Biogeography of the ant fauna of the Tiwi Islands, in northern Australia's monsoonal tropics

2004 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan N. Andersen ◽  
John C. Z. Woinarski ◽  
Ben D. Hoffmann
Keyword(s):  
Northern Territory ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Tropical Species ◽  
South East Asia ◽  
Northern Australia ◽  
Exotic Invasive Species ◽  
Exotic Invasive ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
North Western

This paper describes the biogeography at the species level of ants from the Tiwi Islands, and represents the first such analysis for any region in Australia. The Tiwi Islands are located 20 km off the mainland coast near Darwin in northern Northern Territory, and include Australia's second largest insular landmass after Tasmania. The islands receive the highest mean annual rainfall (up to 2000 mm) in monsoonal northern Australia, and they are the closest part of the Australian landmass to south-east Asia. On the basis of ~1300 species records, we list 154 species (including nine introduced) from 34 genera. The richest genera are Polyrhachis (20 species), Monomorium (15), Camponotus (14), Pheidole (12), and Iridomyrmex (11). In all, 66% of the native Tiwi species belong to Torresian (tropical) species groups, which is considerably higher than the 44% for Australia's monsoonal ant fauna as a whole. Fifteen Tiwi ant species are not known from mainland Australia. These include a species of Anonychomyrma, which is the only record of the genus in monsoonal Australia, Polyrhachis debilis, the only representative of the sub-genus Cyrtomyrma known from north-western Australia, and the only species of the araneoides group of Rhytidoponera known from the Northern Territory. Unfortunately, the Tiwi ant fauna also includes the exotic invasive species Pheidole megacephala, which represents a serious conservation threat.

scholarly journals PREHISTORIC ARCHAEOLOGY IN NORTHERN AUSTRALIA

1986 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Harry Allen
Keyword(s):  
Fresh Water ◽  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Northern Australia ◽  
Prehistoric Archaeology ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Mountain Area ◽  
Plain Area ◽  
The North ◽  
North Western

The northern part of North Australia is not far from Java and Timor. There are great numbers of influences in the North Western part of Australia from Indonesian region. The coast alligator river area is 200 kilometres east of Darwin, Northern Territory is now 60 kilometres from the coast to the mountain area. The plain area is flat and the water is salty, being tidal on the coast. Further inland the river is fresh water. To day there are few mangroves in this area, but there is evidence that mangroves were more widespread between 6.000 - 3.000 BP. During the wet season the coastal plain is flooded.

scholarly journals Lechenaultia peregrina, a new species of Goodeniaceae from northern Australia, New Guinea and the Moluccas

Telopea ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 277-282
Author(s):  
Russell Barrett ◽  
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
New Guinea ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Tropical Species ◽  
Northern Australia ◽  
North East ◽  
Morphological Studies ◽  
Disjunct Populations ◽  
The Status ◽  
A New Species

Morphological studies of Lechenaultia filiformis R.Br. have determined that more than one taxon is presently included under that name. We here recognise the suite of disjunct populations from north-east Queensland, north-east Northern Territory, New Guinea and the Moluccas as a new species, Lechenaultia peregrina R.W.Jobson & R.L.Barrett. This is the third tropical species of Lechenaultia currently recognised, however further studies are required to assess the status of about five additional entities in the Northern Territory and Western Australia currently included in L. filiformis s.l. Seed article morphology is critical for species delimitation in tropical Lechenaultia, but seed articles are often absent from collections, or only immature, as they fall quickly once ripe.

scholarly journals Impact of an Exotic Invasive Pest, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), on Resident Communities of Pest and Natural Enemies in Maize Fields in Kenya

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1074
Author(s):  
Bonoukpoè Mawuko Sokame ◽  
Boaz Musyoka ◽  
Julius Obonyo ◽  
François Rebaudo ◽  
Elfatih M. Abdel-Rahman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
Fall Armyworm ◽  
Invasive Pest ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Insect Communities ◽  
Exotic Invasive Species ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Exotic Invasive ◽  
Lepidoptera Noctuidae

The interactions among insect communities influence the composition of pest complexes that attack crops and, in parallel, their natural enemies, which regulate their abundance. The lepidopteran stemborers have been the major maize pests in Kenya. Their population has been regulated by natural enemies, mostly parasitoids, some of which have been used for biological control. It is not known how a new exotic invasive species, such as the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), may affect the abundance and parasitism of the resident stemborers. For this reason, pest and parasitism surveys have been conducted, before and after the FAW invaded Kenya, in maize fields in 40 localities across 6 agroecological zones (AEZs) during the maize-growing season, as well as at 3 different plant growth stages (pre-tasseling, reproductive, and senescence stages) in 2 elevations at mid-altitude, where all maize stemborer species used to occur together. Results indicated that the introduction of the FAW significantly correlated with the reduction of the abundance of the resident communities of maize stemborers and parasitoids in maize fields; moreover, the decrease of stemborer density after the arrival of FAW occurred mostly at both reproductive and senescent maize stages. It also suggests a possible displacement of stemborers by FAW elsewhere; for example, to other cereals. However, since this study was conducted only three years after the introduction of the FAW, further studies will need to be conducted to confirm such displacements.

