How grassland plants are distributed over five human-created habitats typical of eucalypt woodlands in a variegated landscape

2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 274 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. McIntyre ◽  
K. M. Heard ◽  
T. G. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Cattle Grazing ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Grassland Species ◽  
Grassland Plants ◽  
Native Pasture ◽  
Eucalypt Woodlands ◽  
National Significance

A sample of 212 quadrats in grassland vegetation was collected in eucalypt woodlands in sub-tropical Queensland. These included roadside (53 sites), native pasture (109), riparian zone (20), sown pasture (16) and crop (14) habitats. A total of 350 species and subspecies was recorded of which 89 species were identified as being locally rare (native species of <3% frequency, not specialists of other habitats). Forty-three species were collected in addition to the quadrat records. Multivariate analysis indicated the major difference in floristic composition was between roadsides and native pastures, versus the other three habitats. The second axis separated roadside from native pasture vegetation, and the third axis separated riparian sites from all the rest. Crop and sown pasture habitats were the most similar in composition. The grazing practices in this region have enabled the persistence of grasslands that are of national significance in conservation terms. The variegated nature of the landscape is demonstrated by the occurrence of native grassland species across all the human-created habitats, including native species that were unique to intensive land uses. However, our results also show that intensive land uses (cropping, sown pastures) are more of a threat to the conservation status of grasslands than is cattle grazing, even at commercial levels of stocking. Species at most immediate risk are those that are sensitive to commercial cattle grazing and to intensive land uses such as crops and sown pastures.

Superphosphate and stocking rate effects on a native pasture oversown with Stylosanthes humilis in central coastal Queensland. 3. The balance of native species in the pasture

1978 ◽  
Vol 18 (95) ◽  
pp. 808 ◽  
Author(s):  
NH Shaw ◽  
MB Dale
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Exchange Capacity ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Heteropogon Contortus ◽  
Native Pasture ◽  
Total Exchange Capacity ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Stocking Rates

The percentage frequency of all herbaceous species in a native pasture oversown with S. humilis (T.S.) was measured at the beginning and end of an eight-year grazing experiment. Treatments imposed were three levels of molybdenized superphosphate (nil; 125 kg ha-1 annually; 250 kg ha-1 annually plus an extra 250 kg ha-1 initially) in factorial combination with four stocking rates and two sowing methods for T.S. (ground sowing into spaced cultivated strips or aerial sowing). Stocking rates were gradually increased during the experiment and for the last three years overlapping ranges were used for the three fertilizer levels; the overall range was then from 0.55 to 1.65 beast ha-1. Treatments did not induce any major changes in the proportions of native species in the pasture. Heteropogon contortus remained dominant and its frequency increased in all treatments. Of the total of 113 species recorded, only 18 reached 10 per cent frequency in at least one paddock on one occasion. Several of these showed statistically significant changes in response to treatment, but their relative importance was not greatly changed. Examination of the results by principal co-ordinate and canonical analysis, showed that the first vectors of the two data sets were highly correlated, indicating that the major control on floristic composition was not changed by oversowing with T.S. or by the treatments imposed. Treatment effects dominated in the second and third vectors in the final year. The controlling vector was found to be highly correlated with soil calcium, potassium, total exchange capacity and organic carbon, but the basis for the correlations remains undetermined.

Genetic pollution of native eucalypt gene pools—identifying the risks

2003 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. M. Potts ◽  
R. C. Barbour ◽  
A. B. Hingston ◽  
R. E. Vaillancourt
Keyword(s):  
Related Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Pollen Dispersal ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Gene Pools ◽  
European Settlement ◽  
Genetic Pollution ◽  
Plantation Species ◽  
Eucalypt Woodlands

