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Habitat Use and Life-History of Hall's Babbler (Pomatostomus Halli) – a Group-Living Passerine of the Australian Arid Zone

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Habitat Use and Life-History of Hall's Babbler (Pomatostomus Halli) – a Group-Living Passerine of the Australian Arid Zone Habitat use and life-history of Hall's babbler (Pomatostomus halli) – a group-living passerine of the Australian arid zone Dean James Portelli PhD thesis School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales 2012 i Originality Statement 'I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.' Signed …………………………………………….................................... Date …………………………………………….................................... ii Copyright Statement ‘I hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstract International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my thesis or I have obtained permission to use copyright material; where permission has not been granted I have applied/will apply for a partial restriction of the digital copy of my thesis or dissertation.' Signed …………………………………………….................................... Date …………………………………………….................................... Authenticity Statement ‘I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officially approved version of my thesis. No emendation of content has occurred and if there are any minor variations in formatting, they are the result of the conversion to digital format.’ Signed …………………………………………….................................... Date …………………………………………….................................... iii Preface This thesis consists of an introductory chapter (Chapter 1), six research chapters (Chapters 2–7), and a concluding chapter (Chapter 8). Each research chapter has been written as a stand-alone piece of work in the style of a manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. As a result some repetition occurs among chapters. Supplemental data for chapters are provided in appendices. Formatting for each research chapter follows that of the target journal to which it has or will be submitted, hence there are some style differences among chapters, including formatting of tables, figures, citations, and references. Numbering of tables, figures and appendices begins anew with each chapter. Reference lists for Chapter 1 and 8 are provided at the end of the thesis. Reference lists for Chapters 2–7 are provided at the end of each chapter. This thesis is a compilation of my own independent research. I conceptualised, devised methodology, collected and analysed data, prepared all figures, and wrote all research chapters with the guidance and assistance of my supervisor Professor Richard Kingsford (Australian Wetlands, Rivers and Landscapes Centre, University of New South Wales). Dr Veronica Doerr (CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Canberra) assisted with Chapter 2, providing guidance with writing and editing drafts, and is included as co-author of the submitted manuscript with Richard Kingsford. Dr Jarrad Cousin (Litoria Consulting) assisted with Chapter 3 and is included as co-author with Richard Kingsford. Hence, I use first-person plural pronouns in these chapters. All other chapters have been, or will be, submitted as sole-authored manuscripts. Assistance from additional persons is indicated in the acknowledgements for each research chapter. I took all photographs presented in this thesis, unless otherwise credited. iv Acknowledgements There are many people to whom I owe my sincere gratitude for helping me in various ways throughout my candidature. The thesis that you are about to read would not exist without their contributions, whether substantial or small. I am indebted to my supervisor, Richard Kingsford, for his unwavering support and belief in my ability to complete this thesis in the face of professional and personal obstacles. I am greatly appreciative of the encouragement, advice and knowledge Veronica Doerr, Jarrad Cousin, Rob Heinsohn, Eleanor Russell, Jes Sammut and Jenny Beer freely offered, especially when I doubted I would reach the end. I am privileged to have had these generous, humble, empathetic, supportive, wise, and patient people in my corner. The biggest reward of undertaking this PhD was the time I spent in the field in south- western Queensland. I am sincerely grateful to Ian and Julie McLaren, the then owners of Bowra Sanctuary, for not only allowing me to carry out my research on their property, but for welcoming me into their home and lives. I thank them for their endless support, the knowledge they shared, and their friendship. My research involved thousands of hours in the field to collect data, which would not have been possible without the assistance of numerous people who generously volunteered their time and energy in various ways. Bob Inglis and Bob and Jean Wallace joined me during several field trips and I especially thank them for their tireless efforts and tolerance of my idiosyncrasies. I am also most grateful to Patrick Banville, Penny Brockman, Kylie Edwards, Susan Hall, Peter Johnson, Bob and Julie Lake, Chris Lloyd, Robert McDonald, Diana Padron, Oliver Robertson, Peter and Rhonda Royall, and Chris Sanderson. I am indebted to numerous people who gave me their expert advice. Frank Hemmings helped me immensely in the challenging world of plant identification and spent countless hours identifying pesky forb and grass species with great enthusiasm; v largely from thousands of photographs no less! Shawn Laffan and Celine Steinfeld gave me much needed advice and always answered my many questions about the seemingly 'simplest' of tasks in ArcGIS without even a sigh. Bruce Wilson promptly and enthusiastically answered my questions about vegetation mapping and classification, and kindly reviewed my own vegetation classification. Marti Anderson, David Eldridge, Alistair Poore, and Caragh Threlfall shared their expertise in the ever- expanding world of multivariate statistics, setting me on the right path and building my confidence in using these analytical tools. Susannah Bird, Clare Holleley, Emily Miller, Lee Ann Rollins, and Tim Salmon were instrumental in teaching me techniques in molecular genetic analysis in the lab: an initially foreign place for a field ecologist! My efforts in teaching undergraduate courses were particularly rewarding. I am a better teacher thanks to the expert tutelage and encouragement of Michael Archer, Susanne Hand, Alistair Poore, Peter Banks, Jes Sammut, and Jenny Beer. Fellow babbler researchers, Caroline Blackmore, Douglas Dow, and Douglas Robinson, entertained my questions and kindly sent me unpublished reports and data. Walter Boles, Philipa Horton, Heather Janetzki, Robert Palmer and Clare Stevenson arranged access to museum specimens and readily answered my queries. Andrew Russell and Simon Griffith provided advice in the early stages of my candidature. My postgraduate and postdoctoral colleagues played a pivotal role in supporting and encouraging me throughout my candidature right up to the end, including tolerating my many rants and venting sessions, and sharing obligatory coffee breaks. I particularly thank Adrian Davis, Angela McGuire, Celine Steinfeld, Dejan Stojanovic, Judit Szabo, Fiona Thomson, Caragh Threlfall, and Hazel Watson who believed in me, especially when I didn't. I further extend my gratitude to Alex Gold, Alan Kwok, Jaz Lawes, Jo Ocock, Jessica Roe, Sam Travers, Ben Harris, Derrick Cruz, and other residents of the Samuels 'dungeon' and Mathews L14 whose company regularly reminded me that I didn't live in a babbler bubble. vi Undertaking this PhD penetrated all facets of my life. I am eternally thankful to my mother, Rita, who made sure that I had the essentials of life – food, shelter and warmth – during the years that it took to reach the end. Of all the people I acknowledge here, her support was by far the most significant. Snowy and Bella, the best friends a zoologist could ask for, always made coming home from a field trip that did not go as planned or a tough day at the office, and late nights madly writing, seem more bearable with their silent friendship and complete ignorance of my PhD! Completing the research that I present in this thesis would not have been possible without generous financial assistance from the Hermon Slade Foundation, Birds Queensland and the Australian Bird Study Association. I was fortunate to have an Australian Postgraduate Award from the Australian Research Council to keep me personally afloat financially. Funds for attending international
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