Relative impacts of cattle grazing and feral animals on an Australian arid zone reptile and small mammal assemblage

The effect of different levels of cattle grazing on an arid Australian small terrestrial mammal and lizard assemblage was assessed in a long‐tem series of cross‐fence comparisons. Cross‐fenced sites were closely matched for edaphic and vegetation characteristics and experienced near identical weather patterns, to ensure that cattle grazing pressure was the principal determinant of any differences in fauna assemblages. In addition, the effects of removal of cattle, cats, foxes and rabbits from three of these long‐term monitoring sites were assessed to determine the relative impacts of cattle grazing and feral animals. Small mammal captures, with the exception of Mus musculus, revealed a significant negative response to cattle grazing pressure but this response was of a considerably lower magnitude than the dramatic increase in rodent captures and species richness within the feral animal‐proof Arid Recovery Reserve. Higher kangaroo numbers in ungrazed controls, compared with treatments grazed by cattle, possibly negated the benefits to small mammals of removing cattle grazing. No reptile species responded significantly to the grazing treatments although reptile richness and captures of geckos and skinks were the lowest and agamid captures were the highest at heavily grazed sites. Nephrurus levis was the only reptile species to increase significantly, while captures of some smaller geckoes declined, within the feral‐proof treatment. Feral predation exerted a more significant effect on most small mammal species than the levels of cattle grazing assessed in this study, yet reptile responses to grazing or feral animals were less apparent and were likely primarily driven by changes in vegetation cover or secondary trophic impacts.     

Habitat selection by small mammals in a Victorian heathland

Habitat preferences of five species of small mammals were studied on a 6.6 ha trapping grid in heathland on an undulating, deep, sandy podzol at Cranbourne, Victoria. The 120 sites were sorted into groups using a polythetic, agglomerative, non-hierarchical clustering procedure with (i) floristic and (ii) structural data. The dispersion of 4051 trap captures over 28 months was studied in relation to these groupings. Rattus lutreolus showed no preference for any of the structural groups, but good differentiation was obtained with the floristic groups. Dispersion of R. lutreolus was related to a sedge-food index, and seasonal change in R. lutreolus dispersion was related to change in rainfall. The preference of R. rattus for areas of wet heath of high structural complexity was best revealed using the structural classification. The results for the other species tended to favour the floristic rather than structural groups. Pseudomys novaehollandiae and Isoodon obesulus preferred dry heath of a younger successional stage. Mus musculus captures showed a preference for the dry heath generally. This preference was most pronounced in spring when the population was declining. The wet community species (R. lutreolus, R. rattus) tended to be food specialists and habitat generalists and the dry community species P. novaehollandiae, I. obesulus, M. musculus), exhibited converse traits.     

Spatio-temporal patterns of introduced mice and invertebrates on Antipodes Island

House mice (Mus musculus) are a widespread introduced species with major but often overlooked impacts on ecosystems, proportionally greater when they are the only introduced mammal present. Studies conducted on the ecology of mice on Antipodes Island, where they are the only introduced mammal, are presented and compared to previous work over the past four decades. Mice live-trapped on grids were more abundant in dense coastal tussock (147 mice/ha) compared to inland plateau grasslands (59 mice/ha), with a significant effect of age, but not sex, on both capture probability and range size. Body-size of mice has not changed over four decades, providing no evidence of gigantism, which on other Southern Ocean islands has been speculated to increase the predation risk to birds. Over 2,405 invertebrates from fourteen Orders were identified from pitfall traps and litter samples across five sites. Differences in invertebrate communities and taxonomic units attributable to habitat and altitude were detected among sites in both pitfall and litter samples on Antipodes Island. Differences in invertebrate communities were detected from litter samples on a neighbouring mouse-free island, with significantly greater abundance of large Amphipods and Collembola, but fewer Spiders. These data on introduced mouse ecology and invertebrate distribution on Antipodes Island contribute to the body of knowledge on Southern Ocean islands.     

