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1
Woinarski, JCZ, and A. Fisher. "Wildlife of Lancewood (Acacia Shirleyi) Thickets and Woodlands in Northern Australia. 2. Comparisons With Other Environments of the Region (Acacia Woodlands, Eucalyptus Savanna Woodlands and Monsoon Rainforests)." Wildlife Research 22, no. 4 (1995): 413. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9950413.
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Embedded in the extensive Eucalyptus open forests and savanna woodlands that dominate the northern Australian landscape are patches of monsoon rain forest and Acacia thickets and woodlands. In this paper, the vertebrate species composition of patches of lancewood (Acacia shirleyi) thickets and woodlands of the Northern Territory was compared with that of other environments of this region: pindan woodlands (A. eriopoda and A. tumida), gidgee woodlands (A. georginae), patches of monsoon rain forests and the extensive Eucalyptus open forests and woodlands. The vertebrate fauna of lancewood thickets is distinct for that of Eucalyptus open forests, and has fewer species. Differences in species composition and richness are associated with substantial differences in resource availability, with lancewood thickets having far less grass cover (and hence relatively few granivorous birds and rodents, but more ground-feeding insectivorous and omnivorous birds), fewer nectar-bearing flowers (and hence fewer nectarivorous birds) and lower structural and floristic diversity than Eucalyptus forests. There was little difference in species richness or total abundance between the three types of Acacia woodlands sampled. Lancewood thickets had fewer species than monsoon rain forests to coastal dry monsoon rain forests to inland dry monsoon rain forests to lancewood thickets to pindan woodlands to gidgee woodlands, in accord with the pronounced rainfall gradient of this region and with canopy cover and height. Within this broad continuum the three Acacia woodlands were most closely grouped. Species turnover along this gradient consisted of substantial decrease or loss of some foraging groups (e.g. frugivorous birds) or replacement of species within broad foraging groups. The faunal relationship of the monsoon rain forests and Acacia communities provides some support for considering these fire-sensitive environments as fragments of a formerly extensive continuum. Three species (Pomatostomus temporalis, Struthidea cinerea and Melanodryas cucullata), all ground-foraging insectivorous or omnivorous birds, were significantly associated with lancewood in this region, but all three have extensive ranges beyond this area.
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Good, Megan K., Jodi N. Price, Peter J. Clarke, and Nick Reid. "Dense regeneration of floodplain Eucalyptus coolabah: invasive scrub or passive restoration of an endangered woodland community?" Rangeland Journal 34, no. 2 (2012): 219. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj12008.
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Clearing of native vegetation and changes to disturbance regimes have resulted in dense regeneration of native trees and shrubs in parts of Australia. The conversion of open vegetation to dense woodlands may result in changes to the composition of plant communities and ecosystem function if structure, composition and function are tightly linked. Widespread clearing of the floodplain tree Eucalyptus coolabah subsp. coolabah (coolibah), in New South Wales, Australia, has led to state and federal listings of coolibah woodland as an endangered ecological community. Dense regeneration of coolibah in the mid 1970s, however, also resulted in its listing as an ‘invasive native species’ in NSW, meaning it can be legally cleared under certain conditions. Dense regeneration could be a novel state dissimilar to the threatened community or it could represent the next generation of coolibah woodlands and may contribute to passive restoration of heavily cleared landscapes. This study investigated if dense stands are distinct from remnant woodland by comparing floristic composition of the ground-storey community and top-soil properties of four coolibah vegetation states: derived grassland, derived degraded grassland, dense regeneration and remnant woodland. Ground-storey composition was found to overlap broadly among states regardless of tree density. Most species were common to all states, although dense regeneration contained characteristic woodland species that were absent from grasslands. The carbon : nitrogen ratio of the soil was significantly higher in dense regeneration and remnant woodland than in either of the grassland states, indicating that the woody states are broadly similar in terms of nutrient cycling. The study demonstrates that structurally different vegetation states (grasslands, woodlands and dense regeneration) are not associated with distinct plant communities. The results also suggest that grazing management has a more pronounced effect on ground-storey composition of plant communities than tree density and that well managed derived grasslands and dense regeneration are floristically similar to remnant woodlands. Since dense regeneration and remnant woodlands are not floristically distinct from one another, dense regeneration could contribute to the conservation of endangered coolibah woodlands in cleared agricultural landscapes.
3
Woinarski, JCZ, SC Tidemann, and S. Kerin. "Birds in a Tropical Mosaic - the Distribution of Bird Species in Relation to Vegetation Patterns." Wildlife Research 15, no. 2 (1988): 171. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9880171.
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Wilson and Bowman (1986) classified and mapped vegetation in a complex mosaic at Howard's Peninsula, Northern Territory. The relationship of bird distribution to this vegetation classification was considered through 10 repeat censuses of 5 replicate quadrats in each of 20 vegetation units. Censusing period was April-May. 118 bird species were recorded. Closed forests (3 units), mangroves (2 units) and swamplands (3 units) all had distinctive bird species compositions, but bird species showed a relatively poor relationship with the classification of woodland and grassland units. Eucalyptus woodlands regrowing after devastation by a cyclone in 1974 had similar bird species diversity and density to undamaged woodlands, though somewhat different bird species composition. Eucalyptus woodlands with a dense shrubby understorey had significantly greater bird density and species diversity than those with open or grassy understories and their bird species composition showed appreciable association with that of closed forests. Closed forest and, less so, mangrove units had highest diversity and density (despite their relatively small proportion in the study area and in the region generally), probably because they offered a wider range of foraging possibilities.
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Prober, Suzanne M., Ian D. Lunt, and Kevin R. Thiele. "Determining reference conditions for management and restoration of temperate grassy woodlands: relationships among trees, topsoils and understorey flora in little-grazed remnants." Australian Journal of Botany 50, no. 6 (2002): 687. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt02043.
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Temperate grassy woodlands were once widespread and dominant in many agricultural regions of south-eastern Australia. Most are now highly degraded and fragmented and exist within a context of broadscale landscape degradation. Greater understanding of natural processes in these woodlands is needed to benchmark management and restoration efforts that are now critical for their ongoing survival. We studied physical and chemical properties of topsoils from rare, little-grazed remnants of grassy Eucalyptus albens Benth. and E. melliodora Cunn. ex Schauer woodlands in central New South Wales and examined natural patterns in topsoil properties and understorey flora in relation to trees and canopy gaps. Topsoils were generally low in available macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur), but were favourable for plant growth in most other measured characteristics. Topsoils beneath trees were notably more fertile than in open areas, particularly in total carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium and salinity. Higher nutrient concentrations, particularly of available phosphorus, may have contributed to patterns in understorey dominants, with Themeda australis (R.Br.) Stapf predominating in open areas and Poa sieberiana Spreng. beneath trees. Trees were also associated with a higher native-plant richness, possibly resulting from their influence on the competitive dynamics of the dominant grasses. We discuss the implications of these interactions for the use of burning, grazing and slashing in woodland management and re-establishment of native grasses and trees in restoration efforts.
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Elliott, Todd F., and James M. Trappe. "Australasian sequestrate Fungi 20: Russula scarlatina (Agaricomycetes: Russulales: Russulaceae), a new species from dry grassy woodlands of southeastern Australia." Journal of Threatened Taxa 11, no. 12 (September 26, 2019): 14619–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/jott.4907.11.12.14619-14623.
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Russula scarlatina sp. nov. is a common sequestrate fungus found in the dry sclerophyll Eucalyptus woodlands of southeastern Australia. Basidiomata are hypogeous or sometimes emergent; they are scarlet in youth and become dark sordid red or brown with advanced age. Historically, this species would have been placed in the genus Gymnomyces, but in light of recent revisions in the taxonomy of sequestrate Russulaceae, we place it in the genus Russula. It is morphologically distinct from other sequestrate species of Russula because of its scarlet peridium and unusual cystidial turf in youth. It has been collected only in dry grassy woodlands and open forest habitats of southeastern Australia.
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Wu, Huiying, Noam Levin, Leonie Seabrook, Ben Moore, and Clive McAlpine. "Mapping Foliar Nutrition Using WorldView-3 and WorldView-2 to Assess Koala Habitat Suitability." Remote Sensing 11, no. 3 (January 22, 2019): 215. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs11030215.
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Conservation planning and population assessment for widely-distributed, but vulnerable, arboreal folivore species demands cost-effective mapping of habitat suitability over large areas. This study tested whether multispectral data from WorldView-3 could be used to estimate and map foliar digestible nitrogen (DigN), a nutritional measure superior to total nitrogen for tannin-rich foliage for the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). We acquired two WorldView-3 images (November 2015) and collected leaf samples from Eucalyptus woodlands in semi-arid eastern Australia. Linear regression indicated the normalized difference index using bands “Coastal” and “NIR1” best estimated DigN concentration (% dry matter, R2 = 0.70, RMSE = 0.19%). Foliar DigN concentration was mapped for multi-species Eucalyptus open woodlands across two landscapes using this index. This mapping method was tested on a WorldView-2 image (October 2012) with associated koala tracking data (August 2010 to November 2011) from a different landscape of the study region. Quantile regression showed significant positive relationship between estimated DigN and occurrence of koalas at 0.999 quantile (R2 = 0.63). This study reports the first attempt to use a multispectral satellite-derived spectral index for mapping foliar DigN at a landscape-scale (100s km2). The mapping method can potentially be incorporated in mapping and monitoring koala habitat suitability for conservation management.
