mature foliage of the eucalypts. I investigated this hypothesis in relation to the Greater Glider Petauroides votans. The first main objective of my study was to examine why population densities of P. votans are low in eucalypt forests with relatively low concentrations of nutrients in their mature foliage and high in eucalypt forests with relatively high concentrations of nutrients in their mature foliage. Initially, several a priori hypotheses were proposed that could account for the observed population densities of P. votans in these forests, and these were tested at two forest sites in south-eastern N.S.W. by studying and comparing the ecology of P. votans at these sites. One site of 24.6 ha at Wadbilliga carried four species of eucalypt (E. dalrympleana, E. fastigata, E. radiata, E. viminalis}. These had high concentrations of N and P in their mature foliage when compared to the range of values known for foliar N and P in this genus. The other site of 50.1 ha was at Morton and consisted of 40.3 ha of two species of eucalypts, E. gummifera and E. piperita, which formed 'forest type A'. Two smaller areas, termed 'forest types B and C', within the Morton site also supported other eucalypt species, E. sieberi at forest type B and E. consideniana, E.pellita and E. sieberi at forest type C. The nutrient concentration in the mature foliage at Morton was generally lower than at Wadbilliga. Basal area and height of the eucalypts, and the relative concentrations of N and P in their mature foliage suggested an apparent decline in forest site foliage suggested an apparent decline in forest site productivity from Wadbilliga through Morton forest types C, B and A. The change in the ratio of Symphyomyrtus to Monoc…
abstract: L.W. Braithwaite and co-researchers hypothesised that the population density and diversity of the arboreal marsupial fauna of the eucalypt forests near Eden, New South Wales were primarily determined by the concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the mature foliage of the eucalypts. I investigated this hypothesis in relation to the Greater Glider Petauroides votans. The first main objective of my study was to examine why population densities of P. votans are low in eucalypt forests with relatively low concentrations of nutrients in their mature foliage and high in eucalypt forests with relatively high concentrations of nutrients in their mature foliage. Initially, several a priori hypotheses were proposed that could account for the observed population densities of P. votans in these forests, and these were tested at two forest sites in south-eastern N.S.W. by studying and comparing the ecology of P. votans at these sites. One site of 24.6 ha at Wadbilliga carried four species of eucalypt (E. dalrympleana, E. fastigata, E. radiata, E. viminalis}. These had high concentrations of N and P in their mature foliage when compared to the range of values known for foliar N and P in this genus. The other site of 50.1 ha was at Morton and consisted of 40.3 ha of two species of eucalypts, E. gummifera and E. piperita, which formed 'forest type A'. Two smaller areas, termed 'forest types B and C', within the Morton site also supported other eucalypt species, E. sieberi at forest type B and E. consideniana, E.pellita and E. sieberi at forest type C. The nutrient concentration in the mature foliage at Morton was generally lower than at Wadbilliga. Basal area and height of the eucalypts, and the relative concentrations of N and P in their mature foliage suggested an apparent decline in forest site foliage suggested an apparent decline in forest site productivity from Wadbilliga through Morton forest types C, B and A. The change in the ratio of Symphyomyrtus to Monoc…
author: Norton, Tony Wallace
language: en_AU
keywords: gliders, Petauroides volans, forest ecology, eucalypt forest, habitat
date published: 1988
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:07:16Z
provider: Australian Catholic University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Australian Catholic University

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/1885/12426