The Survival and Population Response to Frequent Fires of Two Woody Resprouters Banksia serrata and Isopogon anemonifolius

1988 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 415 ◽  
Author(s):  
RA Bradstock ◽  
PJ Myerscough
Keyword(s):  
High Intensity ◽  
New South ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Small Tree ◽  
Population Response ◽  
South Wales ◽  
In Fire

Plants of B. serrata and I. Anemonifolius resprout after fire, although the species differ in morphology (single-stemmed small tree, multistemmed low shrub respectively). If fires occur before newly established plants are fire-tolerant, populations will decline. The age of first fire tolerance was found to be lower in B. serrata (6 years) than in I. Anemonifolius (about 13 years). Rates of survival between and during fires were measured in the field along with rates of stem regrowth in fire-tolerant B. serrata juveniles. These results were used to predict rates of population decline under repeated fires sufficiently closely spaced to prevent the survival of newly established genets. In both species, juveniles were more prone to death than adults in fires and high-intensity fires caused most deaths. In B. serrata, adult stems (>2.0 cm d.b.h.) are mostly fire-tolerant, but fires less than 10 years apart can prevent many juveniles which survive from reaching adulthood. This restriction is less likely in I. Anemonifolius. As a result stands of B. serrata may decline more rapidly than I. Anemonifolius under 5-year fire cycles. I. Anemonifolius populations, however, may be more prone to decline when the interval between fires is slightly longer (e.g. 10 years) because lignotubers in young juveniles develop at a slower rate than in B. serrata. Extinction or substantial depletions of adult numbers may be approached in stands of either species after 50 years under some repeated 5- or 10-year fire cycles. The rate of such declines will depend directly on the structure of populations (proportions of adults and juveniles). Declines in populations of these resprouters may be likely under current fire regimes within the Sydney region of New South Wales, although these species are more likely to persist through long runs of frequent fire (<lo year interval) than some cohabiting species of obligate seeders.

Ecological attributes and conservation of native rodents in New South Wales

2000 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher R. Dickman ◽  
Daniel Lunney ◽  
Alison Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
New South ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Research Management ◽  
North East ◽  
European Settlement ◽  
South Wales

In New South Wales, at least 28 species of native rodents have been recorded since European settlement. Four of these are extinct nationally, six are extinct in the State, six are vulnerable and four are endangered; only eight remain non-threatened. Declines and losses have been greatest in central and western New South Wales and least in the State’s north-east. Neither body weight nor habit are associated with status, but taxa such as Rattus species with broad diets and habitat preferences remain generally less threatened than ecological specialists. Threatening processes affect all vulnerable and endangered species, with predation from introduced carnivores, grazing from livestock, clearance of vegetation and changed fire regimes being among the most severe. No species occur entirely on reserved land, while two endangered species have no secure land tenure. A program of survey, research, management and education is proposed to help achieve recovery.

Interpreting patterns of population change in koalas from long-term datasets in Coffs Harbour on the north coast of New South Wales

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Lunney ◽  
Martin Predavec ◽  
Indrie Miller ◽  
Ian Shannon ◽  
Mark Fisher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Change ◽  
New South ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Common View ◽  
The North ◽  
South Wales

We examined a long-term, repeat dataset for the koala population within Coffs Harbour Local Government Area. Analyses of these data have led to the conclusion that, following a perceived population decline in the 1980s, the koala population of Coffs Harbour has endured between 1990 and 2011 and showed no evidence of a precipitous decline during this period. Rather, the population change is best characterised as stable to slowly declining. This conclusion appears to contradict a common view of recent koala population declines on the north coast of New South Wales. There are four possible explanations for the population’s apparent stability: that conservation efforts and planning regulations have been effective; that surviving adults are persisting in existing home ranges in remnant habitat; that the broader Coffs Harbour population is operating as a ‘source and sink’ metapopulation; and/or that the standard survey methods employed are not sufficiently sensitive to detect small population changes. These findings do not mean there is no need for future conservation efforts aimed at koalas in Coffs Harbour; however, such efforts will need to better understand and account for a koala population that can be considered to be stable to slowly declining.

