DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF FUNGAL SPOROCARPS AND DIGGINGS OF THE TASMANIAN BETTONG, BETTONGIA-GAIMARDI

The distribution and abundance of diggings of the Tasmanian bettong Bettongia gaimardi and sporocarps of hypogean fungi (the major dietary item of bettongs) were studied in an area of dry sclerophyll forest in northern Tasmania. Digging activity was greatest during August. Sporocarp production was expected to be greatest at this time due to high soil moisture levels. The distribution of both hypogean sporocarps and the diggings of bettongs was highly clumped. Degree of clumping of diggings varied seasonally being greatest in summer and lowest in winter. Digging activity was greatest in sandy soils and least in dolerite soils. This was thought to result from the lower fertility sandy soils having greater densities of sporocarps. Lateritic soils, although the most infertile, had fewer diggings than sandy soils. This is probably due to the difficulty of digging in these gravelly, often cemented soils. The depth of diggings was greatest in winter when soil moisture was high. Mesophellia was the most frequently occurring sporocarp and spores of this genus were the most abundant in the faecal pellets of bettongs.