scholarly journals Determining the impact of the Holocene highstand at the coastal-fluvial interface, Shoalhaven River, south-eastern Australia

2013 ◽  
pp. n/a-n/a ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie J. Kermode ◽  
Martin R. Gibling ◽  
Brian G. Jones ◽  
Tim J. Cohen ◽  
David M. Price ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Holocene ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
The Impact ◽  
South Eastern Australia

scholarly journals A preliminary redating of the Holocene Roonka burials, south-eastern Australia

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
JUDITH LITTLETON ◽  
FIONA PETCHEY ◽  
KERYN WALSHE ◽  
F. DONALD PATE
Keyword(s):  
The Holocene ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
South Eastern Australia

The impact of fire regimes on populations of an endangered lizard in montane south-eastern Australia

2014 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 170-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarsha Gorissen ◽  
Jacqueline Mallinson ◽  
Matthew Greenlees ◽  
Richard Shine
Keyword(s):  
Fire Regimes ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
The Impact ◽  
South Eastern Australia

scholarly journals Applying seed germination studies in fire management for biodiversity conservation in south-eastern Australia

Web Ecology ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. D. Auld ◽  
M. K. J. Ooi
Keyword(s):  
Seed Germination ◽  
Seed Dormancy ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Strong Response ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Germination Response ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
The Impact ◽  
South Eastern Australia

Abstract. We examine the patterns of germination response to fire in the fire-prone flora of the Sydney basin, south-eastern Australia, using examples from several decades of research. The flora shows a strong response to fire-related germination cues. Most species show an interaction between heat and smoke, a number respond only to heat, whilst a few are likely to respond only to smoke. Many recruit in the first 12 months after fire and show no obvious seasonal patterns of recruitment, whilst several species have a strong seasonal germination requirement, even in this essentially aseasonal rainfall region. Key challenges remaining include designing future seed germination studies within the context of informing the germination response surface to smoke and heat interactions, and incorporation of the impact of varying soil moisture on seed germination post-fire, including its affect on resetting of seed dormancy. An understanding of the resilience of species to frequent fire also requires further work, to identify species and functional types most at risk. This work must ideally be integrated within the framework of the management of fire regimes that will change under a changing climate. We suggest that the functional classification of plant types in relation to fire could be enhanced by a consideration of both the type of germination response to fire (type of cues required) and the timing of the response (seasonally driven in response to seed dormancy characteristics, or independent of season). We provide a simplified version of such an addition to functional trait classification in relation to fire.

Crop damage caused by residual acetolactate synthase herbicides in the soils of south-eastern Australia

2006 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 1323 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. L. Hollaway ◽  
R. S. Kookana ◽  
D. M. Noy ◽  
J. G. Smith ◽  
N. Wilhelm
Keyword(s):  
Acetolactate Synthase ◽  
Clay Soils ◽  
Alkaline Soil ◽  
Alkaline Soils ◽  
Metsulfuron Methyl ◽  
Herbicide Residues ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
The Impact ◽  
South Eastern Australia

Grain growers in south-eastern Australia have reported unexpected crop failures with theoretically safe recropping periods for acetolactate synthase herbicides in alkaline soils. This experience has led to the concern that these herbicides may degrade very slowly in alkaline soils, and herbicide residues have at times been blamed for unexplained crop losses. To address this issue, we established 5 recropping trials across Victoria and South Australia with 5 acetolactate synthase herbicides (chlorsulfuron, triasulfuron, metsulfuron-methyl, imazethapyr, and flumetsulam). The herbicides were applied to separate plots in years 1, 2 or 3, and sensitive crop species were sown in year 4 to measure the impact of herbicide residues. We observed that the persistence of the sulfonylureas (chlorsulfuron, triasulfuron, metsulfuron-methyl) varied between herbicides, but all persisted longer in alkaline soils than in acid soils, and were, therefore, more likely to damage crops in alkaline soil. Imazethapyr persisted longer in clay soils than in sandy soils and was, therefore, more likely to damage crops in clay soils. All herbicides persisted longer when rainfall was below average. Canola was more sensitive to imazethapyr than either pea, lentil or medic, but was less sensitive to the sulfonylureas. In contrast, lentil and medic were the most sensitive to sulfonylureas. Despite some damage, we found that safe recropping periods could be predicted from the product labels in all but one situation. The sole exception was that metsulfuron-methyl reduced dry matter and yield of lentil and medic sown 10 months after application in a soil with pH 8.5. We hypothesise that the real cause of crop failure in many situations is not unusual herbicide persistence, but failure to take full account of soil type (pH and clay content including variation in the paddock) and rainfall when deciding to recrop after using acetolactate synthase herbicides.

