SuperSites Data Portal
Vertebrate Fauna Biodiversity Monitoring, Far North Queensland Rainforest SuperSite, Robson Creek, CTBCC, LU9A, 2014
- Citation
-
Williams, S (): Vertebrate Fauna Biodiversity Monitoring, Far North Queensland Rainforest SuperSite, Robson Creek, CTBCC, LU9A, 2014. TERN Australian SuperSite Network. http://supersites.tern.org.au/knb/metacat/supersite.17.4/html
- Identifier
-
- docid
- supersite.17.4
- Data Creators
-
- Individual
- Professor Stephen Williams
- Organization
- Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change, James Cook University
- Abstract
-
Monitoring of distributional and abundance data for Australian tropical rainforest vertebrates is required to inform a wide range of comparative studies on the determinants of biodiversity and assess the impacts of global climate change. The data set here serves as a single monitoring transect for which data was collected using standardised survey techniques to assess distribution and abundance of vertebrates. It is part of a larger monitoring project that bisects latitudinal and elevational gradients across 5 mountain ranges in the Wet Tropics region. A monitory transect is represented by 6 points along a 1km site for which amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals are surveyed. The dataset here represents the monitoring at 900m asl on Mt Edith in the Lamb Range Uplands.
- Contacts for Questions on the Use and Interpretation of Data
-
- Individual
- Professor Stephen Williams
- Organization
- Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change, James Cook University
- Address
-
ATSIP Precinct
Building 145
Townsville. QLD 4811
Australia
- Phone
-
- voice
- +61 7 4781 5580
- Email Address
- stephen.williams@jcu.edu.au
- Project Information and Data Owners
-
- Title
- Rainforest Biodiversity
- Personnel
-
- Role
- Principal Investigator
- Individual
- Professor Stephen Williams
- Organization
- Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change, James Cook University
- Funding
-
National Environmental Research Program
- Methods and Sampling Information
-
- Methods
-
Method Step 1
- Description
-
Standardised Fauna Surveys
The sampling site consists of a 1km transect with 6 survey points, each point at every 200m interval.
- Instrument
-
- • 1 backup Hygrobutton placed in teastrainer on HOBO station to measure relative air humidity at 2 hour interval.
- • 1 backup i-button placed in a tea-strainer which hangs on the HOBO station to measure air temperature at 4 hour interval.
- • 2 i-buttons placed in 1 watertight casing (which is placed under a log located in close proximity to the HOBO station to measure the “under log” temperature at 1 and 4 hour interval respectively.
Method Step 2- Description
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Bird surveys
30 minute, 150m transects will be carried out at each sampling point along the 1km transect. We will walk into the forest at each point, using a hip-chain to measure distance, and record all bird species that we see and hear. The sampling method has been standardised to enable comparisons of data collected at this point from year to year and season to season and across the altitudinal gradient. When recording data, we use codes to denote a bird’s position (if we know it) and the certainty of the sighting.
Method Step 3- Description
-
Reptile surveys
30 minute searches of the area around each 6 points along the 1km transect are undertaken and time is divided between looking on the forest floor (often in sun spots), on the trunks of trees and under logs. Usually about ten minutes of this is spent along the roadside looking for leaf-litter skinks before moving off into the forest. We tend to operate in no more than a 50m radius of the point itself. Our aim is to collect data on any reptiles (and occasionally frogs and other animals) that we see. Reptiles will be held in individual plastic bags, which will be labelled with the site details (e.g. LU7A1). Bags will be taken to a central measuring point (sometimes camp) and animals will be weighed, measured and a DNA sample collected. They will later be returned to their capture site and released.
2014 Note: Standardised reptiling surveys have not been conducted in 2014 as analyses have indicated that new data is no longer value adding. Moreover, the variability in standardised reptile surveys is high and they are not proving to be as useful for the status and trends approach. In replacement of reptile sampling, a monitoring technique looking at a new aspect of thermal heterogeneity with thermal imaging cameras will be used. This new monitoring technique has been trailed in a project funded externally through collaboration with Dave Edwards (University of Sheffield) and we are now expanding this technique into the AWT by including it in upcoming research trips (NERP and Earthwatch).
