Patterns of activity and travel by koalas in a disturbed urban landscape in Queensland

Abstract

Habitat loss and fragmentation threaten koala persistence in south-east Queensland, intensifying the challenges posed by climate change and disease to koala survival. Adaptation to modified landscapes may mediate species' persistence, so we collected location and accelerometery data for 10 koalas in a changing landscape in the Moreton Bay region of Queensland, using remote global positioning system (GPS) collars and manual tracking. We investigated whether ambient temperature influenced how active koalas were and how far they moved, and compared area of use estimated by manual tracking and remote GPS uploads. Accelerometric data showed that koalas were more active at night, and GPS data showed that males moved further than females, but accelerometers measuring activity were not indicative of total distance travelled. Distance moved by koalas per day and night was greatest from May through August and least during March for both males and females. Remotely uploaded GPS locations described a not significantly larger total area of use by each koala compared to manual VHF tracking. There was no general trend in the relationship between day temperature and koala activity or distance moved.