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Academic literature on the topic 'Biodegradation – Environmental aspects – Western Australia'
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Journal articles on the topic "Biodegradation – Environmental aspects – Western Australia"
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Patterson, B. M., F. Pribac, C. Barber, G. B. Davis, and R. Gibbs. "Biodegradation and retardation of PCE and BTEX compounds in aquifer material from Western Australia using large-scale columns." Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 14, no. 3-4 (November 1993): 261–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0169-7722(93)90028-q.
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Tibbett, Mark, Suman J. George, Alexis Davie, Alyssa Barron, Nui Milton, and Paul F. Greenwood. "Just Add Water and Salt: the Optimisation of Petrogenic Hydrocarbon Biodegradation in Soils from Semi-arid Barrow Island, Western Australia." Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 216, no. 1-4 (August 18, 2010): 513–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0549-z.
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Di Martino, Gianluca, Roumen Sankoff, Craig Marshall, and Bobby Chopra. "The Coniston development: another offshore challenge in Western Australia." APPEA Journal 54, no. 2 (2014): 475. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/aj13048.
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This extended abstract discusses the key challenges associated with the Coniston development; particular emphasis is on engineering, operations, and project management aspects. The Coniston development will produce oil and gas from the Coniston and Novara hydrocarbon accumulations, located in permit WA-35-L, about 100 km north of Exmouth, in water depths of about 400 m. The Coniston development will consist of a sub-sea tieback to the existing Van Gogh sub-sea infrastructure and the Ningaloo Vision FPSO, currently producing from the Van Gogh Field. The project was sanctioned by Apache in 2011 and will be on production in 2Q 2014. To maximise reservoir exposure, multilateral wells will be drilled, and completed, employing inflow control devices of latest generation and monitoring production with the installation of tracers. To take advantage of project synergies, gas lift will be provided by Van Gogh wells through a dedicated gas production manifold. The Coniston development represents a remarkable multidisciplinary effort to develop a relatively small-size oil reservoir offshore WA. Some of the challenges achieved are the high oil viscosity, the complexity of the engineering to install new sub-sea infrastructure while minimising the impact on Van Gogh production and maximising the synergies of the tie back, the constant increase in drilling and facilities costs while maintaining attractive project economics, and the more stringent regulations environmental permits and the ability to optimise drilling and operation to achieve production as quickly as possible.
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Rickert, KG, RH Sedgley, and WR Stern. "Environmental response of spring wheat in the south-western Australian cereal belt." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 38, no. 4 (1987): 655. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar9870655.
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The performance of the spring wheat cultivar Gamenya, the leading cultivar in Western Australia since 1968, was studied to identify key aspects of its response to the environment under typically dry conditions on two contrasting soil types: a heavy clay loam and a light loamy sand overlying clay in the Merredin region.In the rain-fed treatments the total water use was similar on both soils and was of the order of 240 mm. On the heavy-textured soil at high nitrogen, the foliage canopy developed more rapidly than on the light soil, resulting in earlier soil water depletion and haying off. Water use efficiencies of about 10 kg grain ha-1 per mm of water were similar to those reported for winter rainfall areas in south-eastern Australia. This suggests a greater degree of buffering against spring drought than is indicated by the high ratio of pre-anthesis to post-anthesis water use (3-4.7:l) relative to values of 2-2.7:l in other parts of the Australian wheatbelt. Data on the partitioning of dry matter indicated that this buffering of the harsh spring conditions at Merredin may be due to a greater contribution of assimilates from pre-anthesis storage, to grain filling. In dry environments, further critical evaluation is needed of the role of stored assimilates in grain formation.Faster canopy closure on the heavy soil resulted from a higher density of shoots and possibly larger leaves. This led to the suggestion that on heavier, more fertile soils, an ideotype with restricted tillering, may be higher yielding. By the end of the season ear bearing shoot densities and total water use were the same on both soil types, thus masking earlier important differences.
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Kington, E. A., and D. J. Pannell. "Dryland salinity in the Upper Kent River catchment of Western Australia: farmer perceptions and practices." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 43, no. 1 (2003): 19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea01058.
