Data from: Digging deeper: habitat selection within the home ranges of a threatened marsupial

While resource selection varies according to the scale and context of
study, gathering data representative of multiple scales and contexts can
be challenging especially when a species is small, elusive, and
threatened. We explore resource selection in a small, nocturnal,
threatened species—the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis)—to test (a) which
resources best predict bilby occupancy, and (b) whether responses are
sex-specific and/or vary over time. We tracked a total of 20 bilbies and
examined within home range resource selection over multiple seasons in a
large (110ha) fenced sanctuary in temperate Australia. We tested a set of
plausible models for bilby resource selection, showing that food biomass
(terrestrial and subterranean invertebrates, and subterranean plants) and
soil textures (% sand, clay and silt) best predicted bilby resource
selection for all sampling periods. Selection was also sex-specific;
female resource use, relative to males, was more closely linked to the
location of high-quality resources (sandier soils, and terrestrial
invertebrate biomass). Bilby selection for roads was independent of season
but varied over time with females selecting for areas closer to roads when
plants increased in density off roads. Our findings demonstrate the
importance of considering resource selection over multiple contexts and
highlight a method to collect such data on a difficult to study,
threatened species. Collecting such data is critical to understanding the
habitat required by species.