The first assessment, using a rangeland monitoring system, of change in shrub and tree populations across the arid shrublands of Western Australia

2007 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 25 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. W. Watson ◽  
P. W. E. Thomas ◽  
W. J. Fletcher
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring System ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Vegetation Change ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Rangeland Monitoring ◽  
Canopy Area ◽  
Arid Shrublands ◽  
Acacia Aneura ◽  
First Time ◽  
Western Australian

For the first time, a region-wide assessment of vegetation change across the southern shrublands of Western Australia is reported, using information from 965 shrubland sites of the Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS). The majority of sites were installed between December 1993 and November 1999, and were reassessed between July 1999 and November 2005, with an average interval of just over 5 years. Shrub and tree species density, canopy area and species richness remained the same or increased on the majority of sites. The results were similar when considered at a species level, with most species showing an increase in density, canopy area and the number of sites on which they were found. Recruitment of new individuals to the population was commonplace on virtually all sites and for virtually all species. High rates of recruitment, on many sites, were observed for long-lived species such as Acacia aneura Benth., A. papyrocarpa Benth., Eremophila forrestii F.Muell. and Maireana sedifolia (F.Muell.) Paul G.Wilson. Increases in density, i.e. where recruitment was higher than mortality, were observed for many shorter lived species which are known to decrease in response to excessive grazing (i.e. decreaser species) such as Ptilotus obovatus (Gaudich.) F.Muell., Atriplex vesicaria Benth., A. bunburyana F.Muell. and Maireana georgei (Diels) Paul G.Wilson. However, this result should be tempered by the understanding that acute degradation processes may still be occurring, especially within and surrounding drainage lines, which are away from where the WARMS sites are typically located. Grazing was implicated in decreased density on some sites, particularly those which had experienced below average seasonal conditions. On these sites, decreaser species were particularly affected.

The Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS) - operating a regional scale monitoring system

2008 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 271 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. E. Novelly ◽  
I. W. Watson ◽  
P. W. E. Thomas ◽  
N. J. Duckett
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring System ◽  
Data Storage ◽  
State Government ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Surface Condition ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Ancillary Data ◽  
Rangeland Monitoring ◽  
Individual Site ◽  
Western Australian

The Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS), a state government monitoring activity, provides information on change in Western Australia’s pastoral rangelands. It consists of a set of permanent sites, on which measurements of perennial vegetation (direct census in shrublands and perennial grass frequency and woody cover in grasslands) and assessments of soil surface condition are recorded at either 3-year (grasslands) or 5-year (shrublands) intervals. Data collection is non-destructive. Site distribution is based on vegetation type, and WARMS reports at the vegetation type or regional level, not individual site or property level. Operating WARMS requires a range of defined conventions to ensure that personnel changes and the interval between samplings at any one site do not lead to confounding of results through variation in how data are collected. The number of sites (1622) and program timeframe (decadal) mean that data storage and management issues are critical. Data interpretation, including the interpretive framework and use of ancillary data to assist in interpreting causality, and provision of information products relevant to a range of users are also important operational aspects. A companion paper addresses the institutional requirements for WARMS, system design and the rationale behind this design.

A History of the Architects Board of Western Australia, 1921-2021

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Burns-Dans ◽  
Alexandra Wallis ◽  
Deborah Gare
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Protection ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
First Century ◽  
Australian Society ◽  
Architectural Practice ◽  
Australian Institute ◽  
Practice Standards ◽  
History Of ◽  
First Time ◽  
Western Australian

An economic and population boom in the 1890s created opportunities for architects to find work and fame in Western Australia. Architecture, therefore, became a viable profession for the first time, and the number of practicing architects in the colony (and then state) quickly grew. Associations such as the Western Australian Institute of Architects were established to organise the profession, but as the number of architects grew and Western Australian society matured, it became evident that a role for government was required to ensure practice standards and consumer protection. In 1921, therefore, the Architects Act was passed, and, in the following year, the Architects Board of Western Australia was launched. This report traces the evolution and transformation of professional architectural practice since then, and evaluates the role and impact of the Board in its first century.