Demographic characteristics of mallee pine (Callitris verrucosa) in fire-prone mallee communities of central New South Wales

2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. 653 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Bradstock ◽  
J. S. Cohn
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Plant Age ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
Site Factors ◽  
Feedback Effects ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Seed Crops ◽  
In Fire ◽  
Age Range

Aspects of the demography of Callitris preissii subsp. verrucosa (Cunn. ex. Endl.) J.Garden populations were studied in semi-arid mallee communities situated on sandy soils in central New South Wales. Rates of survival and fecundity were estimated in a range of populations of differing age (year of origin or last fire: 1920, 1957, 1972, 1974 and 1985) that were monitored between 1987 and 1997. Rates of survival of juveniles and adults were high (>0.99 p.a.), although juveniles less than 5 years of age survived at lower rates. Estimated seedbank at the time of first tagging (no. of closed cones per plant) followed an increasing trend with plant age. Density, overstorey, topography and within-age-class site factors had significant effects on stored seedbanks in particular age-classes. There was high interannual variation (1989 v. 1990) in the size of crops of new cones. Trends in seedbank with plant age and seed release rates from tagged cones indicated that the species exhibits strong serotiny. Measurements of litter weight and depth beneath plants from 1920 and 1957 age-classes, indicated relatively low fuel loadings (about 0.2�kg m–2). Bark was sufficiently thick in c. 60-year-old plants to render stems resistant to low-intensity fires. Thus, it is predicted that the probability of propagation of fire in populations >50 years old may decline and that survival of fire in this age range may increase. Given patterns of survivorship, fecundity and seedbank accumulation, populations may decline when fires are relatively frequent (<15-year interval). At longer intervals there is potential for population densities to remain stable or increase, although the nature of variability in sizes of individual seed crops may have a predominant influence on dynamics. The combination of strong serotiny and negative feedback effects of plant populations on their flammability is a paradox, given the likelihood that seedling establishment is tightly keyed to fire.

No evidence of protracted population decline across 17 years in an unmanaged population of the green and golden bell frog in north-eastern New South Wales

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
Ross L. Goldingay ◽  
Jonathan Parkyn ◽  
David A. Newell
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Population Models ◽  
Litoria Aurea ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Management And Conservation

Describing the population trends of threatened species over time is central to their management and conservation. The green and golden bell frog (Litoria aurea) is a formerly common species of south-eastern Australia that has declined to ~40 populations in New South Wales, and experienced a substantial contraction of its geographic range. We aimed to determine whether an unmanaged population at the northern end of its range had declined across a 17-year period. We estimated population size at the beginning and end of this period, using several population models to fully characterise this population. Different modelling approaches gave different population estimates. Based on a similar number of survey occasions the adult male segment of the population was estimated using the Popan model at 112.0 (±13.5, s.e.; 95% CI: 85.5–138.8) in 1998/99 and 95.2 (±17.6; 60.8–129.7) in 2015/16. With the inclusion of maturing subadults following the practice of earlier studies, the population was estimated at 163.6 (±25.9; 112.8–214.5) males in 2015/16. These estimates represent an index of a larger population because the largest wetland was subsampled. Our data provide no evidence of a declining population. Our study highlights the need to understand the implications of using different population models and two age-classes to estimate population parameters.

scholarly journals Wildfire extreme events: Large-scale developments in fire activity of New South Wales, Australia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Nolde ◽  
Norman Mueller ◽  
Günter Strunz ◽  
Florian Fichtner ◽  
Simon Plank ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Extreme Events ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
The United States ◽  
Burnt Area ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Fire Activity ◽  
In Fire

