Habitat requirements of the threatened yakka skink Egernia rugosa, and implications forpersistence of the species in modified landscapes

Abstract

Context Understanding the habitat requirements of a threatened species is essential for conservation managers to make informed management decisions. This is particularly important in modified landscapes or landscapes with regrowth vegetation being promoted as potential habitat. Knowing and understanding the habitat requirements for a species can assist land managers to make informed decisions about habitat enhancement activities to support threatened species recovery. Aim We aimed to investigate the microhabitat requirements of the yakka skink (Egernia rugosa) and the distribution of these attributes within two distinctive regrowth vegetation types. We then assessed the relationship between habitat facilitation provided by burrowing mammals and log piles on yakka skink presence/absence. Methods We undertook a total of 197 habitat surveys from 11 spatially discrete locations that included 66 positive (used) and 66 random (available), 35 high-value regrowth, and 30 non-significant regrowth sites. Key results Our results showed that yakka kinks preferred areas of remnant vegetation and that sites with large logs were preferentially selected. We observed a significant difference in the distribution of key habitat requirements of the yakka skink within remnant vegetation, high-value regrowth, and non-significant regrowth sites. Habitat facilitators such as burrowing mammals, and man-made log piles play an important role in enabling yakka skinks to establish long term aggregation sites. Implications Identifying the importance of these features allows land managers to enhance regrowth habitats, especially those adjacent to already occupied remnant vegetation.