scholarly journals A newly recognised species of Cryptes Maskell 1892 (Hemiptera: Coccidae) from Western Australia

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4508 (1) ◽  
pp. 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
YEN-PO LIN ◽  
TAKUMASA KONDO ◽  
TAKUMASA KONDO ◽  
PENNY J. GULLAN ◽  
LYN G. COOK
Keyword(s):  
Adult Female ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Species Complex ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Australian Species ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Nuclear Loci ◽  
Acacia Aneura ◽  
Western Australian

Cryptes utzoni Lin, Kondo & Cook sp. n. (Hemiptera: Coccidae) is described based on adult female morphology and DNA sequences from mitochondrial and nuclear loci. This Australian endemic species was found on the stem of Acacia aneura (Fabaceae) in Western Australia. All phylogenetic analyses of three independent DNA loci show that C. utzoni is closely related to C. baccatus (Maskell), the type and only species of Cryptes Maskell, 1892. The adult female of C. utzoni is described and illustrated and a table is provided of the characters that differ among adult females of the two species of Cryptes now recognised (C. baccatus and C. utzoni) and a morphologically similar Western Australian species, Austrolichtensia hakearum (Fuller). There is deep genetic divergence in COI among samples of C. baccatus, suggesting the possibility of a species complex in this taxon. 

The distribution and biology of the genus Coptotermes (Isoptera) in Western Australia.

1956 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
JH Calaby ◽  
FJ Gay
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Biological Data ◽  
The State ◽  
Fourth Species ◽  
First Time ◽  
Western Australian ◽  
Wide Zone

Knowledge of the distribution and biology in Western Australia of species of Coptotermes has been very incomplete and in some respects erroneous, due partly to a lack of collecting and partly to the fact that the genus is notoriously difficult taxonomically. This genus, which includes the most destructive Australian termites, is represented in the State by four species and one subspecies. The form raffrayi previously thought to be a good species occurring sympatrically with acinaciformis is shown to be a subspecies of the latter form intergrading with it through a wide zone of intermediate forms and replacing it geographically in the wetter south-western corner of the State. C. michaelseni is restricted to south-western Australia and previous records from South Australia, Victoria, and Queensland are shown or considered to be misidentifications of C. frenchi. C. frenchi is definitely recorded from Western Australia for the first time. The separation of these two species by microscopical measurements is discussed. The fourth species is the recently discovered and described C. brunneus. The known Western Australian distributions of all species except C. brunneus are given. New biological data for all species are recorded, particularly on tree species attacked, dispersal of alates, and construction of mounds. C. acinaciformis builds symmetrical domed mounds in parts of southern Western Australia. Mound nests had not previously been recorded in 'the State and they differ considerably in construction from those recorded from the Northern Territory and north Queensland. C. frenchi is here definitely recorded as a mound builder. The mound-building habit erroneously attributed in the literature to C. michaelseni is shown to be due to the confusion of this species with frenchi. Photographs of mounds of C. acinaciformis raffrayi, C. frenchi, and C. brunneus are published for the first time.

The relationship between traffic and non-traffic offending in Western Australia

2021 ◽  
pp. 000486582199586
Author(s):  
Monica L Crosetta ◽  
Paul House ◽  
Jesse Parmar ◽  
Christine McComb ◽  
Elizabeth Pritchard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Criminal Activity ◽  
Australian Bureau ◽  
Self Selection ◽  
Criminal Histories ◽  
Australian Bureau Of Statistics ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Western Australian ◽  
Traffic Offence

