The great desert skink (Liopholis kintorei) of the Egerniinae subfamily (Reptilia: Scincidae) is a communal burrowing lizard that inhabits arid spinifex grasslands in central Australia. Great desert skink activity is centred in and around the burrows which are inhabited for many years. However, it is not known whether skinks select burrow sites with specific attributes or how continuing occupancy of burrows is influenced by the surrounding habitat; especially post‐fire, when plant cover is reduced. Here, we test whether great desert skink burrows in areas burnt 2 years previously and in longer unburnt areas are associated with particular habitat attributes, and whether there are differences between occupied and recently abandoned burrow sites. Vegetation composition, cover and soil surface characteristics at 56 established great desert skink burrows, including occupied and recently unoccupied burrows, were compared with 56 random nearby non‐burrow control sites. Burrow sites had higher plant cover compared with the surrounding landscape in both recently burnt and longer unburnt areas and were more likely to be associated with the presence of shrubs. Soil stability and infiltration were also higher at burrow sites. However, we found no evidence that burrows with lower cover were more likely to be abandoned. Our results suggest that great desert skinks may actively select high cover areas for burrow construction, although differences between burrow and control sites may also partly reflect local changes to plant cover and composition and soil properties resulting from burrow construction and long‐term habitation of a site. Further research should determine if burrows with shrubs or higher plant cover provide greater protection from predators, more structural stability for burrow construction, increased prey abundance or other benefits. We recommend that maintenance of areas with relatively higher plant cover be prioritized when managing great desert skink habitat.

中文翻译：

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受威胁干旱区蜥蜴长期公共洞穴的位置与土壤和植被的关系

Egerniinae 亚科（爬行动物：Scincidae）的大沙漠石龙子 (Liopholis kintorei) 是一种群居穴居蜥蜴，栖息于澳大利亚中部干旱的刺棘草原。大型沙漠石龙子活动集中在已居住多年的洞穴内和周围。然而，不知道石龙子是否选择具有特定属性的洞穴地点，或者洞穴的持续占用如何受到周围栖息地的影响；尤其是火灾后，当植物覆盖减少时。在这里，我们测试了 2 年前被烧毁的地区和更长的未烧毁地区中的大沙漠石龙子洞穴是否与特定的栖息地属性相关，以及被占用和最近废弃的洞穴地点之间是否存在差异。植被组成，将 56 个已建立的大沙漠石龙子洞穴（包括已占用和最近未占用的洞穴）的覆盖和土壤表面特征与 56 个随机附近的非洞穴控制点进行了比较。与周围景观相比，在最近燃烧的区域和更长的未燃烧区域，洞穴地点的植物覆盖率更高，并且更有可能与灌木的存在有关。洞穴地点的土壤稳定性和渗透性也更高。然而，我们没有发现任何证据表明覆盖率较低的洞穴更有可能被遗弃。我们的结果表明，大沙漠石龙子可能会主动选择高覆盖区域进行洞穴建设，尽管洞穴和控制地点之间的差异也可能部分反映了由于洞穴建设和一个地点的长期居住而导致的植物覆盖和组成以及土壤特性的局部变化。进一步的研究应该确定带有灌木或更高植物覆盖的洞穴是否能更好地保护免受捕食者的侵害，为洞穴建造提供更多的结构稳定性，增加猎物数量或其他好处。我们建议在管理大沙漠石龙子栖息地时，优先维护植物覆盖相对较高的区域。