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1
Morgan, David L., Simon J. Hambleton, Howard S. Gill, and Stephen J. Beatty. "Distribution, biology and likely impacts of the introduced redfin perch (Perca fluviatilis) (Percidae) in Western Australia." Marine and Freshwater Research 53, no. 8 (2002): 1211. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf02047.
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Within Western Australia, Perca fluviatilis is restricted to the south-western corner and is found in the Swan, Murray, Harvey, Collie, Capel, Carbunup, Margaret, Blackwood, Donnelly and Warren river systems. Age data suggest it was released into Big Brook Dam (Warren River) in 1992 or 1993, where it has since played a role in eliminating the native teleosts. Its success here is attributed to a young age at maturity, rapid growth (compared with populations elsewhere), predatory nature, large size (compared with native fish), broad environmental and habitat tolerances, and absence of predators. Gonadal development initiates in late summer, with peak spawning between August and September. Males and females attained maturity in their first and second years, respectively, which is earlier than reported for most Northern Hemisphere populations and can be attributed to their rapid growth here because of the warmer climate. At ages 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, males, on average, attained 102, 159, 206, 246 and 280 mm total length (TL) and females had attained 104, 166, 228, 290 and 351 mm TL at the respective ages. Diets of fish 50–200 mm TL comprised mainly small aquatic invertebrates, whereas larger fish preyed almost exclusively on decapods, mainly marron (Cherax tenuimanus), and teleosts.
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Humphries, P. "Life history, food and habitat of southern pygmy perch, Nannoperca australis, in the Macquarie River, Tasmania." Marine and Freshwater Research 46, no. 8 (1995): 1159. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf9951159.
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The reproductive biology, age, growth, food and habitat of Nannoperca australis are described from samples collected from fringing macrophyte beds of the Macquarie River, Tasmania. Comparisons are made with the same species at Narrandera in New South Wales and other nannopercids, mainly in south-western Australia. Nannoperca australis spawned at the end of its first year, predominantly between October and December, inclusive. The peak mean gonadosomatic index of males occurred in August at 8.0 and that of females two months later at 11.5. The largest oocytes, of running-ripe females collected in October and December, were 1.15 mm in diameter. Fecundities ranged from 78 for a 1-year-old 37-mm fish to 679 for a 2-year-old 63-mm fish. Spawning is presumed to occur in the macrophyte habitat, since adults did not emigrate from these areas at this time. Otoliths and length-frequency histograms indicated that populations were dominated by 0+ fish. Amphipods and ostracods predominated in the guts of N. australis and prey items were mostly either benthic invertebrates or plant epifauna. Plankton was consumed by small fish in greater quantities than by larger fish, whereas the opposite was true for benthic and epifaunal prey. Fish were virtually always associated with aquatic macrophytes and almost always with shallow, still water.
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L. Morgan, David, Dean C. Thorburn, and Howard S. Gill. "Salinization of southwestern Western Australian rivers and the implications for the inland fish fauna - the Blackwood River, a case study." Pacific Conservation Biology 9, no. 3 (2003): 161. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc030161.
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Increasing salinities throughout southwestern Western Australia, facilitated by extensive land clearing, have compromised the region's highly endemic freshwater fishes. Salinization of the Blackwood River has resulted in the main channel and upper cleared catchment being dominated by estuarine and halotolerant teleosts. The non-halotolerant species are restricted to the forested non-saline tributaries of the lower catchment. Of the 12 943 fish (13 species) captured in 113 sites, the halotolerant introduced Mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki was widespread and the most abundant, representing almost 52% of fish caught. The estuarine Western Hardyhead Leptatherina wallacei, which was also widespread throughout the main channel and upper catchment, was the next most abundant, representing ca. 24% of fish caught. Freshwater endemics represented ca. 23% of captures, with the Western Minnow Galaxias occidentalis and Western Pygmy Perch Edelia vittata accounting for most (i.e., ca. 20%). There were significant differences in teleost communities among the naturally vegetated, low salinity tributaries of the river compared with the main channel and upper cleared catchment. While the forested tributaries still contain populations of E. vittata, Nightfish Bostockia porosa and Mud Minnow Galaxiella munda, the elevated salinities in the upper reaches of the Blackwood River system appear to have caused a massive decline in, or extinction of, populations of these species. The protection of the region's unique freshwater teleosts relies on the preservation of their remaining habitat in both the uncleared catchments of the region and in the low salinity forested tributaries within largely cleared systems, such as those in the Blackwood River catchment.