&lt;p&gt;Disastrous wildfires have occurred in many parts of the world during the last two years (2019 and 2020), most notably in South America, Australia, the United States, and regions north of the polar circle. Such extreme wildfire events pose a pervasive threat to human lives and property and have thus been widely recognized in the global media. This study focusses on large-scale developments in fire activity. It investigates the occurrence of burnt areas regarding several relevant parameters, namely fire extent, fire severity and fire seasonality. The entirety of those parameters allows an extensive insight regarding large-scale, long-term fire activity trends.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The burnt area derivation process, which is fully automated, is described in the literature (see reference below). The analysis is based on an extensive set of satellite data, specifically 9,612 granules of the MODIS MOD09/MYD09 product in conjunction with 3,503 tiles of the OLCI (Ocean and Land Colour Instrument) instrument onboard Sentinel-3.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The study design consists of two parts:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Firstly, the long-term temporal variability in fire activity, covering the time span from 2000 until 2020, is analyzed for the study region of New South Wales, Australia.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Secondly, the large-scale spatial variability is investigated by comparing the New South Wales extreme events in 2019/2020 with events of comparable magnitude in California, US and the Siberian taiga.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The study shows that New South Wales features an upward trend regarding the extent of yearly affected area, as well as a shift towards a prolongated end of the fire season towards the Autumn months. It also shows the exceptionality of the Australian wildfire activity in comparison with other geographical regions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Reference:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nolde, Michael; Plank, Simon; Riedlinger, Torsten. &quot;An Adaptive and Extensible System for Satellite-Based, Large Scale Burnt Area Monitoring in Near-Real Time.&quot; Remote Sensing 12.13 (2020): 2162.&lt;/p&gt;

'From These Youth Has Gone': Population Decline in the Lachlan Region of New South Wales, 1920-1947

2015 ◽  
pp. 50-68
Author(s):  
Robert Tierney ◽  
Kevin Parton
Keyword(s):  
Population Change ◽  
New South ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
The State ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Underlying Causes ◽  
Substantial Change ◽  
Second World

This article analyses major events during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s affecting the Lachlan region, in New South Wales, in order to assess their relative impact on population change. The analysis juxtaposes the demographic changes taking place against the economic context of the time. The Lachlan region is compared with the four other wheatsheep regions of New South Wales and with the State generally. The paper demonstrates that population decline in the Lachlan region in the 1930s and 1940s was substantially greater than that of other wheat-sheep regions and of the State of New South Wales generally, and sets out to explain this anomaly. The Depression, the Second World War, drought over a sequence of years, and changing technology are shown, in combination, to be the underlying causes of substantial change that heralded the long-term drift of population from regional and rural NSW; especially so in the Lachlan region.

An inland population of the common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) at Black Rock Ridge, New South Wales: a preliminary ecological assessment

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 236 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Kerle ◽  
C. Kimmorley ◽  
J. M. Old
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Risk Of Predation ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Pseudocheirus Peregrinus ◽  
The Common ◽  
Ringtail Possum

The common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) is considered abundant throughout its distribution in eastern Australia but appears to be declining at a regional level in inland New South Wales. Previous studies of the common ringtail possum in south-eastern Australia have focussed on coastal populations and little is known about the ecology of inland populations. In south-western Australia studies of the closely related western ringtail possum (Pseudocherius occidentalis) have found that coastal populations differ from inland populations, particularly in their nesting behaviour. In this preliminary study of an inland population of the common ringtail possum at Black Rock Ridge in central west New South Wales population density has been estimated and the habitat and nesting preference assessed. Up to one ringtail per hectare and 4.5 ringtails per spotlight hour were recorded. Tree hollows appeared to be the preferred nest site, with possums seen entering hollows during spotlighting and no dreys being located. Threats to common ringtail possums at Black Rock Ridge include the isolation of the remnant ridge vegetation within an extensively cleared landscape and the associated change in fire regimes. Within this landscape there has been an extensive reduction in available habitat, and an overall lack of habitat connectivity has placed ringtail possums at an increased risk of predation.

scholarly journals Conserving Biodiversity: Threats and Solutions

1997 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 166
Author(s):  
Nick Reid
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
National Parks ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Commercial Use ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Feral Animals

This book records the proceedings of a similarly titled conference organized by the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service in June 1993. According to the editors, the book is a "systematic attempt . . . to cover the current and future threats to biodiversity" in New South Wales and Australia, and "highlights the range of solutions needed to conserve biodiversity". The book contains 35 chapters structured in seven sections (conserving biodiversity, habitat loss, degradation and pollution of water resources, weeds and feral animals, commercial use of native biota, changes to fire regimes, can governments solve the problems?), with two to eight chapters in each. The book is a scientific treatise, chapters being written with other researchers and scientifically trained government officials in mind.

Population decline of the White-fronted Chat (Epthianura albifrons) in New South Wales, Australia

2011 ◽  
Vol 111 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Jenner ◽  
Kris French ◽  
Katherine Oxenham ◽  
Richard E. Major
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
South Wales
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