The contamination of native-eucalypt gene pools via exotic pollen is of concern as (i) pollen dispersal is believed to be much more widespread than seed dispersal, (ii) reproductive barriers are often weak between closely related species, (iii) European settlement has already had a major impact on Australia's eucalypt woodlands and mallee, (iv) there has been a rapid expansion of eucalypt plantations and restoration plantings in Australia and (v) Australia is the custodian of an internationally important genetic resource. Pollen flow between plantation and native eucalypt species has already been reported and implementation of strategies to minimise the risk and consequences of genetic pollution is important if Australian forestry is to be considered sustainable. The risks associated with the introduction of non-native species, provenances and hybrids include direct effects on the gene pool through genetic pollution as well as indirect effects on dependent biodiversity. In many cases, the risk of genetic pollution will be small due to strong barriers to hybridisation between distantly related species, differences in flowering time or poor fitness of hybrids. There is no risk of hybridisation between species from the different major eucalypt genera and/or subgenera (e.g. symphyomyrts, monocalypts, eudesmids, bloodwoods and angophora). The main plantation species are symphyomyrts and within this subgenus, the probability of successful hybridisation generally decreases with increasing taxonomic distance between species. The planting of non-local provenances or improved material within the range of native populations has the potential to have an impact on local gene pools to varying degrees, indicating the requirement for the adoption of management strategies to reduce this risk. Naturally small or remnant populations are at particular risk. A framework for assessment of the risk of genetic pollution is developed herein.

Flooding effects on grassland species composition in the Azul creek basin, Argentina

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilda Entraigas ◽  
Natalia Vercelli ◽  
Guadalupe Ares ◽  
Marcelo Varni ◽  
Sofía Zeme
Keyword(s):  
Land Surface ◽  
Digital Terrain Model ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Buenos Aires Province ◽  
Grassland Species ◽  
Terrain Model ◽  
Shallow Wells ◽  
Edaphic Variables ◽  
Surface And Groundwater

From a hydrological point of view, the characteristic of the water behaviour in catchments so depressed as the Azul creek basin (centre of Buenos Aires province, Argentina) is water accumulation above the land surface. Thus, water on the ground does not have a single runoff direction, but moves in a disorderly, indefinite and unpredictable way. Considering that periodic floods are a typical disturbance of the region, the objective of this study is to analyse, under field conditions, the transformative effect of prolonged flooding on floristic composition, taking into account the different vegetation patches and their relative position over the relief, the chemical characteristics and the groundwater fluctuation, and some edaphic properties in each site. Vegetation samplings were performed during three consecutive springs, when the grassland was on different hydrological conditions due to very different rainfall precedent histories. A digital terrain model of the study area was built and a flow accumulation map was created from it. Pits were dug to describe edaphic variables and shallow wells were drilled for monitoring the groundwater characteristics. Flooding, in relation with surface and groundwater dynamics and soil characteristics, is the factor that determines and promotes the differentiation among sites that are relatively close, contiguous and even topographically in almost identical positions. So, some patches of vegetation get their differentiation through the limiting conditions of their soils, while others receive greater influence from the hydrodynamics to which they are subject. Thus, in this study it becomes evident how certain stands are floristically homogenised or differentiated over time according to their flooding conditions and, hence, according to the area from which they receive surface and groundwater flow. Also, results corroborate the way the water regime determines the structure and heterogeneity of plant communities in such environments.

Value for money? Investment in weed management in Australian rangelands

2006 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara G. Martin ◽  
Rieks D. van Klinken
Keyword(s):  
Weed Management ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Strategic Investment ◽  
Pasture Grasses ◽  
General Capacity ◽  
Management Context ◽  
Baseline Information ◽  
Strategic Allocation ◽  
National Significance

Increased awareness of the threat posed by non-native species to biodiversity and productivity has prompted an unprecedented commitment and investment in weed management activities throughout rangeland Australia. Since the launching of National Weeds Program in 1996 under the first phase of the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT), there has been a substantial increase in coordinated and strategic investment in weed management across the rangelands. Almost AU$25 million of Australian Government funding has been invested in projects specifically targeting Weeds of National Significance (WONS) that occur in the rangelands (14 species) and a further AU$56 million on projects conducted in the rangelands that included a weed management component. Substantial funding has also been invested by other levels of government, non-government organisations and landholders. We review this investment in relation to the level of funding, the types of weeds targeted, the range of projects undertaken and the effectiveness of these projects within Australia’s rangelands. Achievements include successful eradications, preventions, early interventions, containments, mitigation of impacts, increased awareness of weed threats and general capacity to respond to weed management issues. Our review highlights several areas that, if addressed, will result in a substantial increase in the effectiveness of weed management efforts. These include: addressing discrepancies between states/territories in terms of funding and commitment to weed management; resolving conflicts between stakeholders in relation to the cost-benefit of non-native pasture grasses; encouraging projects that consider the broader natural resource management context of weed infestations; encouraging projects that examine weed complexes or the impacts of weeds in habitats with high biodiversity values such as riparian zones; and detecting and controlling weeds in the early stages of establishment. Finally, the collection of baseline information and alignment of reporting schedules with the longer term benefits of weed management projects will allow an assessment of the effectiveness of weed management projects and more strategic allocation of resources in the future.