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Peirce, JR. "Morphological and phenological variation in three populations of saffron thistle (Carthamus lanatus L.) from Western Australia." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 41, no. 6 (1990): 1193. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar9901193.
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Saffron thistle (Carthamus lanatus L.), an erect spiny annual herb, is a weed of pasture and cereal crops in some agricultural areas of southern Australia. Cypselas (achenes or seeds) were collected from mature plants at three sites near Salmon Gums, Moorine Rock and Greenough in Western Australia and grown at South Perth. Two forms were observed and could be distinguished by differences in their phenology and the shape of cotyledons and achenes. After two generations at South Perth, germination in the presence or absence of leaching with water or after storage at daily fluctuating temperatures of 15-60�C indicated that there were differences between forms as well as between different accessions of the same form. This result suggests that genetic as well as environmental factors influence the breakdown of dormancy and promote germination. Differences in germination were detected when a single accession was sown at two sites, one in the south and the other in the north of the cereal-growing region of Western Australia. Low rainfall and temperatures in autumn were primarily responsible for slow and staggered germination at the more southern site. The protracted germination of saffron thistle in the southern cereal-growing districts creates a problem for cultural control and correct timing of herbicide applications.
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Keipert, N., D. Weaver, R. Summers, M. Clarke, and S. Neville. "Guiding BMP adoption to improve water quality in various estuarine ecosystems in Western Australia." Water Science and Technology 57, no. 11 (June 1, 2008): 1749–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2008.276.
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The Australian Government's Coastal Catchment Initiative (CCI) seeks to achieve targeted reductions in nutrient pollution to key coastal water quality hotspots, reducing algal blooms and fish kills. Under the CCI a Water Quality Improvement Plan (WQIP) is being prepared for targeted estuaries (Swan–Canning, near Perth, and the Vasse–Geographe, 140 km south of Perth) to address nutrient pollution issues. A range of projects are developing, testing and implementing agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) to reduce excessive loads of nutrients reaching the receiving waters. This work builds on progress-to-date achieved in a similar project in the Peel–Harvey Catchment (70 km south of Perth). It deals with the necessary steps of identifying the applicability of BMPs for nutrient attenuation, developing and promoting BMPs in the context of nutrient use and attenuation on farm and through catchments and estimating the degree to which BMP implementation can protect receiving waters. With a range of BMPs available with varying costs and effectiveness, a Decision Support System (DSS) to guide development of the WQIP and implementation of BMPs to protect receiving waters, is under development. As new information becomes available the DSS will be updated to ensure relevance and accuracy for decision-making and planning purposes. The DSS, calibrated for application in the catchments, will play a critical role in adaptive implementation of the WQIP by assessing the effect of land use change and management interventions on pollutant load generation and by providing a tool to guide priority setting and investment planning to achieve agreed WQIP load targets.
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Bruxner, George, Peter Burvill, Sam Fazio, and Sam Febbo. "Aspects of Psychiatric Admissions of Migrants to Hospitals in Perth, Western Australia." Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 31, no. 4 (August 1997): 532–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/00048679709065075.
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Objective: Recent Australian Government initiatives have emphasised problems with service provision to the ethnic mentally ill. This study aims to address the paucity of contemporary data describing the disposition of the ethnic mentally ill in hospital settings. Method: Patterns of admissions for psychiatric disorders to all hospitals in Perth, Western Australia, for the 3 years from 1990 to 1992, of migrants and the Australian born were compared using data from the Western Australian Mental Health Information System. Results: The overall rates for European migrants showed a ‘normalisation’ towards those of the Australian-born. There were high rates for the schizophrenic spectrum disorders in Polish and Yugoslavian (old terminology) migrants. There were low admission rates for South-East Asian migrants, predominantly those from Vietnam and Malaysia. Rates for alcoholism were low in Italian and all Asian migrants. There were high rates of organic psychosis, especially in those older than 75 years, among the Italian and Dutch migrants. The relative risk of a first admission in the 3 years being an involuntary admission to a mental hospital was almost twice that of the Australian-born for migrants from Poland, Yugoslavia, Malaysia and Vietnam. Conclusions: The results imply the possibility of significant untreated and/or undiagnosed psychiatric morbidity in the South-East Asian-born. They also indicate a need for further exploration of the unexpectedly high levels of psychiatric morbidity among some ethnic elderly groups, specifically the Dutch- and Italian-born. The findings demonstrate the persistence of high rates of presentation for psychotic disorders among Eastern European-born populations, many years post migration.