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Dryland salinity, resulting from extensive land clearing, has been increasingly recognised as a serious environmental and economic problem in Western Australia. Policy initiatives at the state and national level in Australia have attempted to influence farmers' choices of land management practices to reduce the threat of salinity. This study examines, for a particular catchment, what farmers' salinity management practices have been and are likely to be, how farmers view the salinity problem and its recommended treatments, and farmers' perceptions of why the salinity problem continues to worsen. We found that the farmers had high levels of knowledge about salinity and its treatment, although their perceptions appeared to be overly optimistic on a number of aspects of the problem. As a group they were highly uncertain about its extent and the rate of worsening, and they highlighted the complexity, modest effectiveness and relatively poor economic performance of available treatment options. It appears that the scale of salinity prevention practices in the catchment is insufficient for preventing ongoing increases in the area of saline land.
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Mellor, David, Alice Hucker, Monique Waterhouse, Norul Hidayah binti Mamat, Xiaoyan Xu, Jamie Cochrane, Marita McCabe, and Lina Ricciardelli. "A Cross-Cultural Study Investigating Body Features Associated With Male Adolescents’ Body Dissatisfaction in Australia, China, and Malaysia." American Journal of Men's Health 8, no. 6 (April 3, 2014): 521–31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1557988314528370.
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This study investigated how dissatisfaction with particular aspects of the body was associated with overall body dissatisfaction among male adolescents in Western and Asian cultures. One hundred and six Malaysian Malays, 55 Malaysian Chinese, 195 Chinese from China, and 45 non-Asian Australians aged 12 to 19 years completed a questionnaire assessing dissatisfaction with their overall body and dissatisfaction with varying aspects of their body. Dissatisfaction with the face, height, and hair was positively correlated with overall body dissatisfaction among Malaysian Malays after body mass index, age and dissatisfaction with body areas typically included in measures (weight/shape, upper, middle, and lower body, and muscles) had been controlled for. Dissatisfaction with the face was positively correlated with overall body dissatisfaction among Malaysian Chinese. These findings demonstrate the differences in body focus for males from different cultures and the importance of using assessment measures that address all possible areas of body focus.
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Wylynko, B., and A. Hartley. "SUSTAINABILITY: A NEW ERA IN APPROVALS PROCESSES." APPEA Journal 44, no. 1 (2004): 797. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/aj03043.
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With its in-principle approval of the Gorgon gas proposal, the Western Australian government has heralded a new era —the era of sustainability assessments.No longer confined to strict environmental criteria, sustainability assessments will also consider the economic and social aspects of proposed oil and gas developments. This has a number of ramifications for the legal framework within which existing approvals processes operate.This paper examines traditional environmental assessment as represented by the processes used by Western Australia and the Commonwealth (which will be applied to the Gorgon proposal). It finds that while economic and social factors are expressly included in the legal framework, these factors have not played a large role in either assessing the significance of proposal impacts or in determining the conditions to be placed on the proposals. In the case of Western Australia, in 1996 the Supreme Court overturned recommendations by the Environmental Protection Authority, and a subsequent decision by the Minister for the Environment, on the basis that they had considered extraneous economic factors.Soon after approving the Gorgon proposal, the Western Australian Government published a State Sustainability Strategy. The strategy calls for sustainability assessments to be built upon existing environmental assessment processes. Having outlined the traditional environmental assessment process, the paper draws out a series of principles that may serve as a starting point for discussion about how to create sustainability assessment processes from environmental assessment processes. Key principles include comprehensiveness and an articulation of the objectives to be met through the assessments.The notion of sustainability is gradually becoming incorporated into the environmental legal framework. Sustainability assessments may be the next step in the development of that framework.
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Hillier, Jean, and Michael Gunder. "Not over Your Dead Bodies! A Lacanian Interpretation of Urban Planning Discourse and Practice." Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space 37, no. 6 (June 2005): 1049–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1068/a37152.
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This paper examines aspects of Lacanian critical social theory in terms of its appropriateness for understanding urban planning. We tell a story from planning practice in Western Australia which we then analyse by introducing Lacan's notion of the master signifier and the sets of knowledges, values and practices which master signifiers embody. We then apply the Lacanian concepts of desire and jouissance, followed by an exploration of the Lacanian four discourses and the speech acts, or language games, of the planner and the ‘planned’. We conclude by estimating the potential value of Lacanian analysis for understanding planning praxis.
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Fulton, Murray. "Cereal and wool production in the Esperance Sandplain area of Western Australia: The need for a systems approach for sustainable agriculture." American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 8, no. 2 (June 1993): 85–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0889189300005038.