Response of Deeproot Sedge (Cyperus entrerianus) to Herbicide and Prescribed Fire in Texas Coastal Prairie

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan R. King ◽  
Andrew J. Bennett ◽  
Warren C. Conway ◽  
David J. Rosen ◽  
Brian P. Oswald
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Coastal Prairie ◽  
Multiple Treatment ◽  
Exotic Invasive Species ◽  
Plant Groups ◽  
Exotic Invasive ◽  
Dormant Season ◽  
In Fire

AbstractIntroduced accidentally from South America, deeproot sedge is rapidly expanding in a variety of habitats throughout the southeastern United States. Of particular concern is its rapid expansion, naturalization, and formation of monocultures in Texas coastal prairie, one of the most imperiled temperate ecoregions in North America. The objective of this research was to examine how deeproot sedge responds to prescribed fire, to the herbicide imazapic, and to treatment combinations of both. Combinations of prescribed fire and imazapic treatments and imazapic-only treatments effectively reduced deeproot sedge cover and frequency. However, plots exposed to dormant season fires (with no imazapic) had greater deeproot sedge cover after burn treatments were applied, indicating that coastal prairie management using only dormant season prescribed fire will not work toward reduction or management of this exotic invasive species. Although deeproot sedge cover was often reduced in fire–imazapic treatment combinations, it was still present in treatment plots. Moreover, desirable functional plant groups (i.e., native bunchgrasses) did not respond positively to the fire–imazapic treatments, but in some instances, woody plant coverage increased. Repeated, long-term approaches using integrated and coordinated efforts with multiple treatment options will be necessary to restore community structure to desired compositional levels. Such integrated approaches should be effective in reducing deeproot sedge frequency, cover, and extent to more manageable levels throughout its introduced geographic range.

Controlling Purple Jewelweed (Impatiens glandulifera): Assessment of Feasibility and Costs

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 254-261
Author(s):  
Michaël Leblanc ◽  
Claude Lavoie
Keyword(s):  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Stem Density ◽  
Impatiens Glandulifera ◽  
Work Time ◽  
Exotic Invasive Species ◽  
Exotic Invasive ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Density And Biomass ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Control Campaign

We experimentally tested the feasibility of a control campaign of purple jewelweed (Impatiens glandulifera), an exotic invasive species in Europe and North America. We evaluated the amount of time and money required to control the plant along riverbanks, with particular attention paid to the recovery of riparian vegetation following hand pulling and bagging. Work time was directly and significantly related to stem density and fresh biomass of the invader, but the relationship was stronger for density. Density and biomass were strongly reduced by the first hand-pulling operation from a mean of 45 to 2 stems m−2 and from a mean of 0.95 kg m−2 to nearly zero, a good performance but not enough to negate the need for a second hand pulling later in the summer. A single hand pulling significantly reduced the cover of purple jewelweed from to 30% to 7%. Riparian vegetation disturbed by the first hand pulling largely recovered during the following 30 d. Expressed over an area of 1 ha, the total amount of time required to control purple jewelweed is 1,400 work hours over 2 yr, or a minimum investment of Can$21,000 (US$17,000). Although controlling a well-established purple jewelweed population is expensive, to properly evaluate the benefits, we must also consider the costs of soil erosion caused by this species.

Phylogenetic relationships among species of Ganoderma (Ganodermataceae, Basidiomycota) from Cameroon

2012 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 526 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. R. Kinge ◽  
A. M. Mih ◽  
M. P. A. Coetzee
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Phylogenetic Relationships ◽  
Internal Transcribed Spacer ◽  
New Records ◽  
Small Subunit ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Molecular Techniques ◽  
Tropical Species ◽  
The Tropics

Ganoderma is an important genus of the Polyporales in the tropics. Identification of tropical species has mainly been based on morphology, which has led to misidentification. This study aimed to elucidate the diversity and phylogenetic relationships of Ganoderma isolates from different hosts in Cameroon using morphological and molecular techniques. Analyses of basidiocarp morphology and the internal transcribed spacer and mitochondria small subunit were undertaken for 28 isolates from five plant species. The results show that the isolates belong to eight species. Three of the species were identified to species level; of these only G. ryvardense has been previously described from Cameroon while G. cupreum and G. weberianum are new records. The five remaining species did not match with any previously described species and have been designated as Ganoderma with different species affinities.

New taxa in Glycine (Fabaceae: Phaseolae) from north-western Australia

2002 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 565 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. E. Pfeil ◽  
L. A. Craven
Keyword(s):  
New Taxa ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
National Park ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Range Extension ◽  
North Western

Three new taxa of Glycine are described, namely Glycine pullenii B.E.Pfeil, Tindale & Craven and G.�aphyonota B.E.Pfeil from Bungle Bungle-Purnululu National Park, Western Australia, and G. hirticaulis subsp. leptosa B.E.Pfeil from the Top End of the Northern Territory. A key to Glycine Willd. in north-western Australia is provided. A range extension for G. falcata Benth. is noted.

Parameters of Kava Used as a Challenge to Alcohol

1986 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Cawte
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Abuse ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Clinical Effects ◽  
Pacific Island ◽  
Human Metabolism ◽  
Northern Australia ◽  
Surprising Effect ◽  
Greek Tradition ◽  
High Level

The kava bowl, a traditional feature of Pacific Island societies, has been adopted and adapted by a number of Aboriginal (Yolngu) communities of northern Australia, where it was introduced in the hope that it would challenge alcohol. This paper reports a study of its usage at Elcho Island, Northern Territory. At the high level of intake in this community, medical effects hitherto unreported are being observed. Some, such as a condition of detachment, reminiscent of the archetypal ‘blissful indolence’ of the lotus-eaters of Greek tradition as limned by the poet Homer, are obvious to the lay observer. Other effects are apparently advantageous for the management of alcohol abuse and some forms of psychosis. A surprising effect is the occurrence of a pellagrinous reaction. These observations indicate that further studies of the clinical effects and the human metabolism of high dosage kava are needed. Looming over all are questions of pharmacology. Do the kava pyrones possess anxiolytic or antipsychotic properties? Do they indeed have the property for which Pacific missionaries introduced them to Australia, as an alternative to alcoholism?

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