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Rahman, Touhidur, and Sonya Broughton. "The Survival of Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) Over Winter in Western Australia." Environmental Entomology 48, no. 4 (May 23, 2019): 977–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvz060.
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Abstract The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is one of the most economically important pest insects of fruit crops worldwide. Mediterranean fruit fly can cause up to 100% crop loss in susceptible fruit. In order to formulate best management practices, it is critical to understand how Mediterranean fruit fly overwinters in a given geographical location and bridge the gap between autumn and spring populations. In this study, we evaluated the overwintering potential of Mediterranean fruit fly immature and adult stages in two locations in Perth Hills, Western Australia. We also monitored wild adult Mediterranean fruit fly populations for 2 yr. Adults were present year-round with captures very low in winter to early spring relative to summer and autumn. Field experiments revealed that immature stages in apples (eggs/first instar) and soil (pupae) remained viable in winter, emerging as adults at the onset of warmer weather in spring. In field cages, adults survived 72–110 d, and female laid viable eggs when offered citrus fruit, though only 1–6% eggs survived to emerge as adults. Adults survived longer in field cages when offered live citrus branch. The findings suggest that all Mediterranean fruit fly life stages can survive through mild winter, and surviving adults, eggs in the fruit and/or pupae in the soil are the sources of new population that affect the deciduous fruit crops in Perth. We recommend that Mediterranean fruit fly monitoring is required year-round and control strategies be deployed in spring. Furthermore, we recommend removal of fallen fruit particularly apple and other winter fruit such as citrus.
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McDonald, K. S., P. S. Cocks, and M. A. Ewing. "Genetic variation in five populations of strawberry clover (Trifolium fragiferum cv. Palestine) in Western Australia." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 45, no. 11 (2005): 1445. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea04154.
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Genetic variation within and among populations of an outcrossing stoloniferous perennial legume, strawberry clover (Trifolium fragiferum L.), was studied using seed collected from 5 different locations in Western Australia. The sites ranged from Badgingarra to the north of the wheatbelt to Karridale in the southwest of the state. Seed was collected randomly at each site and was grown out at the University of Western Australia Field Station at Shenton Park, Perth. Thirteen morphological plant traits were measured and analysed. Results show that within-population variation was extremely high. In contrast, among-population variation was generally low with most characters showing only 8–15% of the total variation. Despite this, all but 1 of the measured plant traits differed among populations. Principal components analysis highlighted the large amount of variation within the populations with the first 3 principal components accounting for only 59% of the total variation. We suggest that the populations have begun to differentiate into ecotypes more suited to those habitats into which they have been sown but that within-population variation remains high due to the outcrossing nature of strawberry clover.
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Murphy, B. D., M. K. Kay, and G. R. Allen. "Detection of a Tasmanian strain of the biological control agent Enoggera nassaui Girault (Hymenoptera Pteromalidae) using mitochondrial COI." New Zealand Plant Protection 57 (August 1, 2004): 252–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.30843/nzpp.2004.57.6902.
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Paropsis charybdis (Coleoptera Chrysomelidae) an Australian pest of Eucalyptus in New Zealand is subject to biological control by Enoggera nassaui (Hymenoptera Pteromalidae) a solitary egg parasitoid sourced from Western Australia ( Perth Strain) in 1987 Erratic control in inland regions of New Zealand led to the introduction and release in 2000 of two Tasmanian E nassaui strains to attempt expansion of the climatic range of biocontrol Samples recovered a year later were analysed using partial sequences of the Cytochrome oxidase I (COI) mitochondrial gene to test for establishment This method detected a haplotype corresponding with a Tasmanian (Florentine Valley) strain However as sequences could not be obtained from original Perth strain stocks some doubt remains as to the genetic source of the other current E nassaui populations in New Zealand COI proved adept at distinguishing between different parasitoid populations and shows promise for similar studies
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Patel, Dimpalben, Le Jian, Jianguo Xiao, Janis Jansz, Grace Yun, Ting Lin, and Andrew Robertson. "Joint effects of heatwaves and air quality on ambulance services for vulnerable populations in Perth, western Australia." Environmental Pollution 252 (September 2019): 532–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2019.05.125.