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AbstractThe problems facing farmers in the Esperance Sandplain region of Western Australia—salinity, herbicide resistance, wind erosion, and plant disease—are highly interrelated. Unless the biological, economic and social aspects of the problems are examined in an integrated way, no sustainable system will be found. Similarly, agricultural teaching and research must become much more integrated if they are to address agricultural and environmental problems satisfactorily. This will require changes in the structure of university and research institutions and in the rewards for research and teaching.
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Giles-Corti, Billie, Sally Macintyre, Johanna P. Clarkson, Terro Pikora, and Robert J. Donovan. "Environmental and Lifestyle Factors Associated with Overweight and Obesity in Perth, Australia." American Journal of Health Promotion 18, no. 1 (September 2003): 93–102. http://dx.doi.org/10.4278/0890-1171-18.1.93.
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Purpose. To examine associations between environmental and lifestyle factors and overweight or obesity. Design. A cross-sectional survey and an environmental scan of recreational facilities. Setting. Metropolitan Perth, Western Australia. Subjects. Healthy sedentary workers and homemakers aged 18 to 59 years (n = 1803) living in areas within the top and bottom quintiles of social disadvantage. Measures. Four lifestyle factors, one social environmental factor, and five physical environment factors (three objectively measured). Results. After adjustment for demographic factors and other variables in the model, overweight was associated with living on a highway (odds ratio [OR], 4.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.62–11.09) or streets with no sidewalks or sidewalks on one side only (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.03–1.78) and perceiving no paths within walking distance (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.08–1.86). Poor access to four or more recreational facilities (OR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.11–2.55) and sidewalks (OR, 1.62; 95% CI, .98–2.68) and perceiving no shop within walking distance (OR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.01–3.36) were associated with obesity. Conversely, access to a motor vehicle all the time was negatively associated with obesity (OR, .56; 95% CI, .32–.99). Watching 3 or more hours of television daily (ORs, 1.92 and 1.85, respectively) and rating oneself as less active than others (ORs, 1.66 and 4.05, respectively) were associated with both overweight and obesity. After adjustment for individual demographic factors and all other variables in the model, socioeconomic status of area of residence and leisure-time physical activity were not associated with overweight or obesity. Conclusion. Factors that influence overweight and obesity appear to differ, but aspects of the physical environment may be important. Objectively measured neighborhood environment factors warrant further investigation.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic "Biodegradation – Environmental aspects – Western Australia"
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O'Brien, R. Christopher. "Forensic animal necrophagy in the South-West of Western Australia : species, feeding patterns and taphonomic effects." University of Western Australia. School of Anatomy and Human Biology, 2008. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2008.0195.
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[Truncated abstract] One of the standard ways of assessing time since death is from the stages of decomposition of the body. It is well known that the rate of decomposition is affected by environmental factors such as temperature and humidity. Another factor that can affect decompositional rates is the presence of breaches in the protective barrier of the skin, whether arising from antemortem injury or postmortem damage, including that occurring from animal necrophagy. Scavengers have the potential to affect decomposition by breaching the skin allowing access to associated insect material, feeding on the maggot masses, or by consumption of the carcass itself. Each locality will have its own set of features determining the rate of decomposition of the body, and variation may occur within localities based on the seasons. Such variation implies the need for local calibration of time since death against degree of decomposition and to establish the magnitude of interseasonal variation. When the localities are outdoors, the influence of potential scavengers, and the factors affecting their activity need also to be taken into account. This study investigates the interaction of environmental factors and animal scavenging on the rate of decomposition of pig (Sus scrofa) carcasses at four south-west Western Australia sites; Jandakot, Shenton Park, Perup Forest, and Watheroo National Park. Jandakot and Shenton Park are both close to the Perth metropolitan area and the western coast while Perup Forest is southern and inland and Watheroo is northern and inland. ... The most common insectivore feeding in relation to the carcasses was the Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) which was associated with the carcasses in all seasons and all locations except for Perup Forest. The breeding cycle appeared to have a marked influence on the intensity of scavenging by several species. The effect of season on decompositional rates was greatly reduced in carcasses that were exposed to scavenging. It took no additional time for carcasses to achieve skeletonization in winter than in the other seasons in the presence of scavenging. Scavenging had no significant impact on the rate of breakdown of carcasses in summer, when decompositional rates were greatest and scavenging at a minimum. v In Western Australia, it is not uncommon for bodies to remain undiscovered in bush environments for lengthy periods of time due to the low human population density. This study shows conclusively that it is not sufficient simply to consider the accumulated degree day (ADD) when estimating time since death by the degree of decomposition of the body. Attention must also be given to local wildlife assemblages and variations in their activities with the seasons. The implications of this research are in the determination of time of death. If the effects of scavengers accelerate decomposition this must be taken into account when any calculation since time of death is determined. The marked variations between sites in the rates of decomposition of carcasses exposed to natural animal scavenging in this study highlights the need for local calibration of time since death to decompositional stages for all locales. The techniques devised in this study are straight forward and easily conducted yet are informative and essential in determining time since death for bodies which have been exposed to animal scavenging.