Self-selection policing is an approach whereby serious underlying criminality is detected by an offender’s minor crimes (known as trigger offences). Strategic offences are offences that indicate an increased likelihood that the associated offender will engage in later offending. The purpose of this study was to determine if first-time serious traffic offending in Western Australia indicates previous and/or future non-traffic criminality, thereby demonstrating the utility of serious traffic offences as trigger offences and strategic offences. The authors collated the crime data of all first-time serious traffic offenders in Western Australia between December 2004 and December 2014. Using this data, survival analyses were conducted to determine if and when a first-time serious traffic offender committed an initial non-traffic offence within 10 years of their first serious traffic offence. When comparing this data to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the authors found that first-time serious traffic offenders are more likely than the average Western Australian to have a previous or future initial non-traffic offence. Some groups of first-time traffic offenders were more likely to commit non-traffic offences than others including males, individuals under the age of 25, drug drivers and drivers without authority. These results support the use of first-time serious traffic offences as trigger/strategic offences and could be used to identify and divert traffic offenders with versatile criminal histories and traffic offenders at risk of future criminal activity.

Monitoring changes in pastoral rangelands - the Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS)

2007 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 191 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. W. Watson ◽  
P. E. Novelly ◽  
P. W. E. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring System ◽  
Selection Criteria ◽  
Function Analysis ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Surface Condition ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Field Methods ◽  
Rangeland Monitoring ◽  
Western Australian

The Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS) consists of a set of ~1620 permanent sites distributed across the pastoral rangelands of Western Australia used for commercial livestock grazing. The system is designed to provide information to government and the general community on changes in Western Australia’s rangelands, rather than to individual landholders. It is designed to report at the regional or vegetation type level by selectively sampling representative areas of the rangelands, with representation occurring at several levels. The system was fully implemented by 1999 and all sites, except a small number of ongoing replacements, have now been re-assessed at least once. Two site types are used. In grassland areas, the frequency of all perennial species is assessed, and an estimate made of crown cover of woody perennials. In shrubland areas, a direct census technique is used, with the demography and maximum canopy dimensions of all shrubs recorded. Changes in soil surface condition and patch distribution are also assessed using standard Landscape Function Analysis (LFA) techniques. The vegetation and soil surface information is used to indicate rangeland change. The system is not fixed within any single model of range dynamics and the outputs of WARMS can be interpreted in various ways, depending on the specific requirements of the end-user. The paper includes discussion of the institutional requirements for WARMS, the site stratification and selection criteria, description of the field methods used and the rationale behind its design. It also considers the implications of the site stratification and selection criteria in terms of the caveats that need to accompany reporting.

A Survey in the Southern Grain Belt of Western Australia Did Not Find Conyza Spp. Resistant to Glyphosate

2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 492-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mechelle J. Owen ◽  
Roslyn K. Owen ◽  
Stephen B. Powles
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Baseline Data ◽  
Southeastern Part ◽  
First Time ◽  
Western Australian

Glyphosate-resistant crops will be grown for the first time in Western Australia in 2009. A survey was conducted across 150,000 km2 of the southeastern part of the Western Australian grain belt in 2007 to determine whether glyphosate-resistant Conyza populations were present. Sixty-eight Conyza populations were collected from various fields and roadside locations. These populations were collected from areas where Conyza was known to exist. Populations were screened with glyphosate and all populations were found to be glyphosate-susceptible. While no glyphosate-resistant Conyza populations were found in the southeastern grain belt of Western Australia, it provides baseline data prior to the introduction of glyphosate-resistant crops in this region. It is important to monitor the efficacy of glyphosate as resistance becomes more prevalent in weeds of various cropping systems worldwide.

scholarly journals Taxonomic revision of Paraustrosimulium Wygodzinsky & Coscarón: reassignment of Austrosimulium colboi and description of P. obcidens n. sp. from Western Australia

Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4337 (4) ◽  
pp. 451 ◽  
Author(s):  
DOUGLAS A. CRAIG ◽  
JOHN K. MOULTON ◽  
DOUGLAS C. CURRIE
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Historical Biogeography ◽  
Generic Diagnosis ◽  
South American ◽  
Australian Species ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Western Australian

The hitherto monotypic South American genus Paraustrosimulium Wygodzinsky & Coscarón is revised to accommodate two Australian species: Austrosimulium colboi Davies & Györkös and Paraustrosimulium obcidens n. sp. The generic diagnosis is updated and the eastern Australian species Paraustrosimulium colboi (Davies & Györkös) n. stat. is re-described, including the male for the first time. The Western, Australian sister species of P. colbo, namely P. obcidens Craig, Moulton Currie n. sp. is also fully described. The relationship of Paraustrosimulium to other simuliid genera is discussed, as are aspects of historical biogeography. 