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Menkhorst, PW, BW Weavers, and JSA Alexander. "Distribution, Habitat and Conservation Status of the Squirrel Glider Petaurus-Norfolcensis (Petauridae, Marsupialia) in Victoria." Wildlife Research 15, no. 1 (1988): 59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9880059.
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The results of a trapping and spotlighting survey in Victoria of the squirrel glider, Petaurus norfolcensis, coupled with examination of historical records showed that the species is restricted to the Riverine Plains, Northern Uplands and northern slopes of the Western Highlands. Within these regions squirrel gliders inhabit remnant woodlands or open-forests which have mature or mixed-age stands of more than one eucalypt species, or riparian open-forests of Eucalyptus camaldulensis. The mixed-species stands which support squirrel gliders invariably include gum-barked and high nectar-producing species including some which flower in winter. The riparian open forests typically contain mature Acacia dealbata which may provide an important winter carbohydrate source. The squirrel glider was often the only arboreal mammal detected at a site; if another species was present it was usually the common brushtail possum, Trichosurus vulpecula. Other petaurids rarely occurred at the same site. We suggest that in Victoria the ecological tolerance of the squirrel glider is narrow 'and that the species should be considered vulnerable because most of its habitat has been cleared for farming. Commercial exploitation of timber and grazing of stock in much of the remaining habitat places further stress upon the small, fragmented populations of this species.
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Pickering, Catherine Marina, and Kristy Barry. "Size/age distribution and vegetative recovery of Eucalyptus niphophila (snowgum, Myrtaceae) one year after fire in Kosciuszko National Park." Australian Journal of Botany 53, no. 6 (2005): 517. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt04117.
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Size/age distribution and vegetative regeneration were examined for 50 Eucalyptus niphophila Maiden & Blakely trees in each of eight subalpine sites in Kosciuszko National Park 1 year after the January–February 2003 bushfires. Trees sampled were generally large and mature, with an average of 2.5 trunks, lignotuber diameter of 54 cm and largest trunk diameter of 18 cm, with a few larger trees at all sites. Converting the girth of largest trunk into rough age estimates by using an existing regression formula gave an approximate minimum (~29 years), maximum (~186 years), median (~58 years) and average age of ~64 years (error of ~15 years). For trees with trunks after fire, 96.5% had lost all existing leaves. Nearly all trees (95%) had shoots from the lignotuber, but only 4.25% of trees had also epicormic shoots on trunks and stems. Size/age were related to some but not all measures of regeneration. In the future, existing trunks could senesce, with nearly all regrowth from the lignotubers. This could result in a change from open woodlands with large/old trees with a few trunks to closed woodlands of lower-growing trees with a mallee form.
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Kirkpatrick, J. B. "Vegetation change in an urban grassy woodland 1974 - 2000." Australian Journal of Botany 52, no. 5 (2004): 597. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt03100.
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Few temporal studies document vegetation change in Australian temperate grassy woodlands. Floristic and structural data were collected from 68 randomly located sites in the Queens Domain, an urban grassy woodland remnant, in 1974, 1984, 1994 and 2000 and a search made for rare species. Species of conservation significance were concentrated at highly disturbed sites, whereas vegetation types of conservation significance decreased in area as a result of increases in the numbers of Allocasuarina verticillata, which caused a change in many unmown areas from Eucalyptus viminalis grassy woodland to E. viminalis–A. verticillata woodland/forest or A. verticillata open/closed forest. Structural changes were associated with changes in species composition and an increase in native-species richness. Increases in tree cover occurred where fires were most frequent, possibly as a result of the lack of mammalian herbivores. The frequencies of herbs and annual grasses were strongly affected by precipitation in the month of sampling. Half of the species that showed a consistent rise or fall through time were woody plants, approximately twice the number expected. In the dataset as a whole, species-richness variables were largely explained by varying combinations of variables related to moisture availability, altitude and the incidence of mowing. The strongest influences on species composition were the same, although slope and time since the last fire also contributed to multiple regression and generalised linear models. Compositional stability was positively related to native-species richness, whereas high levels of exotic-species richness occurred at both low and high levels of native-species richness. The maintenance of native-plant biodiversity on the Domain requires such counterintuitive measures as the maintenance of exotic trees and the control of native trees, demonstrating the contingencies of conservation management in fragmented vegetation that consists of a mixture of native and exotic species.
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Prober, Suzanne M., Kevin R. Thiele, and Ian D. Lunt. "Identifying ecological barriers to restoration in temperate grassy woodlands: soil changes associated with different degradation states." Australian Journal of Botany 50, no. 6 (2002): 699. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt02052.
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Temperate grassy woodlands were once the dominant vegetation across many agricultural regions of south-eastern Australia, but most of these are now highly degraded and fragmented. Adequate conservation of these woodlands is dependent on successful ecological restoration; however, ecological barriers often limit ecosystem recovery once degrading processes are removed. To help identify these barriers, we used a state and transition framework to compare topsoils of little-disturbed (reference) and variously degraded remnants of grassy Eucalyptus albens Benth. and E. melliodora Cunn. ex Schauer woodlands. Topsoils of degraded remnants showed a repeated pattern, with the most compacted, most acidic and most depleted topsoils occurring in remnants dominated by Aristida ramosa R.Br. or Austrodanthonia H.P.Linder and Austrostipa scabra (Lindl.) S.W.L.Jacobs & J.Everett; the least compacted and most nutrient rich topsoils in remnants dominated by annual exotics; and generally intermediate topsoils in remnants dominated by Bothriochloa macra (Steud.) S.T.Blake or Austrostipa bigeniculata (Hughes) S.W.L.Jacobs & J.Everett. Surprisingly, topsoils beneath trees in reference sites (supporting Poa sieberiana Spreng.) were similar to topsoils supporting annual exotics for most soil properties. Chemical properties of topsoils from open areas of reference sites [supporting Themeda australis (R.Br.) Stapf] were usually intermediate and similar to Bothriochloa macra and Austrostipa bigeniculata topsoils. The most striking exception to these trends was for soil nitrate, which was extremely low in all reference topsoils and showed a high correlation with annual exotic abundance. We discuss the potential for positive feedbacks between soil nitrogen cycling and understorey composition and the need for intervention to assist possible nitrate-dependent transitions between annual and perennial understorey states. Dominant grasses, trees and annual weed abundance may be useful indicators of soil conditions and could inform selection of target sites, species and techniques for restoration projects.
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T. Smith, G. "Density of the burrowing scorpion Urodacus armatus (Scorpiones; Scorpionidae) in relation to vegetation types: implications for population decline following agricultural clearing." Pacific Conservation Biology 4, no. 3 (1998): 209. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc980209.
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The density of the burrowing scorpion Urodacus armatus in relation to vegetation type was assessed by counting the number of burrows, both the annual cohort of dispersing second instar and all older scorpions. The counts were made in 18 two metre wide transects across a 730 ha portion of Durokoppin Nature Reserve in the central wheatbelt of Western Australia. Densities were highest in woodlands (593/ha to 1950/ha), whereas in shrub and mallee associations densities were considerable lower (47/ha to 382/ha). Productivity, as measured by the ratio of second to older instar scorpions, ranged from 0.42 in low, open heath to 2.68 in Wandoo/Salmon Gum Eucalyptus capillosa/E. salmonophloia woodland. However, the correlation between productivity and the density of older scorpions in the vegetation associations was not significant. Total population in the study area was 254 954, of which 165 934 were second instar scorpions. Biomass estimates for second instar and older scorpions were 12 kg and 156 kg respectively. Observations throughout the wheatbelt indicated that the relationship between density and vegetation was comparable to that found in the study area. Using the data on the areas of the vegetation associations in the Avon Botanical District, before and after agricultural clearing (Beard and Sprenger 1984), and the densities in the present study, the abundance and biomass, pre- and post-clearing were calculated. The standing population (excluding the annual cohort) would have been of the order of 1.2 billion, with an annual influx of 2.6 billion. The biomasses would have been 690 tonnes and 210 tonnes respectively. Clearing reduced the area of habitat by 86% and the standing population by 92% and in woodland by 97%. The implications of these results for other species are discussed.
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Recher, Harry F., and William E. Davis Jr. "Response of birds to a wildfire in the Great Western Woodlands, Western Australia." Pacific Conservation Biology 19, no. 4 (2013): 188. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc130188.