Effects of alien pine plantations on small mammal community structure in a southern African biodiversity hotspot

Commercial plantations and alien tree invasions often have substantial negative impacts on local biodiversity. The effect of plantations on faunal communities in the fire‐adapted fynbos vegetation of the Cape Floristic Region biodiversity hotspot is not yet well quantified. We studied small mammal community structure in alien Pinus radiata plantations and adjacent fynbos regenerating after clear‐felling of plantations on the Cape Peninsula, South Africa. Small mammal sampling over 1,800 trap‐nights resulted in 480 captures of 345 individuals (excluding recaptures) representing six species. Significantly more species, individuals (12 X) and biomasses (29 X) of small mammals occurred on recovering fynbos sites compared to plantations. This was commensurate with a higher diversity of plant growth forms, vegetation densities and live vegetation biomass. Only one small mammal species, the pygmy mouse (Mus minutoides), was consistently trapped within plantations. Fynbos sites were dominated by three small mammal species that are ecological generalists and early successional pioneer species, rendering the recovering fynbos slightly depauperate in terms of species richness and evenness relative to other studies done in pristine fynbos. We make three recommendations for forestry that would facilitate the restoration of more diverse natural plant communities and progressively more diverse and dynamic small mammal assemblages in a key biodiversity hotspot.     

Wildlife-Habitat Restoration in an Urban Park in Southern California

Within an urban park in southern California, the relationship between the structure and floristics of vegetation and the distribution, abundance, and behavior of wildlife was studied in relatively undisturbed areas (San Luis Rey) and in contiguous areas (Guajome Park) in need of restoration. These data were used to develop recommendations for the enhancement of native animal species in the park. The abundance of amphibians and reptiles was highest in native upland scrub and willow (Salix)-riparian vegetation types, and lowest in dry, disturbed sites. Western fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis) were the most abundant reptile throughout both study areas. Overall, bullfrogs (Rana catesbiana), an exotic species, were the dominant amphibians; the native Pacific treefrog (Hyla regilla) was rare throughout. At both study areas, the small mammal community was dominated by western harvest mice (Reithrodontomys megalotis) and deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and, to a lesser extent, by brush mice (P. boylii) and exotic house mice (Mus musculus). Negative correlations in abundance existed between house mice and harvest mice, and between house mice abundance and overall small mammal abundance. In riparian sites, cottonwood (Populus fremontii) and various height classes of willow were the dominant factors in the majority of bird abundance–habitat‘correlations and where foraging activities were concentrated. Recommendations for enhancing native animal species include reduction of marsh sedimentation, removal of feral species, and development of connections between the park and nearby natural areas. A corridor of native riparian vegetation (primarily cottonwood-willow) should be developed to replace the existing agricultural fields, thereby linking Guajome with the San Luis Rey River.     

Vegetation structure and ground cover attributes describe the occurrence of a newly discovered carnivorous marsupial on the Tweed Shield Volcano caldera,the endangered black‐tailed dusky antechinus (Antechinus arktos)

The black‐tailed dusky antechinus (Antechinus arktos) is a recently discovered, endangered, carnivorous marsupial mammal endemic to the Tweed Shield Volcano caldera, straddling the border between Queensland and New South Wales in eastern Australia. The species' preference for cool, high‐altitude habitats makes it particularly vulnerable to a shifting climate as these habitats recede. Aside from basic breeding and dietary patterns, the species' ecology is largely unknown. Understanding fine‐scale habitat attributes preferred by this endangered mammal is critical to employ successful conservation management. Here, we assess vegetation attributes of known habitats over three sites at Springbrook and Border Ranges National Parks, including detailed structure data and broad floristic assessment. Floristic compositional assessment of the high‐altitude cloud rainforest indicated broad similarities. However, only 22% of plant species were shared between all sites indicating a high level of local endemism. This suggests a diverse assemblage of vegetation across A. arktos habitats. Habitat characteristics were related to capture records of A. arktos to determine potential fine‐scale structural habitat requirements. Percentage of rock cover and leaf litter were the strongest predictors of A. arktos captures across survey sites, suggesting a need for foraging substrate and cover. Habitat characteristics described here will inform predictive species distribution models of this federally endangered species and are applicable to other mammal conservation programs.     

Toxoplasmosis seroprevalence in urban rodents: a survey in Niamey,Niger

A serological survey of Toxoplasma gondii was conducted on 766 domestic and peridomestic rodents from 46 trapping sites throughout the city of Niamey, Niger. A low seroprevalence was found over the whole town with only 1.96% of the rodents found seropositive. However, differences between species were important, ranging from less than 2% in truly commensal Mastomys natalensis, Rattus rattus and Mus musculus, while garden-associated Arvicanthis niloticus displayed 9.1% of seropositive individuals. This is in line with previous studies on tropical rodents - that we reviewed here - which altogether show that Toxoplasma seroprevalence in rodent is highly variable, depending on many factors such as locality and/or species. Moreover, although we were not able to decipher statistically between habitat or species effect, such a contrast between Nile grass rats and the other rodent species points towards a potentially important role of environmental toxoplasmic infection. This would deserve to be further scrutinised since intra-city irrigated cultures are extending in Niamey, thus potentially increasing Toxoplasma circulation in this yet semi-arid region. As far as we are aware of, our study is one of the rare surveys of its kind performed in Sub-Saharan Africa and the first one ever conducted in the Sahel.     

