Austral Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Dasyurus hallucatus Movement Response to Fire in a Complex, Resource Rich Tropical Savanna","authors":"Ian J. Radford,&nbsp;Annette Cook,&nbsp;Natasha Harrison,&nbsp;Ben Corey,&nbsp;Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation,&nbsp;Roberta Bencini,&nbsp;Harriet R. Mills","doi":"10.1111/aec.70269","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70269","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The northern quoll, <i>Dasyurus hallucatus,</i> is part of a suite of threatened native northern Australian mammals that have inappropriate fire regimes listed as a threatening process. However, fire responses reported for <i>D. hallucatus</i> are inconsistent among different studies. Based on the theory that the fire response of <i>D. hallucatus</i> will depend partially on habitat quality, we postulate that home range in high quality savannas of the north Kimberley will be small, post-breeding male mortality low and prey resources little affected by fire. Based on previous research we hypothesised that male <i>D. hallucatus</i> would respond to fire more than females. By radio tracking 18 <i>D. hallucatus</i> (9 females and 9 males) for between 23 and 79 days during breeding and non-breeding seasons we found that <i>D. hallucatus</i> had small home ranges and high male post-breeding survival, supporting the hypothesis that the north Kimberley provides high quality habitat, consisting of extensive, structurally complex habitats with abundant resources for this species. We assessed prey resources by trapping in burnt and unburnt habitats and confirmed that they were not adversely affected by prescribed burning. However, despite equal prey availability in burnt and unburnt habitats, female <i>D. hallucatus</i> avoided burnt habitat while males did not. We suggest that female avoidance of burnt habitats may be related to increased risk of predation in burnt habitat during the breeding season. Non-selective movement through burnt habitat to visit multiple females may offset increased predation risk for males. Results suggest that a variegated landscape with both burnt and longer unburnt habitat for hunting and predator avoidance, and which impedes extensive wildfires, is likely to be the most beneficial pyroscape for <i>D. hallucatus</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"51 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.70269","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148615749","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using Physical Evidence of Microwasp Emergence in Bee Hotels as a Novel Way to Detect Parasitism","authors":"Elise Oakman,&nbsp;Caragh Threlfall,&nbsp;Tanya Latty,&nbsp;Ian Oliver,&nbsp;Dieter F. Hochuli","doi":"10.1111/aec.70266","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70266","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Parasitoid visitation occurs in both natural and artificial Hymenopteran nesting cavities, such as those that occur in bee hotels. Detection of parasitoids emerging from these cavities can provide information on the extent and abundance of their associated hosts. However, adaptive bee hotel management may be required to prevent these structures from becoming a population sink if extensive parasitoid emergence is detected. Detection of the invertebrates that emerge from occupied cavities in bee hotels can be hard to determine. Microwasps, one group of parasitoids, can be even harder to detect due to their small size. In this research, we proposed a non-destructive, early in the field detection method to estimate microwasp parasitoid abundance and presence from the observation of emergence holes. Bee hotels were deployed in areas subject to ecological restoration within the Cumberland Plain Woodland of the Greater Sydney Region. The emergence of bee hotel occupants was recorded, with target taxa identified to genus. Emergence of the microwasp Eulophidae cf. <i>Beornia</i> in most cases resulted in no emergence of a primary occupant. However, in a few novel cases, Eulophidae cf. <i>Beornia</i> did emerge alongside <i>Pison</i> and <i>Anterhynchium</i> wasps. When Eulophidae cf. <i>Beornia</i> emerged from cavities, while the sealed entrances remained intact, small emergence holes were detected in the front and rear sealed cavities. These emergence holes offer a way for practitioners that use bee hotels to estimate microwasp parasitoid presence and abundance. Understanding this can also provide insights into the presence and abundance of their associated hosts. This method can indicate if the deployed bee hotels are supporting invertebrate populations, or overly facilitating parasitoid numbers, resulting in the bee hotel acting as a sink. Early detection of excessive parasitoid numbers can allow for practitioners to employ adaptive management actions to ensure the bee hotels are supporting local populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"51 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.70266","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148615750","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Relationships Between Climatic Gradient and Community Patterns in the Caldenal—Austral Pampa Ecotone","authors":"Juan Francisco Sierra,&nbsp;Diego Nieto Lugilde,&nbsp;Daniel Valerio Peláez,&nbsp;Francisco Rodrigo Tizón","doi":"10.1111/aec.70270","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70270","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The southwestern region of Buenos Aires province (Argentina) is a broad ecotone between the phytogeographic districts of Caldenal and Austral Pampa. This study aimed to identify the vegetation patterns defining this ecotone and determine the main environmental drivers of biogeographic change in these highly degraded ecosystems. To achieve this, vegetation sampling was conducted at 11 sites with three replicates per site, where plots and subplots were established to record species richness, cover, and shrub structural attributes. Multivariate analyses, including ordination (Canonical Correspondence Analysis) and classification, were