Comparisons of ground vertebrate assemblages in arid Western Australia in different seasons and decades

WA Museum Records and Supplements | Updated 8 years ago

ABSTRACT – Assemblages of mammals, reptiles and frogs were sampled 20 years apart on the same five Eastern GoldfIelds sItes and in the same months using the same techniques for the same periods of time. None of nine species of snakes were captured on both surveys and three additional species of lizard were added to the 32 recorded on the first survev. No new mammal or frog species were recorded but the relative abunda~ce of most vertebrate species changed over two decades. The greatest change in relative abundance occurred in a group of lizards that are long lived the geckos. All sampling sites continued to show an increase in species richness with continued sampling time. Differences in assemblages were greatest between surveys and least between seasons suggesting long-term changes occurred in assemblage structure.