Koala behaviour, microclimate and tree temperature data

Koala behaviour, microclimate and tree temperature data collected in the field (French Island, Victoria, Australia). See ReadMe file for details

Summary of bat, glider and possum box temperature response variables.

<p>See <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0176951#sec002" target="_blank">Methods</a> for definitions of box temperature response variables. Ambient temperature variables are included for comparison with box variables. Temperature (°C) data are presented as mean ± SD.</p

Map showing the Mornington and Bellarine peninsulas, and locations of towns referred to in the text.

<p>Map showing the Mornington and Bellarine peninsulas, and locations of towns referred to in the text.</p

Differences between glider box color treatments across the range of <i>T</i>_a recorded during the study, assuming mean solar exposure.

<p>Panels on the left show modeled averages for north-facing boxes in winter (10 July to 1 August 2015), and panels on the right for north-facing boxes in summer (7–29 January 2015). Shaded areas represent 95% confidence intervals. The dashed line (without 95% confidence intervals) represents where corresponding <i>T</i>_a variables are tracking, to indicate the difference between the boxes and ambient conditions.</p

Mean temperature (°C) over 24 hours in glider and possum boxes of different colors.

<p>Hourly <i>T</i>_box were recorded during summer (7–29 January 2015; a–c) and winter (10 July to 1 August 2015; d–f) at the La Trobe University Zoology Reserve, Melbourne, Australia. Panels show glider boxes facing north (a and d) and south (b and e), and possum boxes facing east (c and f). Data loggers were also attached to nine trees to record hourly <i>T</i>_a. Bars and associated temperature values represent the time of day when the greatest difference occurred between <i>T</i>_boxMEAN and <i>T</i>_aMEAN. Shaded areas represent 95% confidence intervals.</p

Reflectance spectra of the different paint color treatments.

<p>The colors used to paint nest boxes in this study were (i) dark-green (total solar reflectance = 5.9%: ‘low-reflectance’), (ii) white-based light-green (total solar reflectance = 64.4%: ‘medium-reflectance’) and (iii) white (total solar reflectance = 90.3%: ‘high-reflectance’). The reflectance spectrum for the ‘green-based light-green paint’ (total solar reflectance = 20.9%) is shown to highlight the similarity with the dark-green paint, despite appearing visually similar to the white-based light-green. The reflectance spectrum for the black paint (total solar reflectance = 2.9%) is shown to highlight the similarity of the dark-green paint to this low reflectance extreme.</p

Modeled mean (± SE) half-hourly rates of daytime heat loss, or heat production, for a common brushtail possum (<i>T</i>. <i>vulpecula</i>) occupying light-green and dark-green nest boxes.

<p>Half-hourly daytime <i>T</i>_box were taken from nest boxes ‘occupied’ by a POSEM during (a) six days in summer (7, 8, 16, 19, 22, and 24 January 2015, 6:00 to 19:00) and (b) six days in winter (14, 16, 18, 19, 25, and 27 July 2015, 7:00 to 18:00). Physiological costs (calculated as % basal metabolic heat loss, or heat production, required by an endotherm to maintain its core body temperature) were estimated using a simple endotherm biophysical model adapted from Porter and Kearney [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0176951#pone.0176951.ref059" target="_blank">59</a>].</p

Map showing the distribution of collection sites for possum faeces, indicating the locations of positive samples for <i>Mycobacterium ulcerans</i> DNA by real-time IS<i>2404</i> PCR.

<p>The locations of positive ringtail faecal samples are shown as red ovals; positive brushtail samples are shown as black ovals: negative samples are shown in white. The dotted circle shows a significant non-random clustering of <i>Mycobacterium ulcerans</i> positive possum faecal samples identified by spatial scan statistics (<i>P</i><0.0001; 16/30 possum faecal sample positives within a circle of radius 0.42 km). 4/6 residential addresses of human BU cases and 2/3 non-resident addresses fall within the radius of the cluster identified above. Addresses of holiday houses were unavailable for 3 non-resident BU cases. The inset figure (bottom left) depicts a heat map showing possum faecal bacterial loads of samples within the black rectangle, estimated from IS<i>2404</i> real-time PCR signal strength, ranging from negative (dark blue) to ≥10⁶<i>M. ulcerans</i> per gram of faeces (red).</p

Mean temperature (°C) over 24 hours in bat boxes of different colors installed at five sites in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

<p>Data were recorded hourly from 10 February to 15 April 2015 (<i>n</i> = 65 days) inside boxes facing each of the four cardinal directions: a) north, b) east, c) south, and d) west. Data loggers were also attached to four trees at each site to record hourly <i>T</i>_a. Bars and associated temperature values represent the time of day when the greatest difference occurred between <i>T</i>_boxMEAN and <i>T</i>_aMEAN. Shaded areas represent 95% confidence intervals.</p

Differences between bat box color treatments across the range of <i>T</i>_a recorded at five sites in greater Melbourne, Australia, from 10 February to 15 April 2015.

<p>Panels on the left show modeled averages for north-facing boxes, and panels on the right for south-facing boxes. Shaded areas represent 95% confidence intervals. The dashed red line (without 95% confidence intervals) represents where corresponding <i>T</i>_a variables are tracking, to indicate the difference between the boxes and ambient conditions.</p