TGB Osborn (Koonamore) Vegetation Reserve, Kangaroo Transect 

The record lists data from surveys conducted to monitor Kangaroo (Osphranter rufus (Desmarest)) activity in the TGB Osborn (Koonamore) Vegetation Reserve (or Koonamore Vegetation Reserve (KVR)) since 1960s. The kangaroo transect was set up in 1968 by Andrew Smith and Bob Lange to monitor kangaroo numbers on the Reserve and give a qualitative indication how numbers fluctuate from year to year. Some results are included in Andrew and Lange (1986). The transect runs east to west through the sandy dune areas of the southern part of the reserve, where kangaroos tend to congregate (inside), and extends some distance into the paddock to the west of the western boundary (outside). The dataset ranges from 1968 to 2022 and comprises the total number of kangaroo scats, which includes fresh and old scats. Goat and sheep pellets, if present, were later included in the count.

Reference

Andrew, M. & Lange, R. (1986). The Spatial Distributions of Sympatric Populations of Kangaroos and Sheep - Examples of Dissociation Between These Species. Wildlife Research 13, 367–373. This is version 2.1 of the Koonamore Kangaroo transect data release and supersedes any previous versions.

Change log for the Kangaroo Transect:

• V2.1, 2026-03-22; Alison Specht, Miranda Fittock and Arun Singh Ramesh; Ensured dates recorded were in ISO format YYYY-MM-DD, NA inserted into all blank cells. As there were no sheep or goats recorded prior to 2017, NA was used for blank cells prior to that time. Animal species scientific names included.
• V2, 2025-06-20; Alison Specht and Arun Singh Ramesh; Digitised and organised data files to comply with FAIR standards, aligning vocabularies with the TERN vocabularies and created comprehensive metadata. Locations verified with David Ladd.
• V1, 2008-2014; Russell Sinclair digitised field data sheets to be delivered to the AEKOS TERN portal. Added required V1 metadata in the AEKOS portal

 

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. Acknowledgement is due to all the students, staff and researchers who have collected data at the site since its establishment, to those who have entered the data, and to the support of funders and interested parties, including the Adelaide University. Without the vision, tenacity, and diligence of many past researchers, these unique data could not have been made openly available. 

In the mid-1920's Professor Theodore George Bentley Osborn, Professor of Botany in the University of Adelaide, put forward strong scientific arguments concerning the lack of knowledge of the ecology of arid zone vegetation, and the effect of grazing on it. In 1925, a parcel of land of around 390 ha was identified in Koonamore Station in South Australia and fenced to exclude rabbits and other stock, and Mr Wilcox, one of the directors, had a three-roomed house erected to serve as a field laboratory. The area was originally referred to as the Arid Region Flora Reserve but later was named the TGB Osborn Vegetation Reserve after its founder. For simplicity it is commonly referred to as the Koonamore Vegetation Reserve. There have been some unwanted animal incursions over the years, but these have been rare. In 1931, for example, rabbits were able to enter due to fence damage. Kangaroos and emus are not fully excluded. As is clear from the objectives stated by TGB Osborn, the reserve was to provide the basis for systematic measurements of the now-protected vegetation. Osborn and his team (including Prof. J.G. Wood and Mr Terry Paltridge) set up a series of quadrats (square plots) and photopoints within the reserve. A series of transects was later added. All of the foregoing were permanently marked, and observations on species occurrence (presence and abundance) and physical measurements of the plants were made repeatedly, but at varying intervals. 

Method :

• The transect line starts from inside the Reserve and extends outside the Reserve.
• A 20m tape is laid along the line of the transect from the starting point aligning with the stated bearing. Two people are assigned to the task.
• All scats are counted within 30cm of one side of the 20m tape (a small 'quadrat'). Each person counts independently, and totals are compared – differences are reconciled, or a mean is recorded.
• The counts are classified as new pellets (black and shiny) or old pellets, and any doubtful old ones counted as half.
• Once the first quadrat is completed, the tape is moved 40m along the transect line and another 20m is laid out and assessed as above.
• The transect direction is maintained by reference to a compass or GPS.
• This method is followed until the western fence ('inside'). The transect continues beyond the fence ('outside') for several similar quadrats.
• The number of quadrats covered varies from year to year, e.g. within the Reserve it ranges from 31 to 37 quadrats and outside from 6 to15 quadrats.

Goats broached the fence in 2017, and goat (Capra hircus L.) and sheep (Ovis aries L.) scats/pellets, if present, were then included in the count. As there was no categorisation into fresh or old pellets, the counts for these animals were thus recorded in the total count. Attribute information about the data set As the transect extends beyond the reserve area, the data are partitioned into whether the observations are inside or outside the reserve (sections). The sampling intensity of the observation event is indicated by the number of 20 x 0.30m quadrats assessed. The number of fresh and old kangaroo scats observed across all quadrats either within or outside the reserve are recorded, and when applicable, the total number of goat and sheep pellets present.

For detailed information please see the preview file in the data package, available under 'Access Data'.