Short-term success of a translocation of Otago skinks (Oligosoma otagense) to Orokonui Ecosanctuary

Figures & data

Figure 1. Otago skink enclosure, showing the fence, schist rock piles, and some vegetation. Photograph taken on 12 October 2014 by Alison Cree.

Figure 2. Number of skinks detected over an hour of visual observations. A, At different times of the day during the hours that Orokonui Ecosanctuary was open; B, in relation to precipitation (Dry = no precipitation, 1 = light precipitation from low cloud, 2 = rain); C, in relation to temperature measured using a copper model of a skink placed in full sunlight (n = 20 observations; fitted line from the generalised additive model is shown); D, in response to the temperature measured in shade under a rock 20 cm into a retreat (n = 20 observations).

Table 1. Candidate generalised additive models of Otago skink (Oligosoma otagense) counts at Orokonui Ecosanctuary, December 2013–February 2014.

Model	AICc	d.f.	ΔAICc	Weight
skinks∼rain	138.9	3	0.0	0.453
skinks∼ TCM	139.9	3	1.0	0.279
skinks∼rain + TCM	140.9	4	1.9	0.173
skinks∼1 (null model)	142.5	2	3.5	0.077
skinks∼ Tretreat	145.3	3	6.3	0.019
skinks∼ TCM + hour	164.9	10	25.9	<0.001
skinks∼hour	166.6	9	27.7	<0.001
skinks∼rain + hour	166.9	10	27.9	<0.001
skinks∼rain + TCM + hour	172.7	11	33.8	<0.001
skinks∼rain + hour + TCM + Tretreat	181.9	12	43.0	<0.001

The model with the highest rank is indicated by the lowest Akaike's Information Criterion modified for low sample size (AICc) score and the highest weight. ΔAIC indicates the difference in AICc scores from the highest ranking model, and d.f. = the number of parameters. Hour = time of observations, T_CM = (smoothed) copper model temperature, T_retreat = retreat temperature. The effects rain, hour, T_CM, and T_retreat are additive.