Small ground mammal habitat associations in the Wombat State Forest report

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This report focuses on the relationships between small ground mammals and vegetation characteristics. It forms part of a larger study that investigated the relationships between mammals and vegetation characteristics at 30 sites across the forest. Part of the aim of the broad study was to assess the variation within stands classed as mature forest, and to determine the contributions made by different variables to habitat for fauna. A companion report related the presence of Greater Gliders (and to a lesser extent other arboreal mammals) and the number and proportion of broad types of eucalypt trees (i.e. stringybarks such as Messmates, peppermints and gum-barked species) (Macak et al. 2010). On request by the former BWG, the opportunity was taken to extend the study and increase knowledge about the distribution of small ground mammals over a wide geographic area of the forest, and to identify any obvious associations between the presence of these mammals and vegetation characteristics (habitat elements) of sites. Although many of the small mammals recorded from WSF are regarded as common, the survey method employed (hair-tubing) is also an effective way to identify cryptic and rare mammals that may not otherwise be easily detected.