Effects of fire retardant on heathland soils in south-eastern Australia

Soil Research ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 45 (8) ◽  
pp. 607 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Hopmans ◽  
N. Collett ◽  
R. Bickford
Keyword(s):  
Surface Soil ◽  
Fire Retardant ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Rapid Decline ◽  
Surface Soils ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Pre Treatment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
South Eastern Australia

A study was undertaken to assess the effects of fire retardant application, unmodified by heat of fire, on soil properties in 2 fire-prone heathland communities at Marlo and the Grampians in south-eastern Australia. Fire retardant (Phos-Chek D75-R at 0.144 g/L) was applied at rates of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 L/m2 and compared with control treatments of nil and 1.0 L/m2 of water. Monitoring of surface soils showed that pH at both sites decreased while soil salinity increased immediately after application followed by a rapid decline to pre-treatment values within 12 months. The impact of retardant on total carbon and nitrogen was minor and within the range of natural variation of C and N in surface soils at both sites. Levels of readily available or labile forms of N increased at both sites but declined rapidly to background values after 12 months. Applications of retardant progressively increased extractable P in the surface soil at Marlo, in contrast to the Grampians where a rapid increase was observed after two months followed by a decline after 12 months. These results showed a significant increase in labile P in the surface soil after 12 months and also indicated that a large proportion of the phosphate applied had leached into the subsoil. Likewise, fire retardant applied at the highest rate caused increases in labile sulfate after 2 months at both sites, followed by a rapid decline to background levels. It is expected that the elevated levels of soil phosphate in particular could have a long-term impacts on growth and composition of heathland vegetation known to be sensitive to elevated levels of phosphate in soil.

scholarly journals Contrasting impacts of environmental variability on the breeding biology of two sympatric small procellariiform seabirds in south-eastern Australia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonina H Eizenberg ◽  
Aymeric Fromant ◽  
Arnaud Lec'hvien ◽  
John P Y Arnould
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Success ◽  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Breeding Biology ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Diving Petrel ◽  
South Eastern Australia

Seabirds play a vital role in marine ecosystems and are determinant sentinels of the productivity of their environments. The long-term study of their breeding biology and their responses to environmental variations can be used to monitor the effects of climate change on marine fauna. However, the ecological and physiological differences among seabirds induce a large range of responses complicating our understanding of the effects of environmental changes on marine ecosystems. The present study investigated the impact of environmental variability on breeding biology in two sympatric small Procellariiform species, the fairy prion ( Pachyptila turtur ) ) and the common diving petrel ( Pelecanoides urinatrix ), over four reproductive seasons (2017-2020) in Bass Strait, south-eastern Australia. Marine heatwaves had a negative effect on chick growth, breeding success, and induced a delay in laying dates in both species. While fairy prions maintained a relatively high breeding success and broadly constant breeding phenology, common diving petrels delayed the start of the breeding season by up to 50 days and experienced dramatic collapses in breeding success in years of high marine heat wave occurrence. The high wing loading and absence of stomach oils in the common diving petrel are likely to have limited the capacity of this species to increase foraging effort in years of low food availability.

Late Quaternary Vegetation and Early Holocene Quantitative Climate Estimates from Morwell Swamp, Latrobe Valley, South-eastern Australia

1997 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 549 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Lloyd ◽  
A. P. Kershaw
Keyword(s):  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
Pollen Diagram ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Brasenia Schreberi ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Summer Temperatures ◽  
Vegetation And Climate ◽  
South Eastern Australia

A pollen diagram from Morwell Swamp provides a record of vegetation and climate through the Holocene period while the application of a bioclimatic analysis of the aquatic species Brasenia schreberi to the occurrence of its pollen in the record allows the first quantitative reconstruction of early Holocene climate from mainland south-eastern Australia. The beginning of the Holocene, c. 10000 years before present (BP), was marked by the establishment of permanent water within the basin and an expansion of forest under conditions of increasing precipitation and probably also temperature. The early Holocene forests were dominated by Casuarinaceae, a situation typical of lowland south-eastern Australia. The presence of Brasenia schreberi Gmel., a species now restricted to lower latitudes, suggests that, by c. 9000 years BP, mean annual temperatures had risen to slighly above today’s values, while summer temperatures may have been at least 1.3˚C higher. These results are surprising considering that most previous evidence has suggested that optimal climatic conditions were achieved between about 7000 and 5000 years ago, and that radiation levels are predicted, from Milankovitch forcing, to have been lower than today at this time in the Southern Hemisphere. It is clearly necessary to be somewhat cautious about the wholescale acceptance of the quantitative values at this stage, although they are not contradicted by other palynological data. Subsequent regional increases in the wetter forest elements, Nothofagus and Pomaderris, indicate a middle Holocene peak in precipitation, although it is estimated, from a bioclimatic analysis of Nothofagus, that summer temperatures had become substantially lower than today. This lowering may have been due to a local or regional increase in cloud cover. There is evidence for minor variation in vegetation and climate within the late Holocene, which is consistent with evidence from elsewhere within the region.