applied. Additionally, environmental predictors included 10 bioclimatic variables, geographic distance, and the Human Influence Index (HII). A Generalized Dissimilarity Model (GDM) was employed to examine patterns of compositional turnover while accounting for both natural and anthropogenic influences. This modelling framework allowed testing hypotheses regarding each driver's relative contribution to community composition, the estimation of explained deviance, and the spatial projection of results as beta-diversity maps across the study region. Based on these analyses, a total of 179 species were identified in the 33 vegetation censuses. Plots were classified into five groups based on their vegetation composition. The GDM explained 68.48% of the variation in species compositional turnover. The primary drivers identified (based on the sum of I-spline coefficients) were potential evapotranspiration (0.955) and geographic distance (0.827), followed by the HII (0.445) and maximum temperature (0.252). Consequently, three main different vegetation regions were recognized: the Caldenal district, the Austral Pampa district, and the Sierra de la Ventana region, which were also divided into subregions. Overall, Our findings identify five distinct plant community groups that define the subregional patterns of the Caldenal–Austral Pampa ecotone. Compositional turnover is primarily driven by potential evapotranspiration, which governs the transition from herb-dominated to woody-plant-dominated formations as water stress increases towards the west. Geographic distance maintains the biological uniqueness of isolated systems like Sierra de la Ventana, while human activity acts as a significant ecological filter, particularly on the eastern border. These results provide a robust, quantified framework for ecoregional mapping and conservation strategies in highly transformed landscapes.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"51 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148615319","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"When and Where to Find the Tiny Creatures: Environmental Predictors of the Abundance of a Miniaturized Frog Species From Northeast Brazil","authors":"Laiana Carla de Moura,&nbsp;Igor Joventino Roberto,&nbsp;Murilo Guimarães,&nbsp;Flávia Ribeiro Bezerra,&nbsp;Kássio Castro Araújo,&nbsp;Ednilza Maranhão dos Santos","doi":"10.1111/aec.70257","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70257","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Leaf litter is a complex ecosystem that provides microclimatic conditions for a great diversity of organisms, including small vertebrates, such as lizards and anurans. One adaptation that favours the exploitation of this environment by vertebrates is miniaturization, which allows the occupation of ecological niches unavailable to larger-bodied animals, but also increases these organisms' dependence on the microclimatic conditions of the leaf litter. In miniaturized frogs, sensitivity to changes in ecological factors related to humidity may be particularly critical, since, in addition to having highly permeable skin, they also possess a high surface-area-to-volume ratio. In this study, we evaluated the influence of relative humidity, rainfall, temperature, leaf litter depth and canopy coverage on the abundance and detection probability of calling males of <i>Adelophryne nordestina</i>, a small, direct-developing miniaturized frog inhabiting the Atlantic Forest leaf litter in northeastern Brazil. We surveyed calling males of <i>A. nordestina</i> over 9 months across four transects, each containing 25 survey points, totalling 100 study sites. We employed a Negative Binomial N-Mixture Model to estimate the abundance of calling males and assessed the effect of environmental parameters. The estimated mean detection probability was 0.024, and mean abundance among sites was 47.5 individuals. Precipitation, temperature, leaf litter depth and canopy cover significantly influenced the number of calling males in the study area. We suggest that, as a terrestrial, miniaturized and direct-developing species, changes in environmental parameters affecting microhabitat humidity impact its reproductive activity. Our findings contribute to the ecology of miniaturized species from leaf-litter communities and the potential impacts of environmental disturbances on this ecosystem.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"51 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148467457","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Could Bowdichia virgilioides Be an Important Ally for Forest Restoration Under Climate Change Scenarios?","authors":"Thereza Marinho Lopes de Oliveira,&nbsp;Fernanda Moura Fonseca Lucas,&nbsp;Felipe Camurugi,&nbsp;Fábio de Almeida Vieira","doi":"10.1111/aec.70268","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70268","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Forests play a central role in addressing climate change, yet they are also among the most vulnerable ecosystems to its impacts. In this context, identifying native species with adaptive capacity is critical for the long-term success of ecological restoration. Here, we assess the current and future distribution of <i>Bowdichia virgilioides</i> Kunth (Fabaceae), a native species widely distributed across Brazil and recommended for reforestation programs, using Species Distribution Models (SDMs). Models were constructed with the MaxEnt algorithm and projected for the present and the year 2070, using two CMIP6 climate models (MRI-ESM2-0 and MIROC-ES2L) under four Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP126, SSP245, SSP370, SSP585). The model showed good performance (AUC = 0.839; Boyce index = 0.972), and the results confirmed the species' current distribution, with high climatic suitability in the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes. Future projections indicated a potential range expansion toward eastern Amazonia and sustained suitability in northern portions of the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest. These results indicate that <i>B. virgilioides</i> is