Method Step 4- Description
-
Amphibian (Microhylid Frogs) surveys
Each 6 sampling points along the 1km transect will be surveyed for all calling Microhylid Frogs species that can be heard within an estimated 50 m radius.
Method Step 5- Description
-
Spotlighting surveys
Our aim when spotlighting is to collect data on nocturnal mammals, geckos and any other animals that may be present. We walk along the 1km transect ideally from point 1 to point 6 and record anything that we see in our spotlight beam and anything that we hear (maybe owls, bats or frogs). It should take from 40 minutes to about an hour to complete the survey. The aim is not to record every single animal present but to get a representative sample. Typically one person walks about 10m ahead of the rest of the group with a spotlight and mainly searches the trees for eye shine from possums. The rest of the group uses head-torches to search the tree trunks for geckos, and the forest floor for frogs and other marsupials and rodents.
Method Step 6- Description
-
Invertebrates (Ants)
Leaf litter is collected and sampled for ants using the Winkler method at 2 selected sites along a 50m transect leading into the forest from each 6 points along the 1 km transect. The leaf litter samples are brought back to camp and placed in Winkler bags for 48hours and ants are collected in beakers filled with Ethanol.
In addition, 20 small, baited plastic vials are also used as to sample ground dwelling as well as arboreal ants. 1 baited vial is placed on the ground and 1 is tied to a tree stem at every 5m along a 50 m transect leading into the forest from each 6 sampling points along the 1km transect. The vials are collected after 1 hour and filled with ethanol.
- Sampling
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- Study Extent Description
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A vital aspect of this research will be the long-term monitoring of the vertebrate and invertebrate assemblages in key areas in order to predict and detect the first changes due to climate change. One of the key recommendations by climate change workshops at the state, federal and international level is the instigation of long-term monitoring programs to provide baseline data to improve predictions of impacts and to detect and monitor changes. This is absolutely vital if we are to have any hope of instigating adaptive management strategies to minimise the impacts as much as possible.
- Sampling Description
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Microhabitat details are recorded for every individual observed in any type of census. Detailed methods are available in supplemental information of VanDerWal et al (2009, Am Nat)
- Keywords and Subject Categories
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-
- CTBCC
- Climate Change
- Wet Tropics
- Biodiversity
- NERP
- Mt Edith
- Lamb Range
- Williams
- FNQ Rainforest
- Far North Queensland
- anzsrc
-
- 0602
-
- Geographic Coverage
-
- Geographic Description
- The site (LU9A) is located at 900m in elevation and consist of a 1km long transect going up along the Mt Edith Road. There are 6 individual sampling points, located at every 200m interval along this transect, (LU9A1, LU9A2, LU9A3, LU9A4, LU9A5 and LU9A6), which are flagged and marked with reflectors for easier detection.
- Bounding Coordinates
-
- West
- 145.700973 degrees
- East
- 145.700973 degrees
- North
- -17.15896 degrees
- South
- -17.15896 degrees
- Temporal Coverage
-
- Date
- 2014
- Intellectual Rights, Licence and Usage Conditions
-
Conditions of release of this data are as follows: 1) Transfer of any data between CTBCC and RESEARCHER NAME does not imply the transfer of rights to publication of the data. Permission in writing must be sought from the Principal Investigator before submitting any works for publication and RESEARCHER NAME agrees to involve the Principal Investigator in the analysis, writing and co-authorship of results were appropriate. 2) Any published work using this data must acknowledge the CTBCC in the following way- “The authors acknowledge the Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change, James Cook University for provision of data used in this analysis” 3) A copy of any publication using this data must be supplied to the CTBCC within 6 months of the date of publication.
