Foraging preference of the smoky mouse, Pseudomys fumeus, in south-eastern New South Wales: an examination of sampling strategies

Summary

Two studies of foraging preference of the smoky mouse at the same site in south-eastern NSW reached distinctly different conclusions. The first found that the smoky mouse foraged on relatively bare exposed slopes but not in heath. The second study concluded that the smoky mouse foraged and nested in heath. This article examines the sampling strategies and results in terms of vegetation patterns and nest locations. It concludes that the results of the second study reflected the placement of traps in relation to nests rather than foraging preferences. It also questions another conclusion of the second study, that it may be necessary to reserve large areas of undisturbed vegetation to conserve the smoky mouse. This conclusion was not supported by the data presented.

Keywords:

• habitats
• foraging
• trapping
• sampling
• Pseudomys fumeus