An updated checklist of the herpetofauna from Guerrero, Mexico

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4422 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
RICARDO PALACIOS-AGUILAR ◽  
OSCAR FLORES-VILLELA
Keyword(s):  
Geographic Distribution ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
The State ◽  
Specimen Collection ◽  
Bibliographic Records ◽  
Biogeographic Provinces ◽  
Field Notes ◽  
Scientific Collections

We present an updated checklist of the amphibians and reptiles for the state of Guerrero, Mexico. This list is based on bibliographic records, the revision of scientific collections and the authors’ field notes. The herpetofauna of the state includes 259 species (78 amphibians, 181 reptiles), of which three are introduced. The conservation status of all native species was assessed using three independent systems (NOM-059, IUCN and EVS). Finally, the geographic distribution of amphibians and reptiles is discussed in the context of both the biogeographic provinces within the state and the influence of road location on specimen collection patterns.  

Diversity and Distribution of Tropical Dry Forests

2020 ◽  
pp. 115-124
Author(s):  
Raja Prakasam ◽  
Balaguru Balakrishnan ◽  
Soosairaj Sebastian
Keyword(s):  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Eastern Ghats ◽  
Tropical Dry Forests ◽  
Plant Resources ◽  
Dry Forests ◽  
Distribution Maps ◽  
National Wealth ◽  
Floristic Studies

Tropical dry forests occur as patches in Tamil Nadu distributed along the East Coast, Eastern Ghats, and plains of the Indian Peninsula. The floristic studies of these regions are of great national relevance as plant resources in a tropical climate contribute to national wealth. Dry forests of the plains in Tamil Nadu have been neglected and the area under study has remained practically unexplored. This chapter studies distribution of tropical dry forests, especially in Pudukkottai district in Tamil Nadu. In total, 187 sacred groves were surveyed for their distribution and floristic composition. The GPS position of each grove was noted and their distribution maps were prepared. The groves were classified based on conservation status, namely well conserved, moderately conserved and degraded. Extensive botanical explorations were carried out periodically during 2012–2016 in these groves and 812 species belonging to 480 genera under 124 families were recorded. The endemic, threatened species of these groves were also documented.

Broad-toothed rat, Mastacomys fuscus (Rodentia, Muridae), found in alpine heathland in Tasmania.

2001 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
MM Driessen
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
New South ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
The State ◽  
Pine Plantation ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eucalypt Woodlands ◽  
Sclerophyll Forests

THE broad-toothed rat Mastacomys fuscus is a native, herbivorous rodent that occurs in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. On the Australian mainland the species has been recorded in several habitats at altitudes ranging from sea level to 1800 m. In alpine and sub-alpine areas of New South Wales and Victoria it has been recorded in heathlands, open eucalypt woodlands and wet sedgelands (Calaby and Wimbush 1964; Dixon 1971; Seebeck 1971; Bubela et al. 1991). At lower altitudes in Victoria, it has been recorded in wet sclerophyll forests with a dense undergrowth, coastal heathland, coastal grassland and in a pine plantation (Seebeck 1971; Wallis et al. 1982; Warneke 1960). In Tasmania, M. fuscus has been previously recorded only in buttongrass moorlands of western Tasmania at altitudes ranging from sea level to 900 m (Finlayson 1933; Andrews 1968; Green 1968, 1984; Hocking and Guiler 1983; Driessen and Comfort 1991; Slater 1992; Driessen 1998). Buttongrass moorland (also referred to as sedgeland) is a treeless vegetation typically dominated by Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus (buttongrass) that covers more than a million hectares in Tasmania, predominantly in the western part of the State (Jarman et al. 1988). Buttongrass moorland is a very variable vegetation group and not all communities recognised within buttongrass moorland provide habitat for M. fuscus (Driessen and Comfort 1991; Slater 1992; Driessen 1998). The purpose of this note is to report the results of a survey for M. fuscus in alpine heathland, a habitat in which the species has not been previously recorded in Tasmania. This finding has significant implications for the conservation status of this species.