Responses of two species of heathland rodents to habitat manipulation: Vegetation density thresholds and the habitat accommodation model

The abundance of two native rodent species, Rattus lutreolus and Pseudomys gracilicaudatus, has been shown to correlate with vegetation density in coastal wet heath. Fox's habitat accommodation model relates relative abundances of such small mammal species to heathland vegetation regeneration following disturbance. Implicit in the model is recognition that it is successional changes in vegetation, not time per se, that drives the responses of small mammal species along a regeneration axis. Using a brush‐cutter we deliberately removed approximately 85% of vegetation around trapping stations and recorded significant reductions in the abundance of both P. gracilicaudatus (an earlier‐stage colonizing species) and R. lutreolus (a late seral‐stage species). A significant decrease in the abundance of only the latter had been demonstrated previously when 60–70% of the vegetation had been removed. Following the brush‐cutting both species re‐entered the mammalian secondary succession at different times, first P. gracilicaudatus followed by R. lutreolus after the vegetation cover thresholds of each species had been reached. The impact of this habitat manipulation experiment was to produce a retrogression of the small mammal succession, experimentally demonstrating causality between changes in vegetation density and subsequent small mammal habitat use.     

Effects of urban habitat fragmentation on common small mammals: species versus communities

There is an increasing interest in understanding how species respond to the modifications of habitat attributes in urban areas. Patterns in the occurrence and abundance of small mammal communities in 15 isolated patches of remnant natural and semi-natural habitat of Porto Metropolitan Area (Portugal) were assessed against environmental characteristics (from both the patch and the surrounding matrix) of each patch using multiple regressions and canonical correspondence analysis. Four species of common small mammals were found: wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula), Algerian mouse (Mus spretus) and house mouse (Mus musculus). Our results showed that both relative abundance and species richness were negatively affected by urbanization. The species richness also displayed a negative association with the increase of forest around the patch but relative abundance showed the opposite trend. At the species level, the relative abundance of A. sylvaticus and C. russula showed a negative association with urbanization. Our results reveal that these two species also benefit from a mosaic of habitats and pervious areas in the surrounding matrix. The relative abundance of M. spretus and M. musculus showed a negative effect of forest area around the patch. Understanding how the increase of urbanization affects small mammals will be particularly useful for the managers of urban landscapes, as these animals occupy a pivotal position in the ecosystems.     

洞庭湖洲滩及滨湖区鼠类分布格局及其多样性

为全面了解洞庭湖洲滩及滨湖区鼠类分布格局,统计自2003—2013年该湖区15个调查点5种不同生境的鼠类群落调查数据,并对鼠类群落的物种多样性进行分析。结果表明:2003—2013年洞庭湖区捕获鼠类有10种,主要优势种为黑线姬鼠(Apodemus agrarius)和东方田鼠(Microtus fortis);不同生境下的优势种不同,东方田鼠为湖滩生境优势种,黑线姬鼠是滨湖农田和退田还湖洲滩生境优势种,针毛鼠(Niviventer fulvescens)和社鼠(Niviventer confucianus)为滨湖丘岗林地优势种,小家鼠(Mus musculus)及黄胸鼠(Rattus tanzumi)则多出现在农房生境;不同生境的鼠类群落物种多样性不同,滨湖丘岗林地生境受人类活动或洪水干扰程度最低,因此,优势集中性指数最低,而物种多样性Shannon-Wiener指数在干扰较少的滨湖丘岗林地生境物种多样性指数最高。尽管湖滩生境受三峡工程的影响,物种数大量增加,但由于仍受汛期洪涝的干扰,依然具有优势种突出的特征。研究表明,人类社会活动或洪涝等干扰因素降低了鼠类群落物种多样性,致使优势种突出,形成只利于少数几个种群栖息的环境,最终导致种群大暴发。     