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Bennett, Sarita Jane. "Genetic variation between and within two populations of Trifolium glomeratum (cluster clover) in Western Australia." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 48, no. 7 (1997): 969. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/a96158.
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Genetic variation between and within populations of Trifolium glomeratum (cluster clover) was studied using seed collected from 2 sites in Western Australia: Mount Barker in the south and Kwelkan in the wheatbelt. Seed was collected at 64 subplots within each site and the material was grown at the University Field Station at Shenton Park, Perth. Seventeen morphological characters were scored and the results were analysed using analysis of variance, principal components analysis, and cluster analysis. Within-site variation was much greater than had previously been shown, and a considerable amount of between-site variation was present. It is suggested that within-site variation is due to a small amount of heterozygosity, as a result of limited outbreeding, being present in each population. The 2 populations are shown to be distinct from each other, with the population from Mount Barker containing more within-site variation. It is suggested that this is a result of climatic stress influencing and reducing the amount of variation being maintained in the Kwelkan population.
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Michael, Pippa J., Kathryn J. Steadman, and Julie A. Plummer. "Limited ecoclinal variation found in Malva parviflora (small-flowered mallow) across the Mediterranean-climatic agricultural region of Western Australia." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 57, no. 7 (2006): 823. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar05187.
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Malva parviflora L. populations were collected from 24 locations across the Mediterranean–climatic agricultural region of Western Australia and grown in Perth in a common garden experiment. Seventeen morphometric and taxonomic measurements were taken and genetic variation was investigated by performing principal components analysis (PCA). Taxonomic measurements confirmed that all plants used in the study were M. parviflora. Greater variation occurred within populations than between populations. Separation between populations was only evident between northern and southern populations along principal components 2 (PC2), which was due mainly to flowering time. Flowering time and consequently photoperiod were highly correlated with latitude and regression analysis revealed a close relationship (r2 = 0.6). Additionally, the pollination system of M. parviflora was examined. Plants were able to self-pollinate without the need for external vectors and the pollen–ovule ratio (31 ± 1.3) revealed that M. parviflora is most likely to be an obligate inbreeder with a slight potential for outcrossing. The limited variation of M. parviflora enhances the likelihood of suitable control strategies being effective across a broad area.
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Davis, R. A., and J. A. Wilcox. "Adapting to suburbia: bird ecology on an urban-bushland interface in Perth, Western Australia." Pacific Conservation Biology 19, no. 2 (2013): 110. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc130110.
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Birds in urban landscapes must contend with fragmented and degraded remnants of native vegetation and their survival may be dependent on factors such as their ability to disperse through and/or utilize the urban matrix. We examined the frequency of occurrence of birds in native bushland in Kings Park, Perth, Western Australia, and in nine adjacent suburban gardens. We quantified dispersal capacity by observing bird crossing frequency and height over a major six-lane road separating the bushland from adjacent gardens. Finally we quantified matrix utilisation by recording foraging behaviour in urban gardens and bushland. Native bushland had a higher species richness than urban gardens (30 versus 17 species) and 18 species were associated more strongly with bushland. Of these 18 species, 61% were never recorded in urban gardens. Gardens were typified by three generalist species, the Singing Honeyeater Lichenostomus virescens and the introduced Laughing Dove Spilopelia senegalensis and Spotted Dove S. chinensis. Three generalist species, the Red Wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata, Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus, and Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta were equally abundant in all habitats. Four of 18 bird species (Singing Honeyeater Red Wattlebird, Rainbow Lorikeet, and Australian Ringneck Barnardius zonarius) accounted for the majority of road crossing events. Urban gardens provided a rich resource for generalists and urban exploiters, all of which spent significantly more time foraging on nectar in gardens and significantly more time foraging on insects in bushland. We conclude that urban gardens provide habitat for some species that exploit nectar, but most species in bushland, particularly insectivores, do not use gardens. Our results indicate the importance of retaining well-managed bushland for supporting viable urban bird populations.
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Young, Glen C., Brent S. Wise, and Suzanne G. Ayvazian. "A tagging study on tailor (Pomatomus saltatrix) in Western Australian waters: their movement, exploitation, growth and mortality." Marine and Freshwater Research 50, no. 7 (1999): 633. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf98139.
