This data set contains the count data of reptiles captured through pitfall and funnel trapping in surveys of grazing agricultural properties in the Central Tablelands of NSW, Australia. Experimental treatments were examined and additional environmental variables were recorded. Each of the 12 sites (farms) was surveyed five times, once between January and March 2014 and four times between October 2014 and March 2015. Each survey consisted of five trap nights. In total 5,040 traps were surveyed giving a combined total of 25,200 trapping nights. 1,242 captures were recorded from 28 species of reptiles. The majority of the species (19) were from the family Scincidae.
Credit
We at TERN acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians throughout Australia, New Zealand and all nations. We honour their profound connections to land, water, biodiversity and culture and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
Purpose
This project aimed to examine methods of managing the agricultural grazing matrix for poorly dispersing taxa (reptiles). We set up an experimental design to test a number of methods of managing the matrix and examine the influence of other landscape and environmental factors that may influence the biotic use of this human modified landscape.
Lineage
Pitfall and funnel trapping : In 12 sites (farms) transects in four treatment types in the grazing matrix were set up. The treatments were: grazed paddock, fence line between grazed paddocks, linear planting, and coarse woody debris laid out in a grazed paddock. Each transect ran from within a remnant of woodland and out through the matrix treatment. All of the properties were grazed by cattle and sheep. Seven of the properties were grazed in a continuous manner and the other five were grazed in a rotational manner. Each transect contained 6 trapping arrays and was 160 metres long. The arrays were arranged at 20, 50 and 80 metres from the boundary between the matrix and the remnant in both directions. Each array was composed of a ten metre long drift fence with a pitfall trap (15L bucket) and a funnel trap on each side. This allowed the direction of movement to be determined. Each site was surveyed five times for five trapping nights for each survey over two austral summers between 2014 and 2015. After measurements were taken, animals were released in the direction of movement. Therefore each trap was checked for 25 days in total and there was a total of 25,200 trap nights over all traps. Vegetation cover, grass height and volume of coarse woody debris was measured in a 10 metre diameter circle around each trapping array. Grass height was measured using a rising plate meter with 8 measurements taken in each 10 metre circle. Each unit of the grass height is equivalent to 5mm of compressed grass height. The percent of each of the vegetation cover categories was estimate visually within the 10 metre diameter circle by the same observer. Categories were: grass, forbs, ferns and rushes, fine organic litter, cryptogams, bare ground, native over-storey and native mid-storey. Distance to the nearest tree was measured manually in the field with a tape measure. Coarse woody debris was determined by measuring length and width of all in situ down wood that was greater than 5 cms in diameter. Rainfall and temperature were determined using data from the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia). For the nearest station for each property, the average maximum temperature and the average annual rainfall for 2013 and 2014 were calculated. Aspect, elevation and slope were all recorded at each trap array and then pooled across the 20, 50 and 80 metre trap arrays. Elevation was measured with a GPS (Garmin Oregon® 650). Aspect was measured using a compass. Slope was measured using a clinometer. Remnant area and Percent Woody Veg were determined using ArcGIS. The remnant area was measured by drawing polygons around the remnants. The percent woody veg within a 3 km radial circle was calculated using zonal statistics and data of the extent of native woody vegetation in 2011 (Office of Environment and Heritage (2015) NSW SPOT Woody extent and FPC for 2011 with 5 m pixels. NSW, Australia). All data has been pooled into half transects and over trapping periods to reduce zero inflation.
