Relationships between Tree Cover and Grass Dominance in a Grazed Temperate Stringybark (Eucalyptus laevopinea) Open-Forest

1999 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Gibbs ◽  
Nick Reid ◽  
R. D. B. Whalley
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Herbaceous Species ◽  
Mature Tree ◽  
Root Zones ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Open Forest ◽  
Tree Canopies ◽  
Microlaena Stipoides

Dominance of herbaceous species was examined in relation to tree cover in lightly grazed stringybark Eucalyptus laevopinea open-forest recovering from ringbarking and logging on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales (NSW). The dominant herb was recorded in 121 quadrats (0.25 m2) in 24 plots (10 × 10) stratified by tree cover (beneath trees, away from trees, and amongst small sapling stands). Aristida ramosa dominated the grassy understorey in interspaces, whereas Microlaena stipoides was the most frequent dominant beneath and near tree cover. Poa sieberiana was also more abundant beneath trees. Dominance varied in sapling stands between these three species, suggesting that tree invasion triggers herbaceous succession away from A. ramosa towards M. stipoides and P. sieberiana. It is suggested that year-long green, shade-tolerant grasses such as M. stipoides are better suited to the shaded, fertile, frost-protected environment beneath mature tree canopies, and deep-rooted, summer-active grasses such as A. ramosa are favoured away from the canopies and root zones of trees.

scholarly journals Large-Area, High-Resolution Tree Cover Mapping with Multi-Temporal SPOT5 Imagery, New South Wales, Australia

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Fisher ◽  
Michael Day ◽  
Tony Gill ◽  
Adam Roff ◽  
Tim Danaher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Large Area ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Multi Temporal

Population Parameters of Two Congeneric Possums, Trichosurus spp., in Norh Eastern New South Wales

1981 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 205 ◽  
Author(s):  
RA How
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Population Parameters ◽  
Bond Population ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Open Forest ◽  
Adult Sex Ratio ◽  
Population Strategy

In adjacent areas in north-eastern New South Wales, T. vulpecula occurs in the open forest and woodland and T. caninus occurs in the closed and tall open forest; both species are found in the pine plantation. T. vulpecula has a single breeding season in autumn when all females 1 y old and older reproduce. The young become independent around 175 days old and disperse at up to 2 y old. Mortality is low (15%) among dependent young but considerably higher among independent dispersing individuals. T. caninus also has a single autumn breeding season. The young become independent around 240 days old but disperse after 18-26 months, females moving before males. Mortality is high (56%) among dependent young but less so among subadults. An adult sex ratio of parity is the result of a higher survival among subadult males than females offsetting the reverse in adults. Some 2-y-old and all 3-y-old females reproduce but a few older females fail to breed in certain years. There is evidence that the high mortality of dependent young and failure of older females to breed is associated with offspring of previous years remaining in the population. Adult males and females appear to form a pair-bond. Population parameters of T. vulpecula described from other areas show considerable variation; this flexibility in population strategy explains the species' success in occupying a diversity of habitats and rapidly colonizing new areas.

The Abundance of Kangaroos in Suboptimal Habitats: Wheat, Intensive Pastoral, and Mallee

1982 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 221 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Short ◽  
GC Grigg
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Aerial Survey ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Western Victoria

The densities of red and grey kangaroos in western Victoria and south-eastern South Australia were assessed by aerial survey. Much of the 133000-km2 area surveyed was farmed intensively for wheat and sheep but a significant proportion was largely unaltered mallee woodland or mallee heath. Of the total area, 85% had a density of less than one kangaroo per square kilometre, and 32% had a density of less than 0.01 km-2, values considerably lower than those reported for pastoral areas in New South Wales and South Australia. Low densities in settled areas are attributed to intensive agricultural practices, small landholdings and lack of tree cover. Low densities in mallee may be due to the lack of palatable grasses and the absence of permanent watering points.