The impact of wildfire on an endangered reptile (Eulamprus leuraensis) in Australian montane swamps

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarsha Gorissen ◽  
Matthew Greenlees ◽  
Richard Shine
Keyword(s):  
Direct Effect ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
Blue Mountains ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Transitory Effect ◽  
The Impact ◽  
South Eastern Australia

Intense fire is a key threatening process for the endangered Blue Mountains water skink, Eulamprus leuraensis. This species is restricted to isolated, densely vegetated and waterlogged peat swamps in montane south-eastern Australia. We surveyed 11 swamps (5 unburnt, 6 burnt) over 2 years, before and after the intense spring bushfires of 2013, to quantify the fires’ impacts on these skinks, other lizards and the habitat upon which they depend. Trapping revealed no direct effect of fire on E. leuraensis populations, with skinks persisting in all burnt swamps. Fire modified ground vegetation, virtually eliminating live plants and the dense understorey. Despite the conflagration, vegetation regrowth was rapid with swamp habitat largely recovering in just over 1 year post-fire. Fire thus had only a transitory effect on lizard habitat and a non-significant impact on E. leuraensis numbers. Nonetheless, broader-scale analyses suggest a different story: skinks were more abundant in swamps that had experienced a longer time since major fire. Although the ability of this endangered reptile to survive even intense wildfires is encouraging, fire during prolonged dry periods or an intensified fire regime might imperil skink populations.

Subsoil constraints to crop production on neutral and alkaline soils in south-eastern Australia: a review of current knowledge and management strategies

2007 ◽  
Vol 47 (11) ◽  
pp. 1245 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Adcock ◽  
A. M. McNeill ◽  
G. K. McDonald ◽  
R. D. Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Rooting Depth ◽  
Nutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Alkaline Soils ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Deep Placement ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
The Impact ◽  
South Eastern Australia

Crop yield variability and productivity below potential yield on neutral and alkaline soils in the semiarid Mediterranean-type environments of south-eastern Australia have been attributed, in part, to variable rooting depth and incomplete soil water extraction caused by physical and chemical characteristics of soil horizons below the surface. In this review these characteristics are referred to as subsoil constraints. This document reviews current information concerning subsoil constraints typical of neutral and alkaline soils in south-eastern Australia, principally salinity, sodicity, dense soils with high penetration resistance, waterlogging, nutrient deficiencies and ion toxicities. The review focuses on information from Australia (published and unpublished), using overseas data only where no suitable Australian data is available. An assessment of the effectiveness of current management options to address subsoil constraints is provided. These options are broadly grouped into three categories: (i) amelioration strategies, such as deep ripping, gypsum application or the use of polyacrylamides to reduce sodicity and/or bulk density, deep placement of nutrients or organic matter to overcome subsoil nutrient deficiencies or the growing of ‘primer’ crops to naturally ameliorate the soil; (ii) breeding initiatives for increased crop tolerance to toxicities such as salt and boron; and (iii) avoidance through appropriate agronomic or agro-engineering solutions. The review highlights difficulties associated with identifying the impact of any single subsoil constraint to crop production on neutral and alkaline soils in south-eastern Australia, given that multiple constraints may be present. Difficulty in clearly ranking the relative effect of particular subsoil constraints on crop production (either between constraints or in relation to other edaphic and biological factors) limits current ability to develop targeted solutions designed to overcome these constraints. Furthermore, it is recognised that the task is complicated by spatial and temporal variability of soil physicochemical properties and nutrient availability, as well as other factors such as disease and drought stress. Nevertheless, knowledge of the relative importance of particular subsoil constraints to crop production, and an assessment of impact on crop productivity, are deemed critical to the development of potential management solutions for these neutral to alkaline soils.

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