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In December 2005, a wildfire burnt a large area of semi-arid eucalypt woodland along ~10 km of the Norseman- Coolgardie Road north of Norseman in the Great Western Woodlands (GWW), Western Australia. Few birds used the burnt area in the first year after the fire and these were mainly ground and shrub foraging insectivores. There was no influx of seed-eaters or open-country species as reported for post-fire habitats elsewhere in southern Australia. The greatest number of individuals and species of birds occurred in the second year post-fire when ground and shrub vegetation was floristically most diverse. Canopy foragers were attracted to the burnt area in the second year by an outbreak of psyllid insects on seedling eucalypts. At the same time, bark dwelling arthropods associated with the standing stems of fire-killed eucalypts attracted bark-foragers. From the third year, small insectivorous ground, shrub, and canopy foragers dominated the avifauna on the burnt area. These foraged on fire-killed shrubs, as well as living vegetation, including the lignotuberous regrowth of eucalypts. Bark foragers were uncommon after the second year. Throughout the study, the burnt area had fewer species and individuals than adjacent unburnt habitats. Compared with unburnt woodlands there were few differences in how species foraged on the burnt plots, but most species foraged lower reflecting the stature of the vegetation in the burnt woodland. Nectar-feeders, fruit-eaters, large insectivores, raptors, and parrots, although common in the unburnt woodland, were absent or rare in the burnt area. This reflected the limited regrowth of vegetation on the burnt area, which lacked the structural and floristic complexity of nearby unburnt woodlands. Ground foragers probably commenced nesting on the burnt area in the first year, with shrub and canopy foragers nesting from the second year. However, after five years, there was no evidence of large insectivores, nectar-feeders, raptors, seed-eaters, or foliage-eaters (i.e., parrots) nesting despite their abundance in adjacent unburnt woodland. Some of the unburnt woodlands monitored in this study were even-aged regeneration estimated to be 30–50 years post-fire or logging. Regardless of origin, these even-aged plots lacked the diverse avifauna associated with mature woodlands and suggest that post-fire recovery of birds and vegetation in these woodlands is likely to take decades and probably more than 100 years. If so, human activities that increase fire frequency in the GWW, including climate change and fuel-reduction burns, will have long-term adverse impacts on regional biodiversity exceeding those associated with wildfires in less arid forests and woodlands where rates of recovery are more rapid.
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Lunt, Ian D. "Allocasuarina (Casuarinaceae) Invasion of an Unburnt Coastal Woodland at Ocean Grove, Victoria: Structural Changes 1971 - 1996." Australian Journal of Botany 46, no. 6 (1998): 649. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt97032.
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Changes in vegetation structure in a long-unburnt (> 115 years) woodland at Ocean Grove, Victoria, were assessed by comparing density data collected in 1971 by Withers and Ashton (1977) with comparable data from 1996. The changes in structure outlined by Withers and Ashton (1977) continued to operate over the 25 year period, namely, a dramatic increase in the density of Allocasuarina littoralis (Salisb.) L.A.S.Johnson, and a continued decline in the once-dominant eucalypts, especially Eucalyptus ovata Labill. The density of A. littoralis increased from 911 trees ha–1 in 1971 to 3565 trees ha–1 in 1996. Most of the surviving E. ovata displayed extensive crown dieback, and appear likely to die in the near future. Many eucalypt seedlings which were planted into burnt and unburnt experimental plots in 1971 were still alive in 1996, but most were less than 0.5 m tall and suppressed by tall regrowth of A. littoralis and Acacia pycnantha Benth. In the continued absence of fire and other disturbances, it is predicted that A. littoralis will continue to dominate the reserve, leading to further declines in eucalypts. It appears unlikely that a single fire will prevent A. littoralis dominance, and frequent burning at short intervals may be required to reinstate an open woodland structure.
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Fensham, RJ, and JB Kirkpatrick. "The Eucalypt Forest Grassland/Grassy Woodland Boundary in Central Tasmania." Australian Journal of Botany 40, no. 2 (1992): 123. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9920123.
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Downslope boundaries of forest with grassland and grassy woodland occur over a wide altitudinal range in central Tasmania. Three sites were selected for study of the causes of these boundaries at low, medium and high elevations. The open vegetation was generally associated with moister and less rocky soils and more subdued topography than the adjacent forest. Frost incidence and intensity, soil moisture and waterlogging varied markedly among the three open areas. Planted tree seedlings survived 4 years in the open at all sites, and seedlings established in the open both naturally, and after sowing, where grass competition was reduced by herbicide application, digging or root competition from adult eucalypts. Grazing had no detectable effect on seedling establishment. A pot experiment demonstrated a suppressive effect of native grass swards on both seedling establishment and growth, this effect being largely independent of available moisture and nutrients. While frost, waterlogging, fire and drought may play a role in inhibiting eucalypt establishment and increasing eucalypt mortality at some or all of the sites, the dense grass swards found in all the open areas are considered to be the most likely primary agent of tree exclusion.
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Prior, L. D., D. Eamus, and D. M. J. S. Bowman. "Tree growth rates in north Australian savanna habitats: seasonal patterns and correlations with leaf attributes." Australian Journal of Botany 52, no. 3 (2004): 303. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt03119.
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We demonstrate a significant relationship between leaf attributes and growth rates of mature trees under natural conditions in northern Australia, a pattern that has not been widely reported before in the literature. Increase in diameter at breast height (DBH) was measured every 3 months for 2 years for 21 tree species from four habitats near Darwin: Eucalyptus open forest, mixed eucalypt woodland, Melaleuca swamp and dry monsoon rainforest. Assimilation rates and foliar chlorophyll, nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were positively correlated with growth rate and negatively correlated with leaf mass per area. For most species, increases in DBH were confined to the wet-season (summer) period between November and May. Average annual increases in DBH were larger in the dry monsoon rainforest (0.87 cm) and the Melaleuca swamp (0.65 cm) than in the woodland (0.20 cm) and the open forest (0.16 cm), and were larger in non-Myrtaceous species (0.53 cm) than in Myrtaceous species (0.25 cm). These results are discussed in relation to the frequent fire regime prevailing over much of northern Australia which causes the marked contrast between the small pockets of fire-tender closed monsoon rainforest and large expanses of fire-tolerant savanna.
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Jones, P., T. J. Hall, R. G. Silcock, and P. G. Filet. "Open woodland tree and shrub dynamics and landscape function in central Queensland after killing the trees with herbicide." Rangeland Journal 40, no. 5 (2018): 473. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj18002.
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Herbicides are used in savanna to control tree and shrub density, primarily to maintain the value of the country for pastoral enterprises. However, the concomitant effects on biodiversity and landscape functioning need to be recognised and better understood. This study monitored tree and shrub dynamics and eventual landscape functionality in response to tree-killing over 7–8 years at two open eucalypt woodland sites in central Queensland. Paddocks denuded of trees using herbicide or not so treated were subject to three differing grazing pressures by cattle. Similarly treated but ungrazed sets of plots were subjected to either regular spring burns or were rarely burnt. Tree and shrub growth and seedling recruitment were slightly affected by grazing pressure but regular spring burns minimised recruitment of minor woodland species and reduced the population of original saplings and seedlings that survived the herbicide. Few eucalypt seedlings emerged from soil surface samples taken each spring in any treatment, despite the presence of flowering trees in half the treatments. Capture and retention of resources, particularly rainfall and nutrients, were slightly improved by killing the trees, and worsened by grazing. We conclude that killing trees with herbicide at these sites did not adversely affect landscape function and that woody species regeneration was almost inevitable on these open eucalypt woodland native pastures.
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Handasyde, KA, and RW Martin. "Field Observations on the Common Striped Possum (Dactylopsila Trivirgata) in North Queensland." Wildlife Research 23, no. 6 (1996): 755. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9960755.
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Habitat utilisation and foraging behaviour by the common striped possum (Dactylopsila trivirgata) was investigated by means of spotlighting and radio-tracking at Shiptons Flat, far north Queensland. Vine forest was the primary habitat of D. trivirgata; however, animals were also observed in open eucalypt (Eucalyptus tereticornis) woodland. Information collected on foraging behaviour suggests that D. trivirgata are generalist insectivores consuming some fruit and other foodstuffs, such as honey. Radio-tracking data were used to calculate the home-range areas of two subadult males. The home range of the smaller male (body weight 290 g) was 5.2 ha (by the 95% harmonic mean (HM) method) or 6.5 ha (by the minimum convex polygon (MCP) method), and that of the larger male (body weight 415 g) was 21.2 ha (95% HM) or 21.3 ha (MCP). Large trees with hollows, which are utilized for denning, appear to be an important feature of the habitat for this species. D. trivirgata exhibits a pronounced degree of sociality and may breed seasonally. Observations suggest that amethystine pythons (Morelia amethistina) may be major predators of D. trivirgata at Shiptons Flat.
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Jackson, J., and A. J. Ash. "The role of trees in enhancing soil nutrient availability for native perennial grasses in open eucalypt woodlands of north-east Queensland." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 52, no. 3 (2001): 377. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar00012.
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To investigate the effects of eucalypt trees on pasture in open eucalypt woodlands of north-eastern Queensland, 2 common native pasture species, Chrysopogon fallaxand Heteropogon contortus, were grown in soil collected from under tree canopies and inter-canopy areas. These soils were collected from 2 localities that differed in soil fertility. The objective was to determine whether trees enhanced soil nutrient levels beneath their canopies and whether such changes affected pasture productivity and quality. It was hypothesised that tree effects would be greater when overall soil fertility was low. Shade and water stress treatments, which aimed to simulate field conditions, were also imposed to investigate their independent and interactive effects on plant growth. Chemical analyses showed that nutrient levels were higher in under-canopy soils, and plants grown in under-canopy soil produced 42% more biomass than plants in outside-canopy soil. This increase in biomass was significantly greater when the soil was from the low fertility site than from the high fertility site. Leaf quality, in terms of N and P concentration and dry matter digestibility (DMD), was generally higher in plants in under-canopy soil. Shading reduced plant root biomass but had no effects on above ground biomass or leaf quality. Water stress reduced above and below ground biomass and increased leaf quality. Shading and water stress effects were greater in plants in the more fertile soil types. Simulated ‘under-canopy’ plants (shaded, water-stressed plants in under-canopy soil) produced more biomass and had higher leaf N concentration and DMD than simulated ‘outside-canopy’ plants (unshaded, well-watered plants in outside-canopy soil). In a pastoral context, trees in tropical woodlands are generally considered in terms of their competitive effect on pasture productivity. This study has demonstrated that soil nutrient availability is enhanced under eucalypt canopies. The biomass results indicate that this effect is greater when overall soil fertility conditions are low. These enhanced soil nutrient conditions influence forage productivity and quality. Such positive benefits should be considered when management decisions are taken to remove or kill trees in eucalypt woodlands.