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Graham, Tennille. "Economics of protecting road infrastructure from dryland salinity in Western Australia." University of Western Australia. School of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 2009. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2009.0207.
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[Truncated abstract] The salinisation of agricultural land, urban infrastructure and natural habitat is a serious and increasing problem in southern Australia. Government funding has been allocated to the problem to attempt to reduce substantial costs associated with degradation of agricultural and non-agricultural assets. Nevertheless, Government funding has been small relative to the size of the problem and therefore expenditure needs to be carefully targeted to interventions that will achieve the greatest net benefits. For intervention to be justified, the level of salinity resulting from private landholder decisions must exceed the level that is optimal from the point of view of society as a whole, and the costs of government intervention must be less than the benefits gained by society. This study aims to identify situations when government intervention is justified to manage dryland salinity that threatens to affect road infrastructure (a public asset). A key gap in the environmental economics literature is research that considers dryland salinity as a pollution that has off-site impacts on public assets. This research developed two hydrological/economic models to achieve this objective. The first was a simple economic model representing external costs from dryland salinity. This model was used to identify those variables that have the biggest impact on the net-benefits possible from government intervention. The second model was a combined hydro/economic model that represents the external costs from dryland salinity on road infrastructure. The hydrological component of the model applied the method of metamodelling to simplify a complex, simulation model to equations that could be easily included in the economic model. The key variables that have the biggest impact on net-benefits of dryland salinity mitigation were the value of the off-site asset and the time lag before the onset of dryland salinity in the absence of intervention. ... In the case study of dryland salinity management in the Date Creek subcatchment of Western Australia, the economics of vegetation-based and engineering strategies were investigated for road infrastructure. In general, the engineering strategies were more economically beneficial than vegetation-based strategies. In the case-study catchment, the cost of dryland salinity affecting roads was low relative to the cost to agricultural land. Nevertheless, some additional change in land management to reduce impacts on roads (beyond the changes justified by agricultural land alone) was found to be optimal in some cases. Reinforcing the results from the simple model, a key factor influencing the economics of dryland salinity management was the urgency of the problem. If costs from dryland salinity were not expected to occur until 30 years or more, the optimal response in the short-term was to do nothing. Overall, the study highlights the need for governments to undertake comprehensive and case-specific analysis before committing resources to the management of dryland salinity affecting roads. There were many scenarios in the modelling analysis where the benefits of interventions would not be sufficient to justify action.
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Speldewinde, Peter Christiaan. "Ecosystem health : the relationship between dryland salinity and human health." University of Western Australia. School of Population Health, 2008. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2008.0127.