- Data Table
-
- Name
- asn_fnqr_fauna_biodiversity_ctbcc_lu9a_2014.csv
- Description
- Biodiversity Monitoring LU9A, 2014
- Attribute Information
-
site_name
- Name
- site_name
- Definition
- Site Name
- Measurement Type
- nominal
- Measurement Domain
-
- Text Domain
-
- Definition
- site
point_id- Name
- point_id
- Definition
- Sampling point
- Measurement Type
- nominal
- Measurement Domain
-
- Text Domain
-
- Definition
- sampling point
east- Name
- east
- Definition
- x coordinate
- Measurement Type
- ratio
- Measurement Domain
-
- Standard Unit
- meter
- Number Type
- natural
north- Name
- north
- Definition
- y coordinate
- Measurement Type
- ratio
- Measurement Domain
-
- Standard Unit
- meter
- Number Type
- natural
zone- Name
- zone
- Definition
- UTM Zone
- Measurement Type
- ratio
- Measurement Domain
-
- Standard Unit
- number
- Number Type
- natural
datum- Name
- datum
- Definition
- Datum
- Measurement Type
- nominal
- Measurement Domain
-
- Text Domain
-
- Definition
- datum
latdecimal- Name
- latdecimal
- Definition
- Latitude
- Measurement Type
- ratio
- Measurement Domain
-
- Standard Unit
- degree
- Number Type
- natural
longdecimal- Name
- longdecimal
- Definition
- Longitude
- Measurement Type
- ratio
- Measurement Domain
-
- Standard Unit
- degree
- Number Type
- natural
species_id- Name
- species_id
- Definition
- Species ID
- Measurement Type
- nominal
- Measurement Domain
-
- Text Domain
-
- Definition
- species
taxa- Name
- taxa
- Definition
- Taxa
- Measurement Type
- nominal
- Measurement Domain
-
- Enumerated Domain
-
- Code Definition
-
- BIRD
- Bird
- MAMM
- Mammal
- FROG
- Frog
- REPT
- Reptile
species name- Name
- species name
- Definition
- Species name
- Measurement Type
- nominal
- Measurement Domain
-
- Text Domain
-
- Definition
- species
common name- Name
- common name
- Definition
- Common name of species
- Measurement Type
- nominal
- Measurement Domain
-
- Text Domain
-
- Definition
- common name
date_time- Name
- date_time
- Definition
- Date and time of samplng
- Measurement Type
- dateTime
- Measurement Domain
-
- Format
- dd/mm/yyyy hh:mm
- Precision
- 0
num_observed- Name
- num_observed
- Definition
- Number observed
- Measurement Type
- ratio
- Measurement Domain
-
- Standard Unit
- number
- Number Type
- natural
Data Collector- Name
- Data Collector
- Definition
- Name of person collecting data
- Measurement Type
- nominal
- Measurement Domain
-
- Enumerated Domain
-
- Code Definition
-
- SEW
- Stephen Williams
- Number Of Records
- 15
- Physical Structure Description
-
- Object Name
- asn_fnqr_fauna_biodiversity_ctbcc_lu9a_2014.csv
- Size
- 1620 byte
- Text Format
-
- Number of Header Lines
- 0
- Record Delimiter
- #x0A
- Attribute Orientation
- column
- Simple Delimited
-
- Field Delimiter
- ,
- Distribution
-
Online
- URL
- supersite.20.1
- Access
-
- Access Control
-
- Auth System
- knb
- Order
- allowFirst
- Allow:
-
Permission Principal [read] cn=allusers,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org [all] uid=datalibrarian,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org [all] uid=supersite,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org [all] uid=roslan,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org
- Additional Metadata Links
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qualityControlAdditional Metadata : qualityControl
- Metadata
-
- qualityControl
-
- @timestamp
- 2015-05-24T10:43:10.279Z
- @username
- supersite
- Access
-
- Access Control
-
- Auth System
- knb
- Order
- allowFirst
- Allow:
-
Permission Principal [read] public [all] uid=datalibrarian,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org [all] uid=supersite,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org [all] uid=roslan,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org
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