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Keiper, P., and C. N. Johnson. "Diet and habitat preference of the Cape York short-nosed bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus peninsulae) in north-east Queensland." Wildlife Research 31, no. 3 (2004): 259. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr02030.
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Diet and habitat preferences of the Cape York bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus peninsulae) were studied along a rainfall gradient from dry open woodland to wet Allocasuarina–Eucalyptus forest in the Lamb Range, Queensland. I. o. peninsulae was an omnivore-insectivore with invertebrates contributing 35–56% of faecal contents. Roots represented the most important plant food. Grass, forbs, fruits and hypogeous fungi were also eaten but in small quantities. The species was most abundant at the drier end of the rainfall gradient. Preferred habitats in open woodland were characterised by a high grass tree (Xanthorrhoea johnsonii) abundance and high shrub cover in the understorey. In contrast, areas with a tall and dense grass layer in conjunction with a high litter cover were avoided. I. o. peninsulae did not seem to share its habitat with the sympatrically occurring I. macrourus even though the habitat appeared suitable for the latter. More studies are required to evaluate the causes of differing habitat preferences of sympatric bandicoot species.
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Cowie, Ian D., and Gordon P. Guymer. "A new, rare species of Brachychiton from Fish River Station, Northern Territory." Australian Systematic Botany 27, no. 6 (2014): 462. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sb15006.
Full textAbstract:
Brachychiton chrysocarpus Cowie & Guymer from Fish River Station in the north-western part of the Northern Territory is described as a new species. It is compared with B. tuberculatus Guymer and B. xanthophyllus Guymer, but differs especially in the softer finer indumentum, shorter caducous stipules, slender paniculate, open inflorescence, the weakly tuberculate follicles and other characters. It appears to be restricted to Eucalyptus tectifica woodland on slopes of ~17° associated with ferruginous sandstone of the Waterbag Creek formation. Its conservation status is discussed and assessed.
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Lunt, Ian D. "Two Hundred Years of Land Use and Vegetation Change in a Remnant Coastal Woodland in Southern Australia." Australian Journal of Botany 46, no. 6 (1998): 629. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt97052.
Full textAbstract:
Post-settlement changes in vegetation and land use were examined in a reputedly undisturbed woodland remnant at Ocean Grove, southern Victoria, the site of earlier ecological studies. The vegetation has passed through at least three structural phases since European colonisation: an open grassy woodland dominated by Allocasuarina and Eucalyptus species and Banksia marginata Cav. with few shrubs; an open scrub of Acacia pycnantha Benth.; and a closed scrub of Allocasuarina littoralis (Salisb.) L.A.S.Johnson, which now dominates the reserve. Tree and shrub density has progressively increased, from perhaps less than 20 trees ha–1 in the early 1800s, to over 3000 trees ha–1 in 1996. Most large Allocasuarina trees established in the late 1930s or early 1940s, and Allocasuarina littoralis appears to have invaded rapidly thereafter. Surprisingly, A. littoralis was not recorded in an 1894 plant census, and might have been locally rare last century. Vegetation changes over the past 200 years can be attributed to the long-term absence of fire. The abundant recruitment of Acacia species in the mid- to late-1800s may have been a rapid response to the curtailment of Aboriginal burning, and the more recent invasion of A. littoralis a longer-term response to fire exclusion. The importance of active vegetation management for biodiversity conservation in the future is stressed.
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Cassis, Gerasimos, and Celia Symonds. "Systematic revision and phylogeny of the Australian myrmecomorphic seed bug genus Daerlac Signoret (Insecta:Heteroptera:Rhyparochromidae:Udeocorini)." Invertebrate Systematics 26, no. 1 (2012): 41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/is11030.
Full textAbstract:
The Australian endemic ant-mimetic seed bug genus Daerlac is revised. This paper provides a redescription of the genus Daerlac and four species: D. apicalis, D. cephalotes, D. nigricans and D. picturatus. Daerlac tricolor is synonomised with D. cephalotes. A taxonomic key to species is provided. Known distributions of D. apicalis, D. nigricans and D. picturatus are each extended beyond previously known ranges. Daerlac species are found predominantly in temperate open forest and woodlands in association with ants and eucalypts. All species are broadly distributed and there is a high degree of overlap in distributions. They are seed predators found on the ground, in leaf litter, under bark or on trunks of eucalypts, and putatively forage on post-dispersed seeds. Cladistic analysis of morphological characters finds that the four species of Daerlac form two well-supported sister-groups (D. apicalis + D. picturatus, and D. cephalotes + D. nigricans). A discussion of the distribution, biology and myrmecomorphy of the genus is provided, and the tribal placement of Daerlac and its relationship to Laryngodus are discussed.
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Arnold, GW. "The Effects of Habitat Structure and Floristics on the Densities of Bird Species in Wandoo Woodland." Wildlife Research 15, no. 5 (1988): 499. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9880499.
Full textAbstract:
Censuses were taken in the springs of 3 consecutive years of the birds in twelve 2-ha sites in remnants of wandoo woodland in SW Western Australia. The sites were distributed between 3 vegetation types: (a) Eucalyptus wandoo open forest; (b) E. accedens open forest with Dryandra sessilis; and (c) Casuarina/Acacia low open forest. The 3 vegetation types had similar numbers of birds but different species diversities. Although the relative numbers in each group of species changed from year to year, the relative numbers were the same each year in the different vegetation types. The avian communities of (a) and (c) had a higher diversity than in (b). In (c) there were significantly fewer nectar and bark feeders than in (a) or (b), but more ground insectivores. In (a) there were significantly more parrots and leaf gleaners than in the other vegetation types, whereas (b) had very high numbers of nectar feeders but low numbers of ground/low shrub insectivores. Statistically significant relationships were established between the abundance of 13 of the most common bird species and habitat variables. These regressions showed that both floristics and structure strongly affected the abundance of a species. Between 42 and 95% of the variance in numbers was accounted for.
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J. S. Debus, S. "The role of intense nest predation in the decline of Scarlet Robins and Eastern Yellow Robins in remnant woodland near Armidale, New South Wales." Pacific Conservation Biology 12, no. 4 (2006): 279. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc060279.
Full textAbstract:
A study of open-nesting Eastern Yellow Robins Eopsaltria australis and Scarlet Robins Petroica multicolor, on the New England Tablelands of New South Wales in 2000?02, found low breeding success typical of eucalypt woodland birds. The role of intense nest predation in the loss of birds from woodland fragments was investigated by means of predator-exclusion cages at robin nests, culling of Pied Currawongs Strepera graculina, and monitoring of fledging and recruitment in the robins. Nest-cages significantly improved nest success (86% vs 20%) and fledging rate (1.6 vs 0.3 fledglings per attempt) for both robin species combined (n = 7 caged, 20 uncaged). For both robin species combined, culling of currawongs produced a twofold difference in nest success (33% vs 14%), a higher fledging rate (0.5 vs 0.3 per attempt), and a five-day difference in mean nest survival (18 vs 13 days) (n = 62 nests), although sample sizes for nests in the cull treatment (n = 18) were small and nest predation continued. Although the robin breeding population had not increased one year after the cull, the pool of Yellow Robin recruits in 2001?03, after enhanced fledging success, produced two emigrants to a patch where Yellow Robins had become extinct. Management to assist the conservation of open-nesting woodland birds should address control of currawongs.
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Navie, SC, RA Cowley, and RW Rogers. "The Relationship Between Distance From Water and the Soil Seed Bank in a Grazed Semi-Arid Subtropical Rangeland." Australian Journal of Botany 44, no. 4 (1996): 421. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9960421.
Full textAbstract:
The germinable soil seed bank of a grassy Eucalyptus populnea F.Muell, open woodland was investigated in relationship to distance from water (away from a bore-drain) on North Yancho Station, near Bollon in southern semi-arid Queensland. The germinable soil seed bank was both diverse and abundant, 69 taxa of seedlings being identified to species and 2 more to genus. A mean density of 13 207 ± 4160 seeds m-2 was recorded, with over 80% of the seed being from the annual forbs Crassula sieberana (Schultes & J.H.Shultes) Druce, Wahlenbergia tumidifructa P.J.Smith and Dysphania gomulifera (Nees) Paul G.Wilson. Most common species showed spatial variation in their germinable seed density with relation to distance from water, resembling the patterns previously reported by other authors for standing vegetation under stocking pressure gradients.