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Australia is experiencing widespread ecosystem degradation, including dryland salinity, erosion and vegetation loss. Approximately 1 million hectares (5.5%) of the south-west agricultural zone of Western Australia is affected by dryland salinity and is predicted to rise to 5.4 million hectares by 2050. Such degradation is associated with many environmental outcomes that may impact on human health, including a decrease in primary productivity, an increase in the number of invasive species, a decrease in the number of large trees, overall decrease in biodiversity, and an increase in dust production. The resulting degradation affects not only farm production but also farm values. This study examines the effects of such severe and widespread environmental degradation on the physical and mental health of residents. Western Australia has an extensive medical record database which links individual health records for all hospital admissions, cancer cases, births and deaths. For the 15 diseases examined in this project, the study area of the south west of Western Australia (excluding the capital city of Perth) contained 1,570,985 morbidity records and 27,627 mortality records for the 15 diseases examined in a population of approximately 460,000. Environmental data were obtained from the Western Australian Department of Agriculture?s soil and landscape mapping database. A spatial Bayesian framework was used to examine associations between these disease and environmental variables. The Bayesian model detected the confounding variables of socio-economic status and proportion of the population identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. With the inclusion of these confounders in the model, associations were found between environmental degradation (including dryland salinity) and several diseases with known environmentally-mediated triggers, including asthma, ischaemic heart disease, suicide and depression. However, once records of individuals who had been diagnosed with coexistent depression were removed from the analysis, the effect of dryland salinity was no longer statistically detectable for asthma, ischaemic heart disease or suicide, although the effects of socio-economic status and size of the Aboriginal population remained. The spatial component of this study showed an association between land degradation and human health. These results indicated that such processes are driving the degree of psychological ill-health in these populations, although it remains uncertain whether this 4 is secondary to overall coexisting rural poverty or some other environmental mechanism. To further investigate this complex issue an instrument designed to measure mental health problems in rural communities was developed. Components of the survey included possible triggers for mental health, including environmental factors. The interview was administered in a pilot study through a telephone survey of a small number of farmers in South-Western Australia. Using logistic regression a significant association between the mental health of male farmers and dryland salinity was detected. However, the sample size of the survey was too small to detect any statistically significant associations between dryland salinity and the mental health of women. The results of this study indicate that dryland salinity, as with other examples of ecosystem degradation, is associated with an increased burden of human disease.
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Siddique, Sharif Rayhan. "Development of policies to ameliorate the environmental impact of cars in Perth City, using the results of a stated preference survey and air pollution modelling." University of Western Australia. Faculty of Business, 2007. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2007.0165.
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[Truncated abstract] Air pollution is increasingly perceived to be a serious intangible threat to humanity, with air quality continuing to deteriorate in most urban areas. The main sources of inner city pollution are motor vehicles, which generate emissions from the tail pipe as well as by evaporation. These contain toxic gaseous components which have adverse health effects. The major components are carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitric oxide (NO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), particulates (PM10), and volatile organic compounds (VOC). CO and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) are major emissions from cars. This study focuses on pollutant concentration in Perth city and has sought to develop measures to improve air quality. To estimate concentrations, the study develops air pollution models for CO and NOx; on the basis of the model estimates, effective policy is devised to improve the air quality by managing travel to the city. Two peaks, due to traffic, are observed in hourly CO and NOx concentrations. Unlike traffic, however, the morning peak does not reach the level of the afternoon peak. The reasons for this divergence are assessed and quantified. Separate causal models of hourly concentrations of CO and NOx explain their fluctuations accurately. They take account of the complex effects of the urban street canyon and winds in the city. The angle of incidence of the wind has significant impact on pollution level; a wind flow from the south-west increases pollution and wind from the north-east decreases it. The models have been shown to be equivalent to engineering and scientific models in estimating emission rate in the context of street canyons. However the study models are much more precise in the Perth context. ... The models are used to calculate the marginal effects for all attributes and elasticity for fuel price. In almost all attributes the non-work group is more responsive than the work group. Finally, the SP model results are integrated into an econometric model for the purpose of prediction. The travel behaviour prediction is used to estimate the policy impact on air quality. The benefit from the air quality improvement is reported in terms of life saved. The estimated relationships between probability of death and air pollution determines the number of lives that could be saved under various policy scenarios. A ratio of benefits to the financial and perceived sacrifices by drivers is calculated to compare the effectiveness of the suggested policies. A car size charge policy was found to be the most cost effective measure to ameliorate the environmental impact of cars in Perth, with a morning peak entry time charge being almost as cost effective. The study demonstrates the need for appropriate modelling of air pollution and travel behaviour. It brings together analytical methods at three levels of causality, vehicle to air pollution, charge to travel response, and air pollution to health.
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Hardiputra, Bingah Astuti. "Properties of rehabilitated coalmine soils at Collie." University of Western Australia. Soil Science and Plant Nutrition Discipline Group, 2004. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2005.0041.