Small mammal responses to pyric successional changes in eucalypt forest

Sixteen 1-ha study plots covering five regeneration stages were simultaneously trapped five times over a 20-month period to provide data on small mammal response to vegetation changes following fire. Areas regenerating after fires from 9 years to 1 month before the investigation were sampled in a uniform open forest on a coastal sand plain. Two types of understorey were recognized: one dominated by true forest shrubs with which Rattus fuscipes, Antechinus stuartii and Sminthopsis murina were associated, and another dominated by heath elements where the addition of Pseudomys novaehollandiae and Mus musculus produced a significantly more diverse small mammal community. The two communities exhibited different responses to post-fire vegetation changes. Rattus fuscipes was the most abundant species and showed a logistic growth in biomass. No resident populations were established in the first 3 years, but a rapid increase in biomass occurred from 3 to 5 years to plateau after 8 years. Regeneration age had the greatest effect on R. fuscipes biomass mediated through the amount of accumulated leaf litter with additional variation being attributed to several vegetation structure variables and plant species diversity. A replacement sequence in time was observed for species reaching their maximum abundance (P. novaehollandiae and/or M. musculus → S. murina → A. stuartii → R. fuscipes) and was interpreted as species occupying stages in the succession when their optimal habitat requirements were fulfilled. These results have important implications for the design of management policies using fire or fire regimes as tools for habitat maintenance or alteration. A mosaic of forest patches of adequate size covering the entire range of seral stages is necessary to meet the optimum requirements of all the above species.     

Ultrasonic Vocalizations of Male Mice Differ among Species and Females Show Assortative Preferences for Male Calls

Male house mice (Mus musculus) emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) during courtship, which attract females, and we aimed to test whether females use these vocalizations for species or subspecies recognition of potential mates. We recorded courtship USVs of males from different Mus species, Mus musculus subspecies, and populations (F1 offspring of wild-caught Mus musculus musculus, Mus musculus domesticus (and F1 hybrid crosses), and Mus spicilegus), and we conducted playback experiments to measure female preferences for male USVs. Male vocalizations contained at least seven distinct syllable types, whose frequency of occurrence varied among species, subspecies, and populations. Detailed analyses of multiple common syllable types indicated that Mus musculus and Mus spicilegus could be discriminated based on spectral and temporal characteristics of their vocalizations, and populations of Mus musculus were also distinctive regardless of the classification model used. Females were able to discriminate USVs from different species, and showed assortative preferences for conspecific males. We found no evidence that females discriminate USVs of males from a different subspecies or separate populations of the same species, even though our spectral analyses identified acoustic features that differ between species, subspecies, and populations of the same species. Our results provide the first comparison of USVs between Mus species or between Mus musculus subspecies, and the first evidence that male USVs potentially facilitate species recognition.     

Schistosoma incognitum from Cikurai,West Java,Indonesia

Schistosoma incognitum is reported for the first time from West Java, Indonesia where 84% of ricefield rats, Rattus argentiventer, were infected. Radix auricularia rubiginosa snails were intermediate hosts. The adult stage of the Javanese strain of S. incognitum and lesions in naturally-infected rodents are described. Rattus exulans, Rattus norvegicus and Mus musculus were experimentally infected. Epizootiology is similar to that described in other countries.     

Variable detectability in long-term population surveys of small mammals

Simple survey methods for small mammals, such as indices of trap captures per unit effort, are often the only practicable means of monitoring populations over the long term and at landscape scale and the only source of valuable historical data. They include two fundamental assumptions about the target populations (uniform distribution and equal detectability). Concern has often been expressed that, if these assumptions are violated, conventional density indices could give misleading results. Site occupancy analysis (SOA) can detect significantly uneven distribution of local populations (from variation in probability of occupancy) and reliability of indices of abundance (from variation in detectability) without requiring enumeration. We use this method to examine standardised capture records from long-term population surveys of non-commensal house mice (Mus musculus), ship rats (Rattus rattus), Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) and stoats (Mustela erminea), sampled in four representative temperate forest habitats in New Zealand. Best fit models generated by SOA were consistent with (1) constant or random probability of occupancy for stoats and dynamic equilibrium probability of occupancy for most populations of mice and rats; (2) widespread site-specific variation in probability of detection, especially substantial in rats and correlated with habitat covariates; (3) direct correlations between detectability and density index in mice and rats sampled at 50 m intervals over 3 days, probably because the effects on the density index of variation in numbers available to be caught (population size) were much larger than the effects of changes in catchability (individual behaviour); (4) declines after 6 days in detectability of stoats and rats sampled at 3–400 m intervals over 10 days, attributed to a local trap-out effect. Longer-term variations in the density index were consistent with observed changes in reproductive parameters and age structure that are known to follow variations in real numbers. We conclude that violations of the assumptions of uniform distribution and equal detectability, while real, were not sufficient to prevent these data from providing information adequate for (1) short-term population assessments (2) long-term, low-level monitoring and (3) preliminary modelling.     

