Strange bedfellows: Mammal burrow disturbances may provide thermoregulatory microsites for fossorial reptiles in densely vegetated dunes

Abstract

AbstractBurrow excavation by mammals generates heterogeneity within landscapes. Globally, these disturbances are known to provide significant ecosystem benefits. Most investigations of native Australian burrowing mammal disturbances has focused on the role of burrows in landscape function and interspecific thermal refugia. Herein, we present a novel observation of the fossorial skink Lerista bougainvillii utilizing burrow mounds of the common wombat (Vombatus ursinus) for possible thermoregulatory gains. In the early morning, when thermoregulatory opportunities were limited, L. bougainvillii were detected in mounds that appeared hotter than adjoining vegetation. These observations suggest that in densely vegetated habitats thermal heterogeneity caused by mammal burrows may offer important thermoregulatory opportunities for fossorial species with limited climbing capacity.