10.5061/DRYAD.18N7K
Banks, Sam C.
Australian National University
Lorin, Thibault
Australian National University
Shaw, Robyn E.
Australian National University
McBurney, Lachlan
Australian National University
Blair, David
Australian National University
Blyton, Michaela D. J.
Australian National University
Smith, Annabel L.
Australian National University
Pierson, Jennifer C.
Australian National University
Lindenmayer, David B.
Australian National University
Blyton, Michaela D.J.
Australian National University
Data from: Fine-scale refuges can buffer demographic and genetic processes
against short-term climatic variation and disturbance: a 22 year case
study of an arboreal marsupial
Dryad
dataset
2015
Trichosurus cunninghami
Wildlife Management
2015-06-17T16:17:59Z
2015-06-17T16:17:59Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.13279
330620 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Ecological disturbance and climate are key drivers of temporal dynamics in
the demography and genetic diversity of natural populations. Microscale
refuges are known to buffer species’ persistence against environmental
change, but the effects of such refuges on demographic and genetic
patterns in response to short-term environmental variation are poorly
understood. We quantified demographic and genetic responses of mountain
brushtail possums (Trichosurus cunninghami) to rainfall variability
(1992–2013) and to a major wildfire. We hypothesized that there would be
underlying differences in demographic and genetic processes between an
unburnt mesic refuge and a topographically exposed zone that was burnt in
2009. Fire caused a 2-year decrease in survival in the burnt zone, but the
population grew after the fire due to immigration, leading to increased
expected heterozygosity. We documented a fire-related behavioural shift,
where the rate of movement by individuals in the unburnt refuge to the
burnt zone decreased after fire. Irrespective of the fire, there were
long-term differences in demographic and genetic parameters between the
mesic/unburnt refuge and the nonmesic/burnt zone. Survival was high and
unaffected by rainfall in the refuge, but lower and rainfall-dependent in
the nonmesic zone. Net movement of individuals was directional, from the
mesic refuge to the nonmesic zone, suggesting fine-scale source–sink
dynamics. There were higher expected heterozygosity (HE) and temporal
genetic stability in the refuge, but lower HE and marked temporal genetic
structure in the exposed habitat, consistent with reduced generational
overlap caused by elevated mortality and immigration. Thus, fine-scale
refuges can mediate the short-term demographic and genetic effects of
climate and ecological disturbance.
Multistate CMR inputExcel file with multistate capture histories for male
and female group of individuals in non-mesic.burnt (B) and mesic/unburnt
(B) zones of the Cambarville study site. Columns can be concatenated to
create MARK input file. Second worksheet includes dates of trapping
sessions and temporal rainfall covriates.GenotypesMultilocus
microsatellite genotypes of Trichosurus cunninghami in GenAlEx format.
Individuals are grouped by trapping session, such that each individual
appears mutliple times in the file. XY (UTM) coordinates are provided
after the genotypes, followed by further information on trapping region
and year of sampling, to allow for further data sorting.Data for GLMM of
new capturesCapture records of individuals used for GLMM analysis of
spatial and temporal variation in capture patterns and individual
characteristicsData for analysis of female reproductive output
Victoria
Australia