Evaluating Abundance Estimate Precision and the Assumptions of a Count-Based Index for Small Mammals

ABSTRACT Conservation and management of small mammals requires reliable knowledge of population size. We investigated precision of mark-recapture and removal abundance estimates generated from live-trapping and snap-trapping data collected at sites on Guam (n = 7), Rota (n = 4), Saipan (n = 5), and Tinian (n = 3), in the Mariana Islands. We also evaluated a common index, captures per unit effort (CPUE), as a predictor of abundance. In addition, we evaluated cost and time associated with implementing live-trapping and snap-trapping and compared species-specific capture rates of selected live- and snap-traps. For all species, mark-recapture estimates were consistently more precise than removal estimates based on coefficients of variation and 95% confidence intervals. The predictive utility of CPUE was poor but improved with increasing sampling duration. Nonetheless, modeling of sampling data revealed that underlying assumptions critical to application of an index of abundance, such as constant capture probability across space, time, and individuals, were not met. Although snap-trapping was cheaper and faster than live-trapping, the time difference was negligible when site preparation time was considered. Rattus diardii spp. captures were greatest in Haguruma live-traps (Standard Trading Co., Honolulu, HI) and Victor snap-traps (Woodstream Corporation, Lititz, PA), whereas Suncus murinus and Mus musculus captures were greatest in Sherman live-traps (H. B. Sherman Traps, Inc., Tallahassee, FL) and Museum Special snap-traps (Woodstream Corporation). Although snap-trapping and CPUE may have utility after validation against more rigorous methods, validation should occur across the full range of study conditions. Resources required for this level of validation would likely be better allocated towards implementing rigorous and robust methods.     

Resource partitioning by small mammals in lowland heath communities of south-eastern Australia

Habitat selection by seven species of small mammals was investigated in three areas of heathland in Victoria. A total of 12 120 trapnights over 22 months was used to assess preference for different vegetation groups formed by clustering trap sites on (a) floristic and (b) structural criteria. Rattus lutreolus proved to have both floristic and structural requirements. Seasonal changes in distribution in relation to rainfall appeared to be dependent on soil type. Greatest movement occurred on sandy podzol soils. Pseudomys shortridgei selected the most diverse vegetation types. Rattus fuscipes preferred wet, structurally complex vegetation. Mus musculus appeared to fill the niche of Antechinus minimus and partially replace A. stuartii and A. flavipes when Antechinus spp. were absent. M. musculus seems to commonly fill three niches in these heathlands: fossorial insectivore, scansorial insectivore and immediate post-fire omnivore. A small mammal community structure of five major food niches may be common to both heathland and forest communities of south-eastern Australia.     

Fine-Scale Habitat Heterogeneity Influences Occupancy in Terrestrial Mammals in a Temperate Region of Australia

Vegetation heterogeneity is an inherent feature of most ecosystems, characterises the structure of habitat, and is considered an important driver of species distribution patterns. However, quantifying fine-scale heterogeneity of vegetation cover can be time consuming, and therefore it is seldom measured. Here, we determine if heterogeneity is worthwhile measuring, in addition to the amount of cover, when examining species distribution patterns. Further, we investigated the effect of the surrounding landscape heterogeneity on species occupancy. We tested the effect of cover and heterogeneity of trees and shrubs, and the context of the surrounding landscape (number of habitats and distance to an ecotone) on site occupancy of three mammal species (the black wallaby [Wallabia bicolor], the long-nosed bandicoot [Perameles nasuta], and the bush rat [Rattus fuscipes]) within a naturally heterogeneous landscape in a temperate region of Australia. We found that fine-scale heterogeneity of vegetation attributes is an important driver of mammal occurrence of two of these species. Further, we found that, although all three species responded positively to vegetation heterogeneity, different mammals vary in their response to different types of vegetation heterogeneity measurement. For example, the black wallaby responded to the proximity of an ecotone, and the bush rat and the long-nosed bandicoot responded to fine-scale heterogeneity of small tree cover, whereas none of the mammals responded to broad scale heterogeneity (i.e., the number of habitat types). Our results highlight the influence of methodological decisions, such as how heterogeneity vegetation is measured, in quantifying species responses to habitat structures. The findings confirm the importance of choosing meaningful heterogeneity measures when modelling the factors influencing occupancy of the species of interest.     

