Mammal Captures at Karawatha Forest Park, South East Queensland Peri-Urban SuperSite, Karawatha, 2010

Brief description

The aims of the Honours project were: to investigate the distribution of small ground-dwelling mammals at Karawatha; study the relationship between small ground-dwelling mammals and habitat features at the micro and macro scales; determine the influence of trapping technique on the composition of captured mammals. Sampling of small mammals using Elliot traps, pitfall traps and hair funnels. Sampling occurred on 33 PPBio plots (250 m long) between June and August 2010. Each plot was sampled for four nights, with three to four plots being surveyed simultaneously. Twenty-five Elliot traps, three pitfall traps and six hair funnels were used per plot. Elliot traps were placed 11 m perpendicular to the midline on each side and at 20 metre intervals, starting at 20 m along the transect. A final Elliot trap was placed on the line at the 250 m mark. Elliot traps were baited with balls that consisted of a mixture of honey, peanut butter and rolled oats. One pitfall traps were placed 5 m from the midline at the 125 m mark on the left hand side. The pitfall traps consisted of a 20 L bucket and 10 m of drift fence. The hair funnel traps were placed every 35 m along the transect on alternate sides and 6 m from the midline.