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Marbled Gecko in Urban Parkland |
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THE MARBLED GECKO IN URBAN PARKLANDS: DO RETREAT SITES LIMIT POPULATION SIZE DURING WINTER?
ABSTRACT: The Marbled Gecko, Christinus marmoratus, is one of a few reptiles that occur commonly in urban habitats in southern Australia. In Adelaide this nocturnal lizard utilizes tree bark as retreat sites during winter. We compared the demography and habitat use of C. marmoratus at two urban sites in Adelaide to assess whether available retreat sites limit population density. The sites were an urban parkland, extensively planted with trees, and a patch of remnant native woodland vegetation surrounded by suburbs. Geckoes were less common in the urban parkland than in the remnant native vegetation patch. Juvenile geckoes predominated in the urban parklands, whereas adults predominated in the remnant native vegetation. These differences were explained by the size distribution of trees and the type and amount of bark on the trunk of trees at the two sites. In the urban parkland, geckos were limited by the availability of thick exfoliating bark. A choice experiment showed that thick exfoliating bark a preferred for use as retreat sites. The preference for trees with larger circumference, more cover, and thick bark were probably linked to thermoregulation, predator avoidance, and food resources.
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