A revision of Pultenaea (Fabaceae: Mirbelieae). 4. Species occurring in Western Australia

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 149 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. A. Orthia ◽  
R. P. J. de Kok ◽  
M. D. Crisp
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Nomen Dubium ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
The Status ◽  
First Time

Twenty-five species of Pultenaea endemic to Western Australia are revised at and below species level. Three species (P. daena Orthia & Chappill, P. indira Orthia & Crisp, P. wudjariensis Orthia), three subspecies (P. calycina subsp. proxena Orthia & Chappill, P. indira subsp. monstrosita Orthia, P. indira subsp. pudoides Orthia) and two informal taxa [P. ericifolia ‘southern’ (Orthia 39), P. sp. Mt Lesueur (Beard 7827)] are described for the first time. The status of all varieties of P. verruculosa is changed: P. verruculosa var. brachyphylla (Turcz.) Benth. is reinstated at species level, P. verruculosa Turcz. var. verruculosa and P. verruculosa var. pilosa Benth. are placed in synonymy of Pultenaea verruculosa Turcz., and P. verruculosa var. recurva Benth. is found to be a nomen dubium. Three names in common usage are found to be illegitimate: P. conferta Benth. [now P. purpurea (Turcz.) Crisp & Orthia], P. obcordata (R.Br.) Benth. (now P. quaerita Orthia) and P. drummondii Meisn. (older name P. brachytropis Benth. reinstated). The Pultenaea species occurring in both western and eastern Australia are discussed and addenda made to the treatments previously published by de Kok and West (2003, 2004). The status of P. vestita R.Br. and P. juniperina Labill. as naturally occurring WA species is questioned.

The development of a system for monitoring trend in range condition in the arid shrublands of Western Australia.

1987 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
AM Holm ◽  
DG Burnside ◽  
AA Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring System ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Stable State ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Monitoring Site ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Rangeland Monitoring ◽  
Edible Species ◽  
Palatable Species ◽  
Western Australian

The role of a monitoring system for Western Australian pastoral shrublands is examined. The authors argue that the objective of management is to maximise sustained animal productivity, and that this can only be attained if the soil is maintained in a stable state. In non-degraded rangelands this objective is synonomous with the maintenance of a pasture community with its natural balance of edible and less edible species. In degraded rangelands the objective of regaining the pristine vegetation may, in many cases, be unattainable. Nevertheless, the objective of maximum sustained productivity again appears suitable since this would ensure that, where management is able to influence the direction of change, it is towards a pasture dominated by useful, rather than non-palatable, species. Our monitoring system aims to assist management achieve these objectives. The Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS) has been designed to include the assessment of ecological processes but with a strong bias towards characteristics that can be interpreted in production terms. We expect that the system will primarily and most importantly, aid pastoralists in their season by season decisions on stock movements. It will also provide a tool for the land administrator, who must be able to assure the wider community that the land is being used wisely. Finally, it should assist range scientists towards a better understanding of rangeland ecosystems. The WARMS system involves a series of grazed range monitoring sites, lightly grazed reference areas and ungrazed control areas. At each monitoring site a photograph is taken and plants within a fixed area are identified and marked on an overlay. The number and size of perennial shrubs are recorded within fixed belt transects and the contribution from perennial grasses and biennial species is assessed. Soil stability is also assessed using a rating scale and a modified step point procedure.

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