Research Project
Researchers: Chris J. Jolly (Principal investigator, Investigation, Principal or Chief Investigator) , Emma Spencer (Principal investigator, Investigation, Principal or Chief Investigator) , Grant Linley (Principal investigator, Investigation, Principal or Chief Investigator)
Full description Camera trap data package from the Wildlife Observatory of Australia's Wildlife Camera Database. Dataset ID: NSW_Woomargama_wombats_Linley_2021-22_WildObsID_0010. Ecosystem engineers modify their environment and influence the availability of resources for other organisms. Burrowing species, a subset of allogenic engineers, are gaining recognition as ecological facilitators. Burrows created by these species provide habitat for a diverse array of other organisms. Following disturbances, burrows could also serve as ecological refuges, thereby enhancing ecological resistance to disturbance events. We explored the ecological role of Common Wombat (Vombatus ursinus) burrows using camera traps in forests of southeastern Australia. We compared animal activity at paired sites with and without burrows, from the same fire severity class and habitat. We examined how animal activity at Common Wombat burrows was affected by the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires in Australia. We predicted that burrows wo