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van Ingen, Laura T., Ricardo I. Campos, and Alan N. Andersen. "Ant community structure along an extended rain forest–savanna gradient in tropical Australia." Journal of Tropical Ecology 24, no. 4 (July 2008): 445–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266467408005166.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractIn mixed tropical landscapes, savanna and rain-forest vegetation often support contrasting biotas, and this is the case for ant communities in tropical Australia. Such a contrast is especially pronounced in monsoonal north-western Australia, where boundaries between rain forest and savanna are often extremely abrupt. However, in the humid tropics of north-eastern Queensland there is often an extended gradient between rain forest and savanna through eucalypt-dominated tall open forest. It is not known if ant community structure varies continuously along this gradient, or, if there is a major disjunction, where it occurs. We address this issue by sampling ants at ten sites distributed along a 6-km environmental gradient from rain forest to savanna, encompassing the crest and slopes of Mt. Lewis in North Queensland. Sampling was conducted using ground and baited arboreal pitfall traps, and yielded a total of 95 ant species. Mean trap species richness was identical in rain forest and rain-forest regrowth, somewhat higher in tall open forest, and twice as high again in savanna woodland. The great majority (78%) of the 58 species from savanna woodland were recorded only in this habitat type. MDS ordination of sites based on ant species composition showed a continuum from rain forest through rain-forest regrowth to tall open forest, and then a discontinuity between these habitat types and savanna woodland. These findings indicate that the contrast between rain forest and savanna ant communities in tropical Australia is an extreme manifestation of a broader forest-savanna disjunction.
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Ludwig, J., and D. Tongway. "Clearing savannas for use as rangelands in Queensland: altered landscapes and water-erosion processes." Rangeland Journal 24, no. 1 (2002): 83. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj02004.
Full textAbstract:
This paper presents a framework and some examples of how tree clearing alters landscapes (vegetation structure and faunal habitat) and processes (run-off and soil erosion) for eucalypt savannas in Queensland. Unaltered savannas have a tree-layer and a well-covered ground-layer of perennial grasses, and they provide habitats favoured by a variety of open woodland birds, reptiles and small mammals. Because unaltered savannas have a high ground-cover, they have low rates of run-off and erosion. When savannas are chained, but otherwise unaltered, trees rapidly regrow and increase in canopy cover. The exotic buffel grass often establishes in chained regrowth (especially if grazed), although the cover of native grasses such as black speargrass remains high (unless heavily grazed). We found that open woodland birds declined on these chained regrowth sites, except for the Weebill, which increased in abundance. When savannas are cleared of trees and woody debris and developed as improved pasture systems, both exotic and native perennial grass increased in cover. However, open woodland fauna abundance declined whereas grassland fauna such as the Red-backed Fairy-wren and the House Mouse increased in abundance. If these pasture sites are heavily utilised by livestock so that ground-cover is reduced, rates of run-off and soil loss are likely to rapidly increase, especially as cover declines below 40%. These run-off and erosion findings suggest that the manner in which savanna landscapes are cleared and subsequently used will have flow-on effects at catchment scales.
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FRAMENAU, VOLKER W. "Description of a new orb-weaving spider species representing the first record of Novaranea in Australia (Araneae: Araneidae: Araneinae)." Zootaxa 2793, no. 1 (March 17, 2011): 47. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2793.1.4.
Full textAbstract:
The orb-weaving spider genus Novaranea Court & Forster, 1988, previously known only from New Zealand, is here reported from Australia for the first time with the description of a new species. Generic affinities, here based on characteristic shapes of the median and terminal apophyses of the male pedipalp, remain somewhat ambiguous as some of the endemic New Zealand araneine genera remain to be tested within a rigorous phylogenetic analysis. Novaranea courti n. sp. is found in the southeastern parts of Australia, including New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Mature spiders are generally found between January and March, although some specimens were collected in April, June and November. Novaranea courti n. sp. appears to prefer forest habitats (e.g. Southern Beech (Nothofagus) forest and Eucalyptus/Casuarina woodland), but was also found in more open areas such as grassand heathland.
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Burgess, Emma E., Patrick Moss, Murray Haseler, and Martine Maron. "The influence of a variable fire regime on woodland structure and composition." International Journal of Wildland Fire 24, no. 1 (2015): 59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wf14052.
Full textAbstract:
The post-fire response of vegetation reflects not only a single fire event but is the result of cumulative effects of previous fires in the landscape. For effective ecological fire management there is a need to better understand the relationship between different fire regimes and vegetation structure. The study investigated how different fire regimes affect stand structure and composition in subtropical eucalypt woodlands of central Queensland. We found that fire history category (i.e. specific combinations of time since fire, fire frequency and season of last burn) strongly influenced richness and abundance of species categorised as mid-storey trees and those individuals currently in the mid-level strata. Time since fire and fire frequency appeared to have the strongest influence. A longer time since fire (>4 years since last burn), combined with infrequent fires (<2 fires in 12 year period) appeared to promote a dense mid-storey with the opposite conditions (<4 years since last burn; >2 fires in 12 year period) promoting more-open woodlands. Consideration of these combined fire regime attributes will allow fire managers to plan for a particular range of fire-mediated patches to maintain the desired diversity of vegetation structures.
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Inkster-Draper, Tamara E., Marcus Sheaves, Christopher N. Johnson, and Simon K. A. Robson. "Prescribed fire in eucalypt woodlands: immediate effects on a microbat community of northern Australia." Wildlife Research 40, no. 1 (2013): 70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr12133.
Full textAbstract:
Context Fire is a major ecological factor in many landscapes. Prescribed fires are often used in the management of vegetation for ecological values, wildlife habitat and reduction of risk of wildfire. However, debate continues over whether active fire management is beneficial to flora and fauna. Although bats comprise ~20% of the world’s extant mammal fauna, they have been largely ignored in studies investigating ecosystem response to fire, especially in Australia. Aims In the present study, we aim to investigate the immediate responses of microbats to prescribed fires in a tropical eucalypt woodland.Methods We used a replicated paired experimental design, consisting of burned and unburned treatment and control sites, to investigate how bat activity and community structure change following a prescribed fire. Key results Total bat activity increased significantly following fire. Fire also resulted in changes in the bat species assemblage. Changes in community structure were driven by the following five species: Saccolaimus spp., Chalinolobus nigrogriseus, Chaerephon jobensis, Rhinolophus megaphyllus and unidentified Species c35. Activity of C. nigrogriseus, Saccolaimus spp., C. jobensis and Species c35 increased in the burned sites, whereas changes in the activity of R. megaphyllus were uncorrelated with the effects of fire. Conclusions The effect of fire on these species is consistent with flight patterns and habitat use; species with higher wing aspect ratios, such as Saccolaimus spp., which are capable of fast flight but with limited manoeuvrability, became more active in the open conditions created by fire. Implications The results of the present study suggest that prescribed fire as an environmental management tool may be beneficial to bats, at least in the short term, because it increases habitat suitability for a wider range of species.
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Prebble, Matiu, Robin Sim, Jan Finn, and David Fink. "A Holocene Pollen and Diatom Record from Vanderlin Island, Gulf of Carpentaria, Lowland Tropical Australia." Quaternary Research 64, no. 3 (November 2005): 357–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2005.08.005.
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AbstractSedimentary, palynological and diatom data from a dunefield lake deposit in the interior of Vanderlin Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria are presented. Prior to the formation of present perennial lake conditions, the intensified Australian monsoon associated with the early Holocene marine transgression allowed Cyperaceae sedges to colonise the alluvial margins of an expansive salt flat surrounded by an open Eucalyptus woodland. As sea level stabilised between 7500 and 4500 cal yr B.P. coastal dunes ceased to develop allowing dense Melaleuca forest to establish in a Restionaceae swamp. Dune-sand input into the swamp was diminished further as the increasingly dense vegetation prevented fluvial and aeolian transported sand arriving from coastal sources. This same process impounded the drainage basin allowing a perennial lake to form between 5500 and 4000 cal yr B.P. Myriophyllum and other aquatic taxa colonised the lake periphery under the most extensive woodland recorded for the Holocene. The palynological data support an effective precipitation model proposed for northern Australia that suggests more variable conditions in the late Holocene. A more precise measure of effective precipitation change is provided by diatom-based inferences that indicate few changes in lake hydrology. Such interpretations are explained in terms of palynological sensitivity to adjustments in local fire regimes where regional precipitation change may only be recorded indirectly through fire promoting mechanisms, including intensified ENSO periodicity and human impact.
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Brawata, Renée, Stuart Rae, Bernd Gruber, Sam Reid, and David Roberts. "Confirmation of little eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides) migration by satellite telemetry." Australian Journal of Zoology 66, no. 4 (2018): 247. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo18060.
Full textAbstract:
The post-breeding migration of an adult male little eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides) was followed from south-eastern Australia to the Northern Territory using a GPS satellite transmitter. The bird bred in open woodland habitat on the edge of the city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), before it flew more than 3300km in 18 days, to winter in an area of eucalypt savannah in the Northern Territory. It remained there for 59 days, within a range of ~30km2, after which the last signal was transmitted. The bird was subsequently resighted back in its ACT territory at the end of winter, thus completing a return migration. This is the first confirmation of post-breeding migration for the species.
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Palmer, Carol, Owen Price, and Christine Bach. "Foraging ecology of the black flying fox (Pteropus alecto) in the seasonal tropics of the Northern Territory, Australia." Wildlife Research 27, no. 2 (2000): 169. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr97126.