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[Truncated abstract] Many soil properties are involved in supporting the growth of plants and in limiting soil degradation. The present study was carried out to provide a basis for minimising environmental impact by providing a firm understanding of the soil properties that affect plant growth for soils developed from mining waste from the Wesfarmers Premier coalmine at Collie. The purpose of this study was to provide an understanding of the soil materials and to identify the potential interactions between soil properties and plants for soils developed on coalmine materials at the Premier mine, Collie. This research was to identify the nature of the manmade soils so as to determine if soil forming processes are active, to determine soil acidity including pH buffering capacity and the lime requirement of soils, to measure water retention characteristics and soil available water for plant growth, to relate soil properties to possible effects on plant growth, and to identify management strategies to improve soil conditions and overcome plant growth constraints. Seventy-seven manmade horizons from pits in 18 constructed soils, ranging from 9 to 21-years old, were analyzed throughout this study. These samples are classified based on soil depth, layer (topsoil and subsoil), and age of soil since rehabilitation. The methods for doing most of the analyses follow the Australian Soil and Land Survey handbook by Rayment and Higginson (1992). The results are presented quantitatively and soil properties are compared to provide information on pedogenic processes, the extent of soil development, the ability of the soils to resist degradation and to provide an indication of soil parent materials
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Baudains, Catherine Mary. "Environmental education in the workplace : inducing voluntary transport behaviour change to decrease single occupant vehicle trips by commuters into the Perth CBD." Access via Murdoch University Digital Theses Project, 2003. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browser/view/adt-MU20040310.121357.
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Lalor, Briony Maree. "An assessment of the recovery of the microbial community in jarrah forest soils after bauxite mining and prescription burning." University of Western Australia. School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, 2009. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2010.0037.
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[Truncated abstract] Recovery of soil nutrients, microbial populations and carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling processes are critical to the success of rehabilitation following major ecosystem disturbance. Bauxite mining represents a major ecosystem disturbance to the jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest in the south-west of Western Australia. Mining has created a mosaic of mined areas in various stages of succession surrounded by non-mined forest areas. Initial site preparations within rehabilitation areas such as contour ripping alter soil structure (creation of mound and furrows) and over time also influence the distribution of vegetation and litter. Current performance criteria developed by industry, government and other stakeholders have determined that before post-bauxite mined areas of jarrah forest can be integrated back into normal forest management practises they should be functional and demonstrate resilience to normal forest disturbances such as fire. Furthermore, resilience should be of a manner comparable to non-mined analogue forest sites. Currently little is known of the resilience of microbial communities and C and N cycling in rehabilitation sites to normal forest disturbances such as prescription burning. As such, before rehabilitated jarrah forests can be successfully integrated into broad scale forest management regimes, a more thorough knowledge of the potential impacts of burning practises on the soil microbial community and C and N cycling processes in these systems is required. ... While there are similar rates of C and N cycling the underlying microbial community structure was distinctly different; implying a high degree of functional redundancy with respect to C and N cycling. Differences in the C and N cycling and structure of the microbial communities were likely to be due to differences in soil environmental conditions (i.e. soil alkalinity/acidity, soil moisture) and C substrate availability which influence the physiological status of the microbial community and in turn are related to successional age of the forests. Results also suggest that the measurement of CLPP can be a useful approach for assessment of changes in the functional ability of microbial communities. However, the interpretation of how well these rehabilitation forests have recovered heterotrophic abilities was greatly affected by the methodological approach used (e.g. MicroRespTM or Degens and Harris, 1997). Importantly, results from Chapter 4 and 5 suggested that the effects of a moderate prescription fire on C and N processes, CLPP and microbial community structure of 18 year old rehabilitation forests are likely to be short-lived (< 2 years). Furthermore, the effects of the moderate spring prescription fire were not large enough to decouple C and N cycling processes over the short-term (< 1 years) which suggests that by 18 years of age rehabilitation forests demonstrate comparable functional resilience to a moderate prescription burn.
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Collins, Margaret Thora. "Factors affecting the recovery of orchids in a post-mining landscape." University of Western Australia. School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, 2008. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2008.0022.