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Recreational anglers fishing for tailor (Pomatomus saltatrix) around Perth, Western Australia, have expressed concern over declining catches during the early 1990s. A total of 3949 undersize (below the legal minimum length of 250 mm), 1015 sub-adult and 143 adult tailor were tagged between November 1994 and August 1996 at 24 sites along 1200 km of Western Australian coastline. Undersize tailor were recaptured at lower rates than sub-adult tailor, and were, on average, at liberty for longer periods. Modelling indicates that fishers under-report undersize fish, probably because of the legal minimum length requirement, and that the natural loss rate is higher for undersize than sub-adult fish. The majority of recaptured undersize and sub-adult fish had moved <25 km, remaining in sheltered estuarine and marine areas. In contrast, recaptured undersize and sub-adult tailor that had become adults while tagged displayed behaviour consistent with a northward or offshore winter movement. Comparisons between tag returns and the annual commercial catch of tailor suggests that recreational fishers take the majority of the total catch of tailor in Western Australia. Growth estimates between 0.41 ± 0.19 and 0.44 ± 0.12 mm day −1 suggest that tailor reach legal size in 18–22 months.
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Bennett, Sarita Jane. "Ecotypic variation between and within two populations of Trifolium tomentosum (woolly clover) from Syria and Western Australia: its success as a colonising species." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 50, no. 8 (1999): 1443. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar99024.
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Ecotypic variation was studied between and within populations of Trifolium tomentosum (woolly clover) using seed that was collected from 2 semi-arid environments: Tel Hadya, Syria, and Pingrup, Western Australia. The seed was collected from 64 subplots within a 40-m2 grid at each site and the material was grown at the University of Western Australia Field Station at Shenton Park, Perth. Fifteen morphological characters were scored and were analysed using analysis of variance, principal components analysis, and discriminant function analysis. Material from the 2 sites was separated using multivariate analysis, with the seed from Tel Hadya containing more within-site variation. It is suggested that the lack of within-site variation observed at Pingrup is the result of a number of factors: a limited amount of genetic diversity being present in the original introduced material, a preference of T. tomentosum for alkaline soils rather than the acid soils predominantly occurring in Western Australia, the harsh selection pressures present in a semi-arid environment, and a limited time for genotypes to adapt to specific micro-niches within each environment. The results are used to contribute to our understanding of the success of colonising species in semi-arid environments.
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Johnson, MS, DR Hebbert, and MJ Moran. "Genetic analysis of populations of north-western Australian fish species." Marine and Freshwater Research 44, no. 5 (1993): 673. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf9930673.
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Allozyme variation was used to investigate the genetic structure of Lutjanus sebae, Lethrinus nebulosus, Lethrinus choerorynchus, and Epinephelus multinotatus, which are components of a multispecies fishery off north-western Australia. Samples of each species were obtained from five or six localities, over a total distance of 1400-2080 km. Allelic variation was found at 13-16 loci in each species. The consistent picture to emerge was one of little genetic subdivision in all four species, with average values of FST ranging from 0.003 in L. sebae to 0.012 in E. multinotatus. Although there was statistically significant variation in allelic frequencies in three of the species, there were no clear geographical groupings of populations. With the possible exception of clinal variation for aldehyde oxidase in E. multinotatus, all heterogeneity of allelic frequencies was within the range that could easily be due to within-generation effects of selection. Thus, the allozyme data are consistent with the view that there are extensive connections of populations over large distances. The electrophoretic study also confirmed that, contrary to suggestions in the literature, L. nebulosus, L. choerorynchus, and Lethrinus laticaudis are reproductively isolated species.
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Clarke, Catherine L., Lana M. Bell, Peter Gies, Stuart Henderson, Aris Siafarikas, and Shelley Gorman. "Season, Terrestrial Ultraviolet Radiation, and Markers of Glucose Metabolism in Children Living in Perth, Western Australia." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16, no. 19 (October 3, 2019): 3734. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16193734.