Full textAbstract:
Pteropus alecto uses landscape patchiness at two scales: firstly, between broad vegetation types (i.e. eucalypt open forest/savanna woodland versus rainforest vegetation); secondly, within vegetation types. Radio-collared Pteropus alecto selected foraging sites that were richer in flower or fruit resources than floristically similar sites and moved through the landscape in response to the flowering and fruiting of a number of plant species occurring in different vegetation types. Abundance of P. alecto within four monitored rainforest patches and the outside vegetation fluctuated substantially during the study. Overall, P. alecto was more abundant in the rainforests than in the surrounding vegetation. P. alecto foraged on the flowers and fruit from 23 species in 11 families.
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Eastwood, Rod, Michael F. Braby, Daniel J. Schmidt, and Jane M. Hughes. "Taxonomy, ecology, genetics and conservation status of the pale imperial hairstreak (Jalmenus eubulus) (Lepidoptera:Lycaenidae): a threatened butterfly from the Brigalow Belt, Australia." Invertebrate Systematics 22, no. 4 (2008): 407. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/is06028.
Full textAbstract:
The taxonomic status of Jalmenus eubulus Miskin stat. rev. is revised and considered to be specifically distinct from J. evagoras (Donovan) based on fundamental differences in morphology, ecology and genetics. Miskin’s holotype is fixed by monotypy and illustrated, with type locality Rockhampton, Queensland. Fixed differences in the mitochondrial genomes of J. eubulus and J. evagoras in which the mean pairwise divergence is only 0.85% indicate absence of matrilineal gene flow, whereas allozyme data show significant structure within and between populations of both species consistent with recent diversification. Underlying causes for the observed genetic patterns are investigated. The two species are parapatric, with a narrow range of overlap along the Great Escarpment in south-eastern Queensland. Jalmenus eubulus is restricted to vegetation communities comprising brigalow-dominated old-growth open-forests and woodlands in the Brigalow Belt (with larvae monophagous on Acacia harpophylla F. Muell. Ex Benth), whereas J. evagoras occurs in a range of disturbed eucalypt woodlands/open-forests predominantly in montane and coastal areas east of this bioregion (with larvae polyphagous on Acacia species other than A. harpophylla). The conservation status of J. eubulus is considered to be vulnerable nationally and critically endangered in New South Wales according to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria. Nationally, the geographic range has an estimated area of occupancy of less than 2000 km2, is severely fragmented, and the extent or quality of its habitat, which is poorly conserved, continues to decline. It is recommended that the taxon be used as an indicator for identification of remnant old-growth forest for conservation planning, as well as a flagship for the conservation of invertebrate biodiversity associated with this threatened ecological community.
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Zeppel, Melanie, and Derek Eamus. "Coordination of leaf area, sapwood area and canopy conductance leads to species convergence of tree water use in a remnant evergreen woodland." Australian Journal of Botany 56, no. 2 (2008): 97. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt07091.
Full textAbstract:
This paper compares rates of tree water use, Huber value, canopy conductance and canopy decoupling of two disparate, co-occurring tree species, in a stand of remnant native vegetation in temperate Australia in order to compare their relative behaviour seasonally and during and after a drought. The study site was an open woodland dominated by Eucalyptus crebra F.Muell. (a broad-leaved species) and Callitris glaucophylla J.Thompson & L.A.S. Johnson (a needle-leaved tree species). Tree water use was measured with sapflow sensors and leaf area and sapwood area were measured destructively on felled trees. The Huber value was calculated as the ratio of sapwood area to leaf area. Diameter at breast height (DBH) of the stem was used as a measure of tree size. Canopy conductance was calculated with an inversion of the Penman–Monteith equation, whereas canopy decoupling) was calculated as described by Lu et al. (2003). The relationship between DBH and daily total water use varied during the four measurement periods, with largest rates of water use observed in summer 2003–2004, following a large rainfall event and the smallest maximum water use observed in winter 2003 when monthly rainfall was much less than the long-term mean for those months. Despite differences in the relationship between sapwood area and DBH for the two species, the relationship between daily total water use and DBH did not differ between species at any time. The same rates of water use for the two species across sampling periods arose through different mechanisms; the eucalypt underwent significant changes in leaf area whereas the Callitris displayed large changes in canopy conductance, such that tree water use remained the same for both species during the 2-year period. Canopy conductance and the decoupling coefficient were both significantly larger in winter than summer in both years. The generally low decoupling coefficient (0.05–0.34) reflects the low leaf area index of the site. When evaporative demand was small (winter), the degree of stomatal control was small and the decoupling coefficient was large. There was no relationship between tree size and either canopy conductance or the decoupling coefficient. Transpiration rates generally showed little variation between seasons and between species because of the balance between changes in leaf area, canopy conductance and evaporative demand. The occurrence of a significant drought did not appear to prevent these coordinated changes from occurring, with the result that convergence in water use was observed for these two disparate species.
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Diete, Rebecca L., Paul D. Meek, Christopher R. Dickman, and Luke K. P. Leung. "Ecology and conservation of the northern hopping-mouse (Notomys aquilo)." Australian Journal of Zoology 64, no. 1 (2016): 21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo15082.
Full textAbstract:
The northern hopping-mouse (Notomys aquilo) is a cryptic and enigmatic rodent endemic to Australia’s monsoonal tropics. Focusing on the insular population on Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory, we present the first study to successfully use live traps, camera traps and radio-tracking to document the ecology of N. aquilo. Searches for signs of the species, camera trapping, pitfall trapping and spotlighting were conducted across the island during 2012–15. These methods detected the species in three of the 32 locations surveyed. Pitfall traps captured 39 individuals over 7917 trap-nights. Females were significantly longer and heavier, and had better body condition, than males. Breeding occurred throughout the year; however, the greatest influx of juveniles into the population occurred early in the dry season in June and July. Nine individuals radio-tracked in woodland habitat utilised discrete home ranges of 0.39–23.95 ha. All individuals used open microhabitat proportionally more than was available, and there was a strong preference for eucalypt woodland on sandy substrate rather than for adjacent sandstone woodland or acacia shrubland. Camera trapping was more effective than live trapping at estimating abundance and, with the lower effort required to employ this technique, it is recommended for future sampling of the species. Groote Eylandt possibly contains the last populations of N. aquilo, but even there its abundance and distribution have decreased dramatically in surveys over the last several decades. Therefore, we recommend that the species’ conservation status under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 be changed from ‘vulnerable’ to ‘endangered’.
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Dodson, JR. "Holocene Vegetation and Environments Near Goulburn, New South Wales." Australian Journal of Botany 34, no. 3 (1986): 231. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9860231.
Full textAbstract:
Three sites from Breadalbane Basin and one from Wet Lagoon near Goulburn were studied to provide a history of vegetation, fire and lake levels in the region. Stratigraphy, a percentage pollen diagram from each site, an influx diagram from two sites and 29 radiocarbon analyses provided the basic data and chronology of the study. The sedimentary history shows that Breadalbane Basin has undergone several cycles of lake phases with sediment accumulation and dry phases with deflation of the lake sediments. The present lake clays and silts of Breadalbane Basin and Wet Lagoon are all Holocene in age. A lake began forming in Breadalbane Basin before 9300 B.P. and probably reached its greatest extent between 7400 and 2700 B.P. At Wet Lagoon water stands were in evidence from 5000 B.P. Over the last 2000 years the sites have dried out and are ephemeral swamps but their water level histories are not necessarily synchronous. A comparison of the records shows that the vegetation of the region has been open eucalypt woodland with understorey dominated by grasses and herbaceous taxa. The most dramatic change was woodland clearance after the arrival of European settlers. The spread of pollen and charcoal collection sites, however, emphasizes a number of local differences in the vegetation of the region. Casuarina, for example, expanded during the mid Holocene along the escarpment on the western side of Breadalbane Basin. The charcoal input curves show fire was a frequent occurrence in the region but the vegetation was apparently resilient to its effects until European settlers used it as a tool in woodland clearance.
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Weste, Gretna, and Jill Kennedy. "Regeneration of Susceptible Native Species Following a Decline of Phytophthora cinnamomi over a Period of 20 Years on Defined Plots in the Grampians, Western Victoria." Australian Journal of Botany 45, no. 1 (1997): 167. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt96048.
Full textAbstract:
Regeneration of susceptible species following a major decline in the population and distribution of the pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands is reported from a reassessment of infested plots in open forest, woodland and heathland of the Grampians. The distribution of P. cinnamomi and changes in the vegetation were measured on quadrats set up in 1976 and 1977 and checked biennially until 1984. In 1995, P. cinnamomi was detected in only 15.6% of the 345 soil and root samples tested and was present in only 28.6% of the infested quadrats compared with 100% of the samples and infested quadrats in all previous assessments. Both the restricted distribution and the isolation of P. cinnamomi from susceptible species without symptoms were evidence of changes in the disease which may have been associated with factors such as a reduced supply of susceptible host roots or an alteration in pathogenicity or in the environment. Changes were recorded in structure and species composition of infested plant communities compared with those that remained pathogen-free, but few recent deaths or dieback symptoms were observed in 1995. On the infested plots, several mature stringybark eucalypts such as Eucalyptus baxteri and E. obliqua had died, and the survivors had reduced crown density and dieback of the major branches. However, regeneration in the form of 8-year-old saplings and young seedlings showed few or no symptoms despite the isolation of P. cinnamomi from the roots. The understorey of infested plots comprised a dense growth of field-resistant plants such as Leptospermum spp. and sedges entwined with dodder laurel, whereas the uninfested plots contained a species-rich heath flora of which 54% were known to be susceptible to P. cinnamomi. Regeneration and continuing survival of 24 susceptible species from 11 different families were recorded as small plants on various infested quadrats. However, 12 susceptible species from 7 different families had failed to regenerate. Pathogen populations may increase with the renewed supply of susceptible roots, but independent of pathogen potential, the emerging susceptible species may not be able to compete effectively against the dense field-resistant understorey in infested plots in order to re-establish the original diverse heathland understorey.