Assessing the invasion threat of non-native plant species in protected areas using Herbarium specimen and ecological survey data. A case study in two rangeland bioregions in Queensland

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Michael R. Ngugi ◽  
Victor John Neldner
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Native Plants ◽  
Herbarium Specimen ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Economic Productivity ◽  
Ecological Survey ◽  
National Significance

Naturalised non-native plants that become invasive pose a significant threat to the conservation of biodiversity in protected areas (areas dedicated and managed for long-term conservation of nature), economic productivity of agricultural businesses, and societal impacts including community, culture infrastructure and health. Quantifying the spread, potential dominance and invasion threat of these species is fundamental to effective eradication and development of threat mitigation policy. But this is often hampered by the lack of comprehensive data. This study used existing ecological survey data from 2548 sites and 64 758 Herbarium specimen records to document the status and abundance of non-native plants in two case study bioregions, Cape York Peninsula (CYP) and the Desert Uplands (DEU) in Queensland covering a total area of 186 697 km2. There were 406 non-native species in the CYP, 186 (45.6%) of which are known environmental weeds and 159 non-natives in DEU, of which 69 (43.5%) are environmental weeds. Inside the protected areas, there were 98 species of environmental weeds in CYP, 27 of which are listed as weeds of State significance (Weeds of National Significance (WONS), Queensland declared and non-declared pest plants categories). In DEU, there were 18 environmental weeds inside protected areas and none of them was listed as a weed of State significance. Non-native species that recorded foliage cover dominance in the ecological site data are generally recognised as environmental weeds in Queensland. The threat of weeds from outside of protected areas was serious, with 41 weeds of State significance found in CYP, five of which are WONS, and 25 weeds of State significance found in DEU, 10 of which are WONS.

Dense regeneration of floodplain Eucalyptus coolabah: invasive scrub or passive restoration of an endangered woodland community?

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan K. Good ◽  
Jodi N. Price ◽  
Peter J. Clarke ◽  
Nick Reid
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Tree Density ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Passive Restoration ◽  
Carbon Nitrogen Ratio ◽  
Degraded Grassland ◽  
And Function

Clearing of native vegetation and changes to disturbance regimes have resulted in dense regeneration of native trees and shrubs in parts of Australia. The conversion of open vegetation to dense woodlands may result in changes to the composition of plant communities and ecosystem function if structure, composition and function are tightly linked. Widespread clearing of the floodplain tree Eucalyptus coolabah subsp. coolabah (coolibah), in New South Wales, Australia, has led to state and federal listings of coolibah woodland as an endangered ecological community. Dense regeneration of coolibah in the mid 1970s, however, also resulted in its listing as an ‘invasive native species’ in NSW, meaning it can be legally cleared under certain conditions. Dense regeneration could be a novel state dissimilar to the threatened community or it could represent the next generation of coolibah woodlands and may contribute to passive restoration of heavily cleared landscapes. This study investigated if dense stands are distinct from remnant woodland by comparing floristic composition of the ground-storey community and top-soil properties of four coolibah vegetation states: derived grassland, derived degraded grassland, dense regeneration and remnant woodland. Ground-storey composition was found to overlap broadly among states regardless of tree density. Most species were common to all states, although dense regeneration contained characteristic woodland species that were absent from grasslands. The carbon : nitrogen ratio of the soil was significantly higher in dense regeneration and remnant woodland than in either of the grassland states, indicating that the woody states are broadly similar in terms of nutrient cycling. The study demonstrates that structurally different vegetation states (grasslands, woodlands and dense regeneration) are not associated with distinct plant communities. The results also suggest that grazing management has a more pronounced effect on ground-storey composition of plant communities than tree density and that well managed derived grasslands and dense regeneration are floristically similar to remnant woodlands. Since dense regeneration and remnant woodlands are not floristically distinct from one another, dense regeneration could contribute to the conservation of endangered coolibah woodlands in cleared agricultural landscapes.

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