likely to be resilient to climate change and a promising candidate for restoration initiatives. Its ecological relevance and suitability for multi-use systems further support its inclusion in climate-resilient reforestation strategies across different biomes in Brazil. This case study underscores the utility of predictive modelling in guiding the selection of native species adapted to both current and future climatic conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"51 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.70268","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148467070","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Viability of Small or Isolated Habitat Patches in Fragmented Landscapes: Busting Mythology in Ecology","authors":"David A. Keith,&nbsp;Gabriella Hoban,&nbsp;Christopher C. Simpson,&nbsp;Mark G. Tozer","doi":"10.1111/aec.70264","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70264","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Jamie Kirkpatrick argued that biodiversity conservation in fragmented landscapes is hampered by misapplication of island biogeography theory, which posits that species richness of islands is positively related to island size and negatively related to island isolation. The species-level mechanisms underpinning these relationships were later elaborated in metapopulation theory. Several empirical manipulations from around the world supported the predicted outcomes of fragmentation processes. The corollary, that small habitat fragments lose species, lack viability and thus contribute little to biodiversity conservation, has become a pervasive paradigm in design of protected area networks, environmental regulation and impact assessment, and ecological restoration practice. Jamie challenged the foundations of these applications as an ‘ecological myth’, citing evidence from his studies in Tasmania's midlands on the enduring conservation values of small fragments. Here, we investigated patterns and decadal-scale changes in plant species diversity in woodland fragments on the Cumberland plain, a southeastern Australian landscape fragmented by land clearing for agriculture ~200 years ago and now undergoing rapid urbanisation. After accounting for variations in pre-survey rainfall and sampling season, we found that, changes in species composition, loss of native species or addition of non-native species over 20 years were largely independent of patch size and connectivity, despite possible signals of past effects of patch geometry. Relationships varied between land tenure types, suggesting a dependence on land management legacies or biophysical properties that vary between tenures. Our study adds to the large, diverse and reliable body of empirical evidence that small isolated patches can have conservation values that larger more connected patches do not. We recommend policies and practices that: (1) embody a strong evidenced-based approach to conservation, development and restoration decisions that accounts for site-specific contributions of patches to landscape biodiversity, irrespective of patch size and connectivity; and (2) reject ‘ecological myths’ derived from misapplications of ecological theory that ignore its fundamental assumptions.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"51 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.70264","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148466713","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of Time-Since-Fire on Ant Interactions With Nectar Resources in a Semi-Arid Landscape","authors":"Norma L. Fernando,&nbsp;Nick Schultz,&nbsp;Grant Palmer,&nbsp;Manu E. Saunders,&nbsp;Philip S. Barton","doi":"10.1111/aec.70243","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70243","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Semi-arid ecosystems are shaped by frequent wildfires, making the management of landscape disturbances a major conservation challenge in this region. Ant–plant nectar interactions, driven by mutualisms, contribute to ecosystem functioning and biodiversity, with interaction networks a poorly understood aspect of ecosystem recovery from disturbance. In this study we characterised ant interactions with nectar resources in the Scotia mallee region of Australia across three post-fire ages: 35 years (long unburnt), 10 years (old-intermediate) and 6 years (young-intermediate). We did this by describing the number and diversity of interactions between ants and nectar resources and quantifying different ecological network indices. Long unburnt sites were characterised by a higher number of distinct ant–plant interaction combinations, as well as a higher network modularity (<i>Q</i>) and species specialization (<i>d</i>′), reflecting increases in the diversity of plant nectar resources with time since fire. In contrast, the connectance (<i>C</i>) was higher in young-intermediate sites due to frequently repeated interactions between generalist ants and nectar resources, primarily honeydew-producing hemipterans. A comparatively higher incidence of ant–nectar interactions was also observed in young-intermediate sites despite lower vegetation cover, likely due to habitat openness and the dominance of opportunistic ants. Our findings suggest that greater plant diversity in long unburnt sites supports more complex ant-interaction networks indicating higher stability and ecological resilience. Overall, the study highlights the importance of understanding ant–plant interaction networks for assessing biodiversity and informing better management decisions.