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Martin, A. R. H. "Pollen Analysis of Digger's Creek Bog, Kosciuszko National Park: Vegetation History and Tree-line Change." Australian Journal of Botany 47, no. 5 (1999): 725. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt98002.
Full textAbstract:
Digger's Creek Bog, an Empodisma minus–Callistemon pityoides–Sphagnum cristatum shrubby subalpine peat bog, alt. c. 1690 m, not far below local altitudinal tree-line, began development > 10 000 years before present as an Astelia sp.–Carex alpine soak. Surrounding vegetation was a grassy alpine herbfield with many Asteraceae, Apiaceae and Gentianella diemensis, corresponding to the regional Club Lake Zone C, dated to the same period. Astelia died out c. 6500 years before present approximately at the Club Lake C/D 1 boundary, marked by spread of Pomaderris in subjacent montane forests. Thereafter, shrubs, mainly Myrtaceae and Epacridaceae, and Restionaceae (Empodisma and Restio australis) dominated the bog. Epacris cf. paludosa and C. pityoides seem to have been the earliest shrubs to invade, Baeckea, probably B. gunniana, and Richea continentis reaching maximum prominence 5000–3000 years before present. Sphagnum was uncommon until recently. Regional arboreal pollen enable comparisons with other sites in south-eastern Australia but immigration of the tree-line species Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. niphophila (snowgum) is not well expressed in the pollen spectra. Surface and near-surface counts of this species are higher than at any preceding time, and correspond most closely to surface counts in adjacent young snowgum woodland. The co-occurrence of weed pollens, probably associated with the late 19th and early 20th century practice of summer pasturing stock on the alpine–subalpine tract, suggests that pasturing and burning, responsible for widespread severe fires on this range, led both to the formation of dense even-aged snowgum woodland that had been open and patchy at this altitude, and a spread of Sphagnum on the bog surface.
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McKenzie, G. Merna, and A. Peter Kershaw. "A Vegetation History and Quantitative Estimate of Holocene Climate from Chapple Vale, in the Otway Region of Victoria, Australia." Australian Journal of Botany 45, no. 3 (1997): 565. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt96051.
Full textAbstract:
A well-dated pollen record from Chapple Vale in the north of the Otway region provides a detailed history of vegetation and environments through the last c. 7000 years. From the commencement of the record, a stand of cool temperate rainforest, dominated by Nothofagus cunninghamii (Hook.) Oerst., grew on or around the site and was surrounded by eucalypt-dominated tall open forest. Between c. 5200 and 4600 years BP (before present), the rainforest declined and tall open forest predominated. Some time after 4400 years BP there was a major and consistent increase in charcoal values, suggesting an increase in burning, the progressive development of scrub–heath vegetation on site and the replacement of tall open forest vegetation by eucalypt woodland surrounding the site. The fossil evidence for N. cunninghamii on the site and its present restriction to wetter areas and gullies of the Otway Ranges indicate, from the application of the present bioclimatic range of the species, a mean annual temperature and winter temperatures that were c. 1˚C cooler than present, and summer temperatures that were possibly slightly cooler than present, together with a much higher effective precipitation from the commencement of the record until c. 4600 years BP. These climatic estimates are in accord with those derived from a similar study of changing distributions of N. cunninghamii in the Central Highlands of lower mean annual and cooler summer temperatures and higher effective precipitation over this time span. However, for winter, the evidence is equivocal. While the Otway estimates suggest lower temperatures, the Central Highlands findings show slightly higher temperatures. Taking into account additional present-day records for N. cunninghamii, it is likely that the Otway estimates are the most reliable.
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Vanderwoude, C., A. N. Andersen, and A. P. N. House. "Community Organisation, Biogeography and Seasonality of Ants in an Open Forest of South-eastern Queensland." Australian Journal of Zoology 45, no. 5 (1997): 523. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo96069.
Full textAbstract:
The biogeography and structure of ant communities were examined over a 12-month period at a dry open eucalypt forest in south-eastern Queensland. Three sites were monitored, each with a distinct long-term burning history: burned annually since 1952, burned periodically since 1973, and unburned since 1946. A total of 89 species from 42 genera was recorded over all trapping periods, with the richest genera being Iridomyrmex, Camponotus and Pheidole, each with eight species. Site species richness was 74, 63 and 43, respectively, at the annually burned, periodically burned and the unburned site. We compared the ant community in this forest with those at other forested sites in eastern Australia. Overall, the south-eastern Queensland community was located on the overlap between the Bassian and Torresian zones (not dominated by either element), while the functional-group composition resembled those of both tropical savannas and cool-temperate woodlands. There were readily discernible differences between sites in terms of biogeographical and functional-group composition; and between the unburned site and both burned sites in terms of abundance and species richness. The relative abundance of Iridomyrmex spp. increased with burning frequency while the relative abundance of Bassian species decreased with burning frequency. Species richness and abundance at the burned sites were similar, but substantially higher than at the unburned site. The community characteristics of the three sites were readily distinguishable, indicating that ant communities may play a valuable role in detecting ecological changes in forested landscapes in south- eastern Queensland.
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Hunt, L. P. "Aboveground and belowground carbon dynamics in response to fire regimes in the grazed rangelands of northern Australia: initial results from field studies and modelling." Rangeland Journal 36, no. 4 (2014): 347. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj13123.
Full textAbstract:
The world’s rangelands are often seen as offering considerable potential as a carbon (C) sink, which could contribute to the management of atmospheric C levels, but there are often few data available to assess this potential or to inform the type of management regimes that would be necessary. This paper reports on a review of the literature, a field study and modelling of C stocks under a selection of experimental fire regimes in two plant communities in Australia’s northern rangelands. The field study on an open eucalypt savanna woodland and a savanna grassland-open shrubland suggested that fire regime had no effect or an inconsistent effect on aboveground C stocks. However, modelling using the Century model for the open woodland site showed that increasing fire frequency was associated with reduced aboveground and soil C stocks. Thus, while infrequent fires allowed C stocks to increase (10-yearly fire) or remain stable (6-yearly fire) over a modelled 58-year period, a regime of more frequent fires (4- and 2-yearly fires) reduced C stocks over time. Simulation of C dynamics over 93 years of pastoral settlement suggested that total C stocks had increased by 9.5 t ha–1, largely due to an increase in C in woody vegetation following a reduction in fire frequency associated with pastoral settlement. Frequent burning, as recommended to maintain low woody density and promote pasture production for grazing, will, therefore, reduce aboveground and to a lesser extent soil C stocks where there has been a history of infrequent fire. The opportunities for pastoralists to increase C stocks will depend on the frequency of fire and vegetation type, especially its woodiness or potential woodiness. Reducing fire frequency in woody rangelands will increase C stocks but may have adverse effects on pasture and livestock production. Reducing grazing pressure or destocking might also increase C stocks but may be relevant only when a property is overstocked or where relatively unproductive land could be taken out of livestock production. Any C gains from altering fire and grazing management are likely to be modest.
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R. Fulton, Graham, and Hugh A. Ford. "The Pied Currawong's role in avian nest predation: a predator removal experiment." Pacific Conservation Biology 7, no. 3 (2001): 154. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc010154.
Full textAbstract:
Pied Currawongs Strepera graculina have been implicated as a major threat to the persistence of small passerines in urban and rural landscapes through their intense nest predation while raising their young. Pied Currawongs have recently increased in abundance and colonized new areas, due to the planting of exotic berry-bearing trees and shrubs. In association with habitat fragmentation, this may have intensified their predatory impact. We measured the rate of predation on 416 artificial nests, using quail and plasticine eggs, in a 240 ha remnant of eucalypt woodland. Nests were placed in one grid from which Pied Currawongs were removed and in one control grid. The level of predation was monitored before and after Pied Currawong removal. Overall, nest predation was extremely high with 91 % of all nests preyed upon in seven days. Moreover, nest predation decreased significantly following Pied Currawong removal, thus identifying them as significant nest predators. However, imprint evidence from plasticine eggs and the remains of real eggs indicate that other animals, particularly other birds, are also important predators. If this high level of nest predation is reflected in real nests and occurs over a number of years, it may lead to low recruitment of open-nesting birds at this site. If it occurs regionally, it could contribute to long term declines of these species. Our findings suggest that even quite large woodland fragments may be too small to sustain many declining bird species.
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ASH, A. J., and J. G. McIVOR. "Forage quality and feed intake responses of cattle to improved pastures, tree killing and stocking rate in open eucalypt woodlands of north-eastern Australia." Journal of Agricultural Science 131, no. 2 (September 1998): 211–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0021859698005607.
