Kate Bryant

Habitat characteristics influencing corridor use by native and invasive mammal species in the Dryandra Woodland National Park. Western Australia’s Wheatbelt region has been heavily modified for agriculture, fragmenting remnant vegetation into smaller, less contiguous patches. This has impacted on fauna movement in a process known as habitat isolation. Where habitat isolation has occurred, habitat features, such as vegetation associated with roadside reserves and riparian vegetation, may be used to connect fragments of remnant vegetation to restore gene flow and demographic resilience. The Dryandra Woodland National Park is an example of a modified landscape that is composed of 17 blocks of vegetation that are variously connected with each other. The national park is home to important populations of woylie (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi, Critically Endangered, WA Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016), numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus, Endangered, WA Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016), and chuditch (Dasyurus geoffroii, Vulnerable, WA Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016). There are also populations of feral cats (Felis catus) and introduced foxes (Vulpes vulpes). This project aimed to determine whether corridors were providing meaningful habitat for each of these species. A total of 33 corridor sites were selected to represent a range of habitat variables that could influence corridor use by fauna. Passive infrared (PIR) heat-in-motion camera traps were used to detect fauna use of corridors and desk-top and field-based vegetation assessments quantified the composition and availability of vegetation. Invasive predators were frequently recorded using corridors with increased fox trap rate being associated with increased canopy cover and increased cat trap rate being associated with increased vegetation within 500m of the camera trap site. The native predator, the chuditch, was less frequently detected and no correlation between habitat characteristics and chuditch trap rate could be established. Numbats and woylies were rarely recorded using corridors. These findings may guide management of invasive species in corridors and provide hope that connectivity may be improved by reducing predator use of these habitat features.