An intraspecific and interspecific comparison of raptor diets in the south-west of the Northern Territory, Australia

2001 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Aumann
Keyword(s):  
Northern Territory ◽  
Diet Overlap ◽  
Large Mammals ◽  
Interspecific Comparison ◽  
Important Food ◽  
The South ◽  
South West ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Competition For Food ◽  
Central Australia

Dietary information, collected during 1995–97 in the south-west of the Northern Territory, is presented for 11 raptor species. Unlike better-studied populations of these species in south-eastern and eastern Australia, most of the raptors in the arid inland were found to depend heavily on reptiles and birds, the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) being a particularly important food for many species during those periods when it was plentiful. Between-territory, between-year and seasonal differences in diet are quantified for most species. The raptor assemblages in central Australia included specialists on medium-sized to large mammals, small to medium-sized birds, and small reptiles/invertebrates, as well as several generalists. Indices of prey diversity and evenness were calculated for each species, and diet overlap between them was used to investigate aspects of interspecific competition for food. Overall, diet overlap was greatest among the bird specialists and between some of the generalists. It increased in 1997, a year of comparative plenty, possibly because several species exploited an abundance of some prey taxa and competitive pressure eased.

Habitat use, temporal activity patterns and foraging behaviour of raptors in the south-west of the Northern Territory, Australia

2001 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Aumann
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Diel Activity ◽  
The South ◽  
Interspecific Differences ◽  
South West ◽  
Diel Activity Patterns ◽  
Vegetation Structures

On the basis of opportunistic observations, the preferred habitats of diurnal raptors in the south-west of the Northern Territory are quantified in terms of their vegetation structures and composition, and linked with foraging methods and information on local diets. Broad interspecific differences in diel activity patterns are also described. The evidence suggests that raptor species in this part of arid Australia differ with respect to their foraging times, habitats and methods, and that these differences relate to their partitioning of food resources.

scholarly journals Demography of feral camels in central Australia and its relevance to population control

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Pople ◽  
S. R. McLeod
Keyword(s):  
Population Control ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Adult Survival ◽  
Large Mammals ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Control Programs ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
Zero Growth ◽  
Central Australia ◽  
Alternative Species

Since their release over 100 years ago, camels have spread across central Australia and increased in number. Increasingly, they are being seen as a pest, with observed impacts from overgrazing and damage to infrastructure such as fences. Irregular aerial surveys since 1983 and an interview-based survey in 1966 suggest that camels have been increasing at close to their maximum rate. A comparison of three models of population growth fitted to these, albeit limited, data suggests that the Northern Territory population has indeed been growing at an annual exponential rate of r = 0.074, or 8% per year, with little evidence of a density-dependent brake. A stage-structured model using life history data from a central Australian camel population suggests that this rate approximates the theoretical maximum. Elasticity analysis indicates that adult survival is by far the biggest influence on rate of increase and that a 9% reduction in survival from 96% is needed to stop the population growing. In contrast, at least 70% of mature females need to be sterilised to have a similar effect. In a benign environment, a population of large mammals such as camels is expected to grow exponentially until close to carrying capacity. This will frustrate control programs, because an ever-increasing number of animals will need to be removed for zero growth the longer that culling or harvesting effort is delayed. A population projection for 2008 suggests ~10 500 animals need to be harvested across the Northern Territory. Current harvests are well short of this. The ability of commercial harvesting to control camel populations in central Australia will depend on the value of animals, access to animals and the presence of alternative species to harvest when camels are at low density.

scholarly journals Pitjantjatjara

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marija Tabain ◽  
Andrew Butcher
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Western Desert ◽  
The South ◽  
South West ◽  
Central Australia

Pitjantjatjara is a dialect of the Western Desert Language (WDL) of central Australia (Douglas 1958). The Western Desert Language is a member of the south-west Pama-Nyungan group. Together with Warnman, it forms the Wati sub-group. It is spoken by 4000–5000 people, and covers the widest geographical area of any language in Australia, stretching from Woomera in central northern South Australia, as far west as Kalgoorlie and Meekatharra and north to Balgo Hills, in Western Australia. The main dialects, which differ most in regards the lexicon but also to some extent in grammar and phonology, include Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara, Ngaanyatjarra, Ngaatjatjarra, Southern Luritja, Pintupi-Luritja, Kukatja, Gugarda, Ngalia, Wangkatja, Wangkatha, Manyjilyjarra, Kartutjarra and Yurlparija. It is perhaps more accurately conceived of as a dialect chain, whereby a dialect such as Pitjantjatjara is mutually intelligible with its neighbours Ngaanyatjatjarra and Yankunytjatjara, but not with dialects more distant than these, such as Kukatja and Manyjilyjarra.

A cladistic analysis of Boronia section Valvatae (Rutaceae)

1998 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 636
Author(s):  
Marco F. Duretto ◽  
Pauline Y. Ladiges
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Cladistic Analysis ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
The South ◽  
Infrageneric Classification ◽  
North West ◽  
South West ◽  
Cape York ◽  
Anatomical Characters

A phylogenetic analysis, using 55 morphological and anatomical characters, of all 58 species of Boronia section Valvatae was completed. On the basis of this analysis B. alata, B. algida and B. edwardsii are removed from section Valvatae and it is proposed that two new sections be erected to accommodate them. Boronia section Valvatae s. str., apart from valvate and persistent petals, is defined by the of presence stellate hairs, valvate sepals and axillary inflorescences. An infrageneric classification, based on the cladogram, of Boronia section Valvatae s. str. is proposed and includes four subsections, nine series and five subseries. Of the four subsections, Ternatatae is endemic to the south-west of Australia, Bowmaniae to Cape York, and Grandisepalae to the ‘Top End’ of the Northern Territory (including north-west Queensland) and the Kimberley Region. Subsection Valvatae is widespread but is predominantly found in the south-east of Australia