Full textAbstract:
The effects of oversowing introduced grasses and legumes, tree killing and stocking rate on simulated diet quality and feed intake of cattle were studied in an open eucalypt woodland in the semi-arid tropics of north-eastern Australia in 1990. Rainfall during the experimental period was above average, producing good conditions for pasture growth, which resulted in little influence of stocking rate on pasture or dietary attributes. During the growing season, forage quality, as measured by nitrogen concentration and in vitro digestibility, was higher in sown pasture than in native pasture, and higher in plots with live trees than in plots with killed trees. Treatment differences in herbage quality disappeared later in the year when pastures senesced. In sown pasture treatments, there was no effect of tree killing on legume (Stylosanthes spp.) quality. However, Stylosanthes made a greater contribution to the diet of cattle grazing in wooded paddocks than in paddocks where trees had been killed. The proportion of Stylosanthes in the diet reached a peak in May and then declined. Oversowing increased both diet quality and feed intake while, to a lesser extent, killing trees resulted in generally lower diet quality and feed intake.Estimates of liveweight change were made from the quantities of energy and protein consumed by the cattle. As expected, large increases in liveweight gain were predicted to occur in oversown pastures compared with native pastures. However, estimates indicated that animal performance may be better where trees are left intact rather than killed. While carrying capacity is greatly increased with the removal of trees, this may be at the expense of individual animal performance. Possible reasons for this significant negative response in dietary attributes and predicted liveweight gain to tree killing are discussed.
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Arnold, GW, and DE Steven. "Variations in Distribution of Western Grey Kangaroos, Macropus-Fuliginosus-Ocydromus, in the Tutanning Nature Reserve and Their Impact on Adjacent Farmland." Wildlife Research 15, no. 2 (1988): 119. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9880119.
Full textAbstract:
The distribution of western grey kangaroos, Macropus fuliginosus ocydromus, within the Tutanning Nature Reserve, near Pingelly W.A., was monitored for six years from faecal accumulation on fixed transects throughout the reserve, and from locations of animals sighted. Animal density varied between the eastern and western halves of the reserve, but this variation could not be explained by differences in the vegetation characteristics that were measured. Significantly more use was made by the kangaroos of Eucalyptus wandoo-E. accedens open woodland than of dense areas of Casuarina huegliana or of tall kwongan vegetation. Animal numbers declined by 40% in 1982 (from 800 to 500), a drought year, and remained at this lower level for the final three years of the study. The numbers of animals seen on farmland at night were higher on crops than on pastures, and higher in areas adjacent to parts of the reserve with greater densities of kangaroos. The proportion of the population seen on farmland on any one night varied seasonally, but averaged 4.5% in 1981, before the population decline, to 5.6% in 1983, a year of very low winter rainfall. Estimation of crop damage made in one year shows that damage was restricted to those parts within 100 m of the reserve. The crop losses appear to be around 1% of paddock yields.
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Taylor, Lee N. H., and Hugh A. Ford. "Predation of artificial nests in a fragmented landscape on the New England Tablelands of New South Wales." Wildlife Research 25, no. 6 (1998): 587. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr98034.
Full textAbstract:
Artificial, cup-shaped nests containing one quail egg and one plasticine egg were placed in small (20 ha), medium-sized (90 ha) and large (350 ha) remnants of eucalypt woodland. Nests were placed near edges and centres of the two larger sites; the small site was considered all edge. Overall, 69% (659/960) of nests were preyed upon within 4 days, reflecting a high predation pressure. More nests were preyed upon in the medium-sized than in the larger or smaller sites. Loss of nests was no higher at the edge than in the centre overall, though it was significantly higher at the edge than the centre of the largest site. The main predators were identified (from beak marks on plasticine eggs) as large and medium-sized birds. Our results provide only weak support for the hypothesis that habitat fragmentation has increased predation on open nests. It is possible that nest predators and their impact have increased regionally, rather than locally. Habitat degradation may also lead to higher predation of nests, due to loss of understorey and an increase in nest predators.
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Harle, Katherine J., Kate Britton, Hendrik Heijnis, Atun Zawadzki, and Andrew V. Jenkinson. "Mud, mines and rainforest: a short history of human impact in western Tasmania, using pollen, trace metals and lead-210." Australian Journal of Botany 50, no. 4 (2002): 481. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt01028.
Full textAbstract:
Lead-210, pollen and trace-element analyses of a finely sampled 7.5-cm sediment core from a subalpine tarn in western Tasmania have provided a detailed record of post-colonial human impact in the region. Lead-210 analysis indicated that the record extends back to about 1811 AD, with several changes in sediment rates evident. These have been tentatively related to disturbance in the catchment associated with ore prospecting. The regional vegetation has been reconstructed for this period using pollen abundances. Prior to 1860 AD, there appears to have been little disturbance in the regional vegetation, with relatively high taxon diversity and pollen concentrations. Important communities included rainforest dominated by Nothofagus cunninghamii and subdominated by Phyllocladus and Eucryphia, eucalypt-dominated mixed and wet sclerophyll forest and subalpine and/or alpine complexes. From the 1860s, the evidence suggests an overall reduction in the extent of regional forests, particularly rainforest and subalpine woodland. Initially, this appears to have been associated with both elevated charcoal levels and minor increases in concentrations of trace metals, particularly lead, tin, arsenic and copper. By the 1950s, however, significant reductions in taxon diversity and pollen abundance (particularly for rainforest and subalpine woodland) were strongly associated with rapidly increasing concentrations of trace metals. This evidence corresponds with historic records of mineral prospecting and mining in the region, especially around Queenstown where significant deforestation occurred due to logging and pollution from smelters. Interestingly, the evidence for the most significant impacts coincided with the escalation of open-cut mining from the 1950s to the 1970s, rather than earlier phases of smelter-produced pollution.
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Bonell, Mike, and John Williams. "A review of hydrology research within the open eucalypt woodlands of tropical semiarid Australia: A possible source of baseline information for the West African Sahel." Sécheresse 20, no. 1 (January 2009): 031–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.1684/sec.2009.0173.
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Johnson, C. N., and A. P. McIlwee. "Ecology of the Northern Bettong, Bettongia tropica, a Tropical Mycophagist." Wildlife Research 24, no. 5 (1997): 549. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr96034.
Full textAbstract:
The diet and seasonal ecology of the northern bettong, Bettongia tropica, was studied at three sites along a moisture gradient from closed Allocasuarina-Eucalyptus forest to dry open woodland in north-eastern Queensland. At each site, fungi (sporocarps of hypogeous ectomycorrhizal species) were the major food, and most of the remainder of the diet consisted of grass leaf and stem, roots and tubers, and lilies. Forbs and invertebrates were also eaten, but in small quantities. Fungus consumption was greatest at the wettest forest type and least at the driest site. Seasonal variation was insignificant except at the driest site, where fungus consumption peaked in the late wet season and dropped during the dry season; this seasonal fall in fungus consumption was associated with an increase in consumption of grass and roots and tubers. There was little seasonal variation in body condition, except at the driest site, where the dry-season decline in the proportional representation of fungus in the diet was associated with a decline in body condition. Breeding was continuous and aseasonal. B. tropica is found only in a narrow zone of sclerophyll forest along the western edge of wet tropical rainforest in north-eastern Queensland. We suggest that this species (like bettongs and potoroos in southern Australia) depends on hypogeous fungi, and that expansion of its geographical range into drier forest types is prevented by shortages of fungus during the dry season.
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Zeppel, Melanie, Catriona Macinnis-Ng, Anthony Palmer, Daniel Taylor, Rhys Whitley, Sigfredo Fuentes, Isa Yunusa, Mathew Williams, and Derek Eamus. "An analysis of the sensitivity of sap flux to soil and plant variables assessed for an Australian woodland using a soil - plant - atmosphere model." Functional Plant Biology 35, no. 6 (2008): 509. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/fp08114.
Full textAbstract:
Daily and seasonal patterns of tree water use were measured for the two dominant tree species, Angophora bakeri E.C.Hall (narrow-leaved apple) and Eucalyptus sclerophylla (Blakely) L.A.S. Johnson & Blaxell (scribbly gum), in a temperate, open, evergreen woodland using sap flow sensors, along with information about soil, leaf, tree and micro-climatological variables. The aims of this work were to: (a) validate a soil–plant–atmosphere (SPA) model for the specific site; (b) determine the total depth from which water uptake must occur to achieve the observed rates of tree sap flow; (c) examine whether the water content of the upper soil profile was a significant determinant of daily rates of sap flow; and (d) examine the sensitivity of sap flow to several biotic factors. It was found that: (a) the SPA model was able to accurately replicate the hourly, daily and seasonal patterns of sap flow; (b) water uptake must have occurred from depths of up to 3 m; (c) sap flow was independent of the water content of the top 80 cm of the soil profile; and (d) sap flow was very sensitive to the leaf area of the stand, whole tree hydraulic conductance and the critical water potential of the leaves, but insensitive to stem capacitance and increases in root biomass. These results are important to future studies of the regulation of vegetation water use, landscape-scale behaviour of vegetation, and to water resource managers, because they allow testing of large-scale management options without the need for large-scale manipulations of vegetation cover.