Impact of introduced house mice (Mus musculus) on burrowing seabirds on Steeple Jason and Grand Jason Islands,Falklands, South Atlantic

Whilst there is good evidence for negative impacts of introduced rat species on island ecosystems, the effects of house mice (Mus musculus) are generally less well documented. In some situations, introduced house mice can exert severe impacts, particularly where this is the only introduced mammal. Here, we examine the distribution, relative abundance and breeding success of small burrowing seabirds on Steeple Jason Island, Falklands, in relation to habitat types and the distribution of house mice which is the sole introduced mammal species, and we make comparisons with seabird distribution and densities on the neighbouring island of Grand Jason where mice are absent. Grey-backed storm-petrel (Garrodia nereis) and Wilson’s storm-petrel (Oceanites oceanicus), which due to their extremely small size are likely to be the most vulnerable to mouse predation, were considerably more abundant on mouse-free Grand Jason than on Steeple Jason. Grey-backed storm-petrel, which are typically associated with tussac grass, avoided this habitat on Steeple Jason where it is associated with high levels of house mouse activity (assessed from the proportion of wax baits gnawed overnight), whereas on mouse-free Grand Jason, there was no such avoidance. Wilson’s storm-petrel nesting on Steeple Jason suffered high rates of egg and chick loss. Whilst we found evidence for detrimental impacts of house mice on the two small storm-petrel species, there was no relationship between relative mouse activity levels and the distribution or abundance of the larger thin-billed Prion (Pachyptila belcheri).     

Habitat preferences and biomasses of small mammals in Swaziland

This paper describes the distribution and abundance of small mammals in Swaziland in relation to quantified habitat features. Eighteen habitat sites were sampled at seven different locations in all four geographical regions of Swaziland. Small mammal diversity (as described by the Shannon diversity index) was positively correlated with vegetation density. A total of twelve species of rodents and seven species of shrews were captured; however, only six species were caught at more than three sites. Small mammal biomasses and densities were highest at the highveld and middleveld sites. Tall grassland at all elevations supported a high diversity of small mammals. Highveld montane forest supported a high biomass and diversity of species, while no species were captured in moist forest in the Lubombo mountains.     

Assessing the habitat quality of oil mallees and other planted farmland vegetation with reference to natural woodland

Summary Much of the tree and shrub planting that has been conducted on farms in Western Australia over the past three decades has not been done with the specific intention of creating habitat or conserving biodiversity, particularly commercially oriented monocultures like oil mallee plantings. However, such plantings may nonetheless provide some habitat resources for native plants and animals. This study assessed the habitat quality of farm plantings (most of which were not planted with the primary intention of biodiversity conservation) at 72 sites across a study region in the central wheatbelt of Western Australia. Widely accepted habitat metrics were used to compare the habitat resources provided by planted farmland vegetation with those provided by remnant woodland on the same farms. The impact of adjacency of plantings to woodland and, in the case of oil mallees, the planting configuration on predicted habitat quality is assessed. Condition Benchmarks for five local native vegetation communities are proposed. Farmland plantings achieved an average Vegetation Condition Score (VCS) of 46 out of a possible 100, while remnant woodland on the same farms scored an average 72. The average scores for farm plantings ranged from 38–59 depending on which of five natural vegetation communities was used as its benchmark, but farm plantings always scored significantly less than remnant woodland (P < 0.001). Mixed species plantings on average were rated more highly than oil mallees (e.g. scores of 42 and 36 respectively using the Wandoo benchmark) and adjacency to remnant woodland improved the score for mixed plantings, but not for oil mallees. Configuration of oil mallees as blocks or belts (i.e. as an alley farming system) had no impact on the VCS. Planted farmland vegetation fell short of remnant woodland in both floristic richness (51 planted native species in total compared with a total of more than 166 naturally occurring plant species in woodland) and structural diversity (with height, multiple vegetation strata, tree hollows and woody debris all absent in the relatively young 7–15‐year‐old farm plantings). Nonetheless farmland plantings do have measurable habitat values and recruitment and apparent recolonization of plantings with native plant species was observed. Habitat values might be expected to increase as the plantings age. The VCS approach, including the application of locally relevant Benchmarks is considered to be valuable for assessing potential habitat quality in farmland vegetation, particularly as a tool for engaging landholders and natural resource management practitioners.