Biogeography of Caladenia (Orchidaceae), with special reference to the South-west Australian Floristic Region

2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan D. Phillips ◽  
Gary Backhouse ◽  
Andrew P. Brown ◽  
Stephen D. Hopper
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Western Pacific ◽  
The South ◽  
South West ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Key Drivers ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Acting In Concert ◽  
The Western Pacific ◽  
Eleven Species

Caladenia contains 376 species and subspecies, of which almost all are endemic to temperate and southern semiarid Australia. Eleven species occur in New Zealand, 10 of which are endemic, and one species is widely distributed in eastern Australia and the western Pacific. Only three species occur in both south-western and south-eastern Australia. At subgeneric level, Drakonorchis is endemic to the South-west Australian Floristic Region (SWAFR), Stegostyla to eastern Australia and New Zealand, whereas three subgenera, Calonema, Phlebochilus and Elevatae occur on both sides of the Nullarbor Plain. Subgenus Caladenia is primarily eastern Australian but also extends to the western Pacific. The largest subgenera (Calonema and Phlebochilus) have radiated extensively, with Calonema exhibiting a greater concentration of species in more mesic parts of the SWAFR than Phlebochilus. Within the SWAFR, the major biogeographic division within Caladenia follows the 600-mm isohyet. Within rainfall zones, biogeographic districts for Caladenia correlate with a combination of underlying geology and surface soils. Areas of high endemism contain diverse edaphic environments. Climatic and edaphic requirements are likely to be key drivers of rarity in Caladenia, although these parameters may be acting in concert with mycorrhizal and pollinator specificity.

The extent of dryland salinity in remnant woodland and forest within an agricultural landscape

2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian A. Seddon ◽  
Andre Zerger ◽  
Stuart J. Doyle ◽  
Sue V. Briggs
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Woody Vegetation ◽  
The South ◽  
Dryland Salinity ◽  
Vegetation Communities ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
South West ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Riparian Communities ◽  
South Eastern Australia

Dryland salinity is considered a significant and increasing threat to sustainable land management and biodiversity across large parts of temperate Australia. However, there is little information on the extent of this threat to terrestrial ecosystems in south-eastern Australia. This paper provides a quantitative assessment of the extent of dryland salinity in remnant native woody vegetation in the agriculture-dominated landscape of the Boorowa Shire located in the South West Slopes bioregion of south-eastern Australia. The amount and type of native woody vegetation in the Boorowa Shire affected by dryland salinity was assessed by analysing the extent of overlap between the following three spatial data layers: (1) woody vegetation mapping derived from high-resolution satellite imagery, (2) existing vegetation community mapping predicted from field data and expert opinion and (3) existing dryland salinity outbreak mapping derived from air photo interpretation and filed verification. There were more than 6000 patches of salt outbreak in woody vegetation in the Boorowa Shire, 383 (6%) of which were 1 ha or larger in area. Almost 2000 ha of woody vegetation were affected by dryland salinity, representing ~3% of the extant native woody vegetation in the Boorowa Shire. The vegetation type with the largest total area affected by dryland salinity was yellow box (Eucalyptus melliodora Cunn. Ex Schauer)–Blakely’s red gum (E. Blakelyi Maiden) woodland. As a proportion of their current extent, vegetation communities lower in the landscape were significantly more affected than those higher up the topographic sequence, with 14% of riparian communities and nearly 6% of yellow box–Blakely’s red gum woodland exhibiting symptoms of dryland salinity. About 1% of white box (E. albens Benth) woodland, and of hill communities which are on mid- and upper slopes, were affected. The pattern of salinity outbreaks in relation to landscape position and vegetation type is significant for biodiversity conservation because the vegetation communities most affected by salinisation are those most heavily cleared and modified post-European settlement. Throughout the South West Slopes of New South Wales, remnants of riparian communities and yellow box–Blakely’s red gum woodland are highly cleared, fragmented and degraded. Dryland salinity represents an additional threat to these vegetation communities and their component species. Salinisation of woodland ecosystems poses significant problems for land managers. The long-term viability of these woodland remnants needs to be considered when allocating limited public funds for woodland conservation, whether on private land or in formal reserves.

The Australian species of Heliothis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and their pest status.

1953 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 319 ◽  
Author(s):  
IFB Common
Keyword(s):  
Northern Territory ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Pest Status ◽  
Australian Species ◽  
The North ◽  
South West ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Lepidoptera Noctuidae

The taxonomic and pest status of the species of Heliothis occurring in Australia have been examined and it is shown that two pest species have previously been confused under the name of H. armigera (Hiibner). H. amnigera has a limited distribution, mainly in coastal and subcoastal eastern Australia and in the Northern Territory. It also occurs widely in Europe, Africa, India, New Zealand, and the islands of the south-west Pacific. In North America another closely related species, probably H, umb~osus Grote, has previously been synonymized with H. armigera. Widely distributed in Australia, H. pudgera Wallengren has hitherto been referred to in the Australian economic and taxonomic literature as H. armigera. In addition, two other species, H. assulta GuenCe and H, rubrescens (Walker), occur in Australia but have not so far been recognized as pests. Descriptions and illustrations of the four species, including the male and female genitalia, and keys to the males and females, are provided. The genitalia of both sexes of the North American species are also figured.

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