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"51 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.70243","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148462717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Shifty Frogs: Evidence of Iridescence Among Amphibians","authors":"John Gould","doi":"10.1111/aec.70259","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70259","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Iridescence is a striking optical phenomenon observed in some animals whereby colour or reflectivity changes based on viewing angle, such that two observers in different locations may simultaneously perceive the same tissue differently. Among amphibians, there is limited photographic evidence of tissues displaying colour shifts that define iridescence and potential cases where the term has been used erroneously to define other optical properties. In this study, I present clear visual evidence of true iridescence in the blue inner thigh skin of the green and golden bell frog, <i>Ranoidea</i> [<i>Litoria</i>] <i>aurea</i>, which showed a colour shift from blue to green as the viewing angle shifted from orthogonal to oblique. This is likely caused by the presence of partially ordered crystal platelets within a chromatophore known as the iridophore, which produces structural colouration and is the primary cause of blue colour expression among amphibians. This is a key finding, as iridescence can only be produced via coherent scattering mechanisms, such as thin-film or multilayer interference, which goes against suggestions that the amphibian iridophore only produces a ‘Tyndall’ blue via incoherent scattering mechanisms such as Rayleigh scattering. This observation, along with evidence of iridescence among amphibians obtained via a mini review of the literature, provides evidence that the mechanisms by which the amphibian iridophore produces structural colours is potentially highly diverse and at least variable between tissue regions and/or species. This complex optical effect may have important biological functions among amphibians, including camouflage, intraspecific recognition and predator avoidance.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"51 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.70259","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148462716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Refuse Dumps From Leaf-Cutting Ants Enhance Flowering and Reproductive Output in a Pioneer Herb","authors":"Rafaella S. Santos,&nbsp;Leandro Sousa-Souto","doi":"10.1111/aec.70260","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70260","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Soil nutrient availability strongly influences reproductive success and floral trait expression in many plant species. Leaf-cutting ants are well known ecosystem engineers that alter soil properties through the accumulation of refuse dumps (RD), a nutrient-rich by-product of fungus cultivation. Here, we experimentally evaluated how RD from <i>Acromyrmex balzani</i> affects flowering patterns, reproductive output, and floral morphology in the pioneer herb <i>Turnera subulata</i>. We compared control soil with soil amended with 25% RD under greenhouse conditions. Plants grown with RD flowered earlier, produced more flowers per day, and exhibited higher total seed production than control plants. RD-treated plants exhibited only subtle floral morphological variation, possibly influenced by differences in flowering frequency between treatments, since all RD plants produced flowers whereas fewer than 40% of the control plants flowered. Even so, RD enhanced plant performance at both reproductive and floral levels, suggesting that leaf-cutting ant colonies may function as localized fertility hotspots that facilitate plant establishment in regenerating tropical ecosystems. Future studies are needed to further evaluate the potential effects of RD on floral morphology and related ecological interactions.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"51 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148386202","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the Link Between Habitat Structure and Facets of Diversity in a Central Brazilian Small Mammal Community","authors":"Ana Claudia Bernardes-Dias,&nbsp;Nicolay Leme da Cunha,&nbsp;Roniel Freitas-Oliveira,&nbsp;Ricardo S. Bovendorp,&nbsp;Patrick Thomaz de Aquino Martins,&nbsp;Wellington Hannibal","doi":"10.1111/aec.70262","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70262","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Richness and abundance are the main parameters used to investigate patterns of diversity. However, these parameters alone do not capture the functional roles or the evolutionary history of biodiversity. In this study, we investigated the factors influencing the taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of a small mammal community in a protected area in Central Brazil. The protected area and its surroundings were divided into 20 sampling units, each covering 57 ha, which were surveyed in 2020 and resurveyed in 2021 and 2022. At each sampling site, we used 20 live traps to capture small mammals and recorded vegetation structure, food resources and landscape variables as predictors. Multicollinearity among predictors was assessed using the Variance Inflation Factor (VIF), and a model-averaging approach was applied to identify the most important predictors. In total, we captured 210 individuals representing 14 small mammal species, with four species accounting for 83% of all captures. Model selection identified vegetation structure, particularly shrubs, trees and fallen logs, as the main predictors of diversity metrics, highlighting the importance of vertical forest complexity in shaping community patterns. Taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity were correlated with functional diversity. However, when examining species co-occurrence within sites, we observed slightly different patterns of phylogenetic clustering and functional structure, suggesting that even in phylogenetically clustered communities, species retain some degree of functional differentiation. Our results emphasise the importance of incorporating functional and phylogenetic components into biodiversity assessments, as they provide a more comprehensive understanding of community assembly than richness and abundance alone. This study demonstrates how fine-scale habitat features influence the composition of small mammal communities.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"51 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148386246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}