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[Truncated abstract] Currently, Alcoa World Alumina Australia (Alcoa) mines and undertakes procedures to rehabilitate approximately 550 ha of jarrah forest each year at two open-cut bauxite mines in South-West Western Australia. Alcoa aims to establish a self-sustaining jarrah forest ecosystem that maintains the functions of the landscape prior to mining, including biodiversity, on areas that have been mined for bauxite. Indigenous terrestrial orchids form a significant proportion of the indigenous geophytic plant species that either fail to colonise rehabilitated areas or do so very slowly. Terrestrial orchids are considered to be particularly sensitive to competition from weeds and disturbance, which combined with the obligate nature of the orchid-mycorrhizal fungus association suggests that orchids would colonise rehabilitation areas only when both microhabitat sites and soil microflora have established. Occurrence of certain orchids may therefore be expected to be useful as indicators of ecosystem health, the success of vegetation establishment and the recovery of edaphic conditions suitable for orchid mycorrhizal fungi. Vegetation surveys were undertaken to compare orchid species richness and population size of a chrono-sequence of rehabilitation areas with adjacent unmined forest. ... Orchid taxa present in each vegetation assemblage were generally not exclusive to these assemblages, with the following broad exclusions: D. bracteata was found only in species assemblages associated with rehabilitation areas; and Eriochilus sp. and T. crinita were found only in species assemblages associated with unmined forest. No single orchid species appears to be an indicator of ecosystem recovery. However, the presence of populations of C. flava, P. sp. crinkled leaf (G.J.Keighery 13426) or P. recurva in combination with the absence of the disturbance opportunist orchid taxa D. bracteata and M. media appears to be a measure of the maturity of the rehabilitation vegetation. Orchid species richness and clonal orchid population size were correlated with changes in vegetation structure, but apart from the absence of orchids in 1 year old rehabilitation areas, these orchid population characteristics did not show any direct relationship with rehabilitation age or vegetation maturity. Only two orchid taxa appeared to have potential as indicators of vegetation characteristics: T. crinita as an indicator of undisturbed jarrah forest; and D. bracteata as an indicator of disturbed ecosystems. The results of this study suggest that most jarrah forest orchid taxa will readily colonise the post bauxite mining landscape, but that the unassisted colonisation by recalcitrant orchid taxa may be a prolonged process. It is recommended that field-based transplantation and/or seeding trials be undertaken with these recalcitrant taxa to determine if these procedures will enhance recruitment. The results of this work have applications not only in the management of post-mining landscapes but also in vegetation monitoring and conservation work in Western Australia and elsewhere.
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Williams, Mia Gabrielle. "Impact of environmental conditions on the infection behaviour of Western Australian strains of Plasmopara viticola, causal agent of downy mildew in grapevines." University of Western Australia. Soil Science and Plant Nutrition Discipline Group, 2006. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2006.0035.
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Downy mildew, caused by the biotrophic Oomycete Plasmopara viticola, is one of the most important diseases of grapevines world wide. It is particularly destructive in temperate viticultural regions that experience warm wet conditions during the vegetative growth of the vine (Wong et al., 2001). The disease is not normally a problem in mediterranean climates where the growing season tends to be hot and dry (Mullins et al., 1992; Sivasithamparam, 1993). Grape downy mildew is however a major disease in Australian viticulture (McLean et al., 1984; Magarey et al., 1991). Grape downy mildew was first reported in Europe in 1878 (Viennot-Bourgin, 1981). In Australia, it was recorded for the first time in 1917 at Rutherglen in Victoria (Vic) (de Castella, 1917). The first recorded outbreak of the disease in Western Australia (WA) occurred in 1997 in a small planting of vines in the far north of the state. In the subsequent year, it was detected in widespread commercial viticulture in the Swan Valley production area, near Perth (McKirdy et al., 1999). The pathogen has since been found in all grape growing regions of WA. Since its introduction into European vineyards in the 1880?s, P. viticola has become one of the world?s most investigated grapevine pathogens. Many aspects its basic biology however remain unknown (Wong et al., 2001). Due to the recent detection of P. viticola in WA, little is known of the nature of strains of the pathogen in the state and their response to local environmental conditions. Much of the research concerning the influence of environmental factors on the development of P. viticola has been conducted in Europe e.g. parts of France and Germany. Due to significant differences in climatic conditions and a shorter selection time on the pathogen in WA, much of the information described in European studies may not be directly applicable to the grape downy mildew disease situation in WA. The focus of this thesis was to examine epidemiological aspects of P. viticola in the mediterranean climate of WA. The environmental conditions that could favour the development of epidemics by strains of the pathogen that have been detected in the state were determined. The existence of P. viticola ecotypes and genetic variation among strains from WA and the Eastern states of Australia was also investigated.
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Borger, Catherine. "The biology and ecology of Salsola australis R.Br. (Chenopodiaceae) in southwest Australian cropping systems." University of Western Australia. School of Plant Biology, 2007. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2008.0062.