The distribution and status of the Giant Burrowing Frog Heleioporus australiacus in the Shoalhaven region of south-eastern New South Wales

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 256-271
Author(s):  
Garry Daly
Keyword(s):  
Efficient Method ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Fragmented Populations ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Open Forest ◽  
Drainage Line ◽  
Discrete Populations

Surveys were conducted for the Giant Burrowing Frog Heleioporus australiacus within 50 km of Nowra, on the south coast of New South Wales using a variety of methods. Thirty-eight 250 m transects were surveyed at night for 30 min each and 0–12 adult frogs were detected during these searches. Additional diurnal searches for tadpoles proved to be the most efficient method to detect the species and locate breeding sites. Of 102 sites surveyed, fragmented populations were found at 27 by the presence of tadpoles and adult frogs. The vegetation at these sites was woodland and open forest with a dense shrublayer of heath, but was often ecotonal. Forty-six percent of the sites were within 100 m of cliff edges/waterfalls. The lithology of sites where the frog was found varied from Hawkesbury, Nowra and Snapper Point sandstones. The exception was a population south of Ulladulla that occurs on undifferentiated sediments, but at that site exposed sandstone and a sandy overlay was present. The location of tadpoles indicated that adults were highly selective of the section of drainage line used for breeding. Often these sites consisted of a few small pools in non-perennial creeks. Breeding behaviour was associated with late summer and autumn rain, but in some sites reproduction did not occur annually. Based on distribution and habitat preference, the region has five discrete populations. Urban development has fragmented populations.

Cost-effective landscape revegetation and restoration of a grazing property on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales: 65 years of change and adaptation at ‘Eastlake'

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon Terrell Williams
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Business Plan ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
South Wales ◽  
The Right ◽  
Farm Business

This paper describes the restoration of woody vegetation on my family’s grazing property, ‘Eastlake’ (1202 ha) on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. We commenced revegetating ‘Eastlake’ in 1981 to reverse the loss of native tree cover due to New England dieback and improve shelter for livestock and pastures to increase farm profitability. We treated the revegetation program as a long-term business investment and, apart from a 5-year period of overseas employment, have allocated annual funding in the farm business plan ever since. Our decision was based on the benefits of shelter to livestock and pasture production. Once we began revegetation, aesthetics, amenity and the positive impact on the capital value of the farm became important motivations. More recently, increasing the farm’s biodiversity and resilience, and conserving native flora and fauna, have also motivated us. Our strategy is to link upland areas of remnant timber with ridgeline corridors of planted vegetation to maximise shelter, minimise pasture production losses and provide dispersal corridors for fauna and wildlife habitat. Initially, we planted introduced species of tree and shrub, but now we revegetate mainly with native species, as well as fencing off remnant timber to encourage natural regeneration and direct seeding understorey species (mainly acacias) in degraded remnants and elsewhere. Our target is to increase the area of fenced-off and planted timber cover from 8% to 10% over the next few years, which will take the proportion of total effective timber cover from ~8% in 1980 to 18% of the property. The key lessons are to: (1) plan, prepare, plant the right tree or shrub in the right place for the right purpose, and post-planting care (the ‘4 Ps’); (2) integrate revegetation into the whole-farm business plan; (3) finance the work slowly over time with the aid of a spatial farm plan; and (4) adapt to changing circumstances, values and understanding. Research is required to help farmers understand the role of on-farm biodiversity in contributing to the health of the farm business, owner–managers and their families and the farm environment, as well as to regional economies, communities, landscapes and society more generally.

Distribution of Microlaena stipoides and Its Association With Introduced Perennial Grasses in a Permanent Pasture on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales

1991 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 295 ◽  
Author(s):  
DB Magcalemacandog ◽  
RDB Whalley
Keyword(s):  
Function Analysis ◽  
Poa Pratensis ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Similar Distribution ◽  
Basal Cover ◽  
Permanent Pasture ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Microlaena Stipoides

The distribution of Microlaena stipoides (Labill.) R.Br. and its association with introduced perennial grasses was studied in a 10.2-ha permanent pasture on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. There were 105 systematically arranged plots (2m × 2m quadrats) located in the field, and at each sampling location composition by basal cover of the perennial herbaceous species encountered was recorded using 100 points. Dominant perennial grasses identified in the field were the native M. stipoides and the introduced Lolium perenne L., Dactylis glomerata L. and Poa pratensis L. Trifolium repens L., sown in the field in 1961, was also widespread. M. stipoides was abundant throughout the paddock, although higher composition by basal cover was observed under tree canopies. Discriminant function analysis and hierarchical classification showed a tendency towards aggregation of plots dominated by M. stipoides, L. perenne and T. repens, which may indicate the stability of this combination of species. T. repens was present in almost all plots and had a similar distribution to M. stipoides; both species were quite close in the species ordination analysis and were found associated with other perennial grasses at different locations in the paddock. These species associations are probably stable and appear to be common in permanent pastures in the eastern parts of the Northern Tablelands.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document