Full textAbstract:
Salsola australis is an introduced weed of crop and pasture systems in the Western Australian broad acre cropping and pasture region (wheat-belt). This thesis investigated the classification, biology and ecology of the genus Salsola in southwest Australia, as well as modelling the effectiveness of possible weed control practices. Prior to this research, S. tragus was the only recognised species of the Salsola genus within Australia. However, genetic analysis revealed that four genetically distinct putative taxa of the genus Salsola were found in southwest Australia, none of which were S. tragus. The taxa that is the most prevalent agricultural weed was classified as S. australis, but the other three putative taxa could not be matched to recognised species. All four taxa were diploid (2n = 18), as opposed to tetraploid (2n = 36) S. tragus. Within the agricultural system of southwest Australia, S. australis plants established throughout the year, although the majority of seed production occurred in late summer and autumn. Total seed production (138-7734 seeds per plant) and seed viability (7.6-62.8%) of S. australis were lower than that reported for other agricultural weed species of the Salsola genus. Seed dispersal occurred when the senesced plants broke free of their root system to become mobile. Wind driven plants travelled and shed seed over distances of 1.6 to 1247.2 m. Movement of approximately half the plants was restricted to less than 100 m by entanglement with other S. australis plants within the stand. Some seed was retained on the senesced plants, but the germinability of this seed fell to less than 2% in the two month period following plant senescence (i.e. a decline of 79%). Once seed shed into the soil seed bank, anywhere from 32.3 to 80.7% of the viable seeds germinated in the year following seed production, with the rest remaining dormant or degrading. A model of the life cycle of S. australis based on the population ecology data indicated that the dormant seed bank had very little effect on annual seedling recruitment, but seed dispersal from neighbouring populations had a large impact on population growth rate. Therefore, the most successful weed control measures were those that restricted seed dispersal from neighbouring populations, or those that were applied to all populations in the region rather than to a single population. Weed control techniques applied to a single population, without reducing seed dispersal, could not reduce population size.
Books on the topic "Biodegradation – Environmental aspects – Western Australia"
1
Western Australia. Office of the Auditor General. Fish for the future?: Fisheries management in Western Australia. West Perth, W.A: Auditor General, 1999.
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2
Patricia, Crawford. Contested country: A history of the Northcliffe area, Western Australia. Nedlands, W.A: University of Western Australia Press, 2003.
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3
Western Australia. Environmental Protection Authority. Proposed aluminium smelter, Kemerton, International Aluminium Consortium of Western Australia: Report and recommendations. Perth, W.A: Dept. of Conservation and Environment, 1985.
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Supply, Western Australia Steering Committee for Research on LandUse and Water. Stream salinity and its reclamation in south-west Western Australia. Leederville, WA: Water Authority of Western Australia, Water Resources Directorate, 1989.
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Workshop on Future Directions in Tailings Environmental Mangagement (1998 Perth, W.A.). Proceedings of the Workshop on Future Directions in Tailings Environmental Management: Perth, Western Australia, 14-15 September 1998. Edited by Asher C. J, Bell L. C, and Australian Centre for Mining Environmental Research. Kenmore, Qld: Australian Centre for Mining Environmental Research, 1999.
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Schofield, N. J. The impact of agricultural development on the salinity of surface water resources of south-west Western Australia. Leederville, WA: Water Authority of Western Australia, 1988.
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Elofson, W. M. So far and yet so close: Frontier cattle ranching in western prairie Canada and the Northern Territory of Australia. Calgary, Alberta: University of Calgary Press, 2015.
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Strawbridge, M. The extent, condition and management of remnant vegetation in water resource recovery catchments in south Western Australia: Report to the Natural Heritage Trust. East Perth, W.A: Water and Rivers Commission, 1999.
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Schofield, N. J. Water interactions with land use and climate in south western Australia: Presentation to the Hydrology and Forest Practice Workshop, Canberra, 13-17 November 1989. Leederville, WA: Water Authority of Western Australia, 1990.
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Contaminated, Site Remediation Conference (1999 Fremantle W. A. ). Contaminated site remediation: Challenges posed by urban and industrial contaminants : proceedings of the 1999 Contaminated Site Remediation Conference ... 21-25 March 1999, Fremantle, Western Australia. Wembley, W.A: Centre for Groundwater Studies, CSIRO Land and Water, 1999.
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