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Seasonality in glucose metabolism has been observed in adult populations; however, little is known of the associations between season and glucose metabolism in children. In this study, we examined whether markers of glucose metabolism (fasting glucose, insulin and HbA1c) varied by season in a paediatric population (6–13 years of age) located in Perth (Western Australia, n = 262) with data categorised by weight. Linear regression was used to analyse the nature of the relationships between mean daily levels of terrestrial ultraviolet radiation (UVR) (prior to the day of the blood test) and measures of glucose metabolism. Fasting blood glucose was significantly lower in autumn compared to spring, for children in combined, normal and obese weight categories. Fasting insulin was significantly lower in autumn and summer compared to winter for individuals of normal weight. HbA1c was significantly higher in summer (compared with winter and spring) in overweight children, which was in the opposite direction to other published findings in adults. In children with obesity, a strong inverse relationship (r = −0.67, p = 0.002) was observed for fasting glucose, and daily terrestrial UVR levels measured in the previous 6 months. Increased safe sun exposure in winter therefore represents a plausible means of reducing fasting blood sugar in children with obesity. However, further studies, using larger paediatric cohorts are required to confirm these relationships.
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Simpson, Greg D., Jackie Parker, Erin Gibbens, and Philip G. Ladd. "A Hybrid Method for Citizen Science Monitoring of Recreational Trampling in Urban Remnants: A Case Study from Perth, Western Australia." Urban Science 4, no. 4 (December 8, 2020): 72. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/urbansci4040072.
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Vegetation trampling that arises from off-trail excursions by people walking for recreation can negatively impact the structure of understory plants in natural spaces that are an essential element of urban green infrastructure in a modern city. In addition to reducing the esthetic quality and environmental values of urban remnant and replanted native vegetation, such trampling reduces the habitat that supports wildlife populations within the urban fabric. This case study draws upon several disparate methods for measuring vegetation structure and trampling impacts to produce a hybrid method that community-based citizen scientists (and land managers and other researchers) could use to simply, rapidly, and reproducibly monitor how trampling associated with urban recreation trails impacts the structure of understory vegetation. Applying the novel hybrid method provided evidence that trampling had reduced the vegetation structure adjacent to a recreational walking trail in an urban woodland remnant in Perth, Western Australia. The hybrid method also detected ecological variability at the local ecosystem-scale at a second similar woodland remnant in Perth. The hybrid sampling method utilized in this case study provides an effective, efficient, and reproducible data collection method that can be applied to recreation ecology research into aspects of trampling associated with trail infrastructure.
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Davison, E. M., and F. C. S. Tay. "Management of tar spot disease caused by Phyllachora grevilleae subsp. grevilleae on Hakea myrtoides (Proteaceae)." Australian Journal of Botany 58, no. 5 (2010): 392. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt10008.
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Hakea myrtoides Meisn. is an attractive shrub that has a restricted distribution in the south-west of Western Australia. It is not killed by fire but re-sprouts from basal lignotubers. Its leaves are often severely affected by tar spot disease, caused by the biotrophic, stromatic ascomycete Phyllachora grevilleae (Lév.) Sacc. subsp. grevilleae (Lév) Sacc. This disease is spread by ascospores that are produced during the wettest months of the year: late autumn, winter and spring. Badly infected populations of H. myrtoides were burnt, either in a controlled burn in November 2007, or in a wildfire in January 2008. The incidence of tar spot disease on leaves of burnt plants in 2008 and 2009 was 4.4%, while its incidence on unburnt plants was significantly higher (25.1%). The incidence of flowering in 2009 was similar in both burnt and unburnt populations. Tar spot disease is common on H. myrtoides; it is present on 77% of collections of this host in the Western Australian Herbarium (PERTH).
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Jones, A. P., K. Rueter, A. Siafarikas, E. M. Lim, S. L. Prescott, and D. J. Palmer. "25-hydroxyvitamin D status of pregnant women is associated with the use of antenatal vitamin supplements and ambient ultraviolet radiation." Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease 7, no. 4 (April 21, 2016): 350–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s2040174416000143.
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Previous research suggests prevalent vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women residing in South Australia and the Eastern Seaboard, however recent data from Perth, Western Australia (WA) is lacking. This cross-sectional study ofn=209 pregnant women (36–40 weeks of gestation, 84% white Caucasian) reports on the vitamin D (25[OH]D) status of a contemporary population of pregnant women in Perth, WA, with a focus on the relative contributions of supplemental vitamin D and ambient ultraviolet (UV) radiation to 25(OH)D levels. Mean (SD) season-adjusted 25(OH)D levels were 77.7 (24.6) nmol/l. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (25[OH]D<50 nmol/l) was 13.9%. Ambient UV radiation levels in the 90 days preceding blood draw were significantly correlated with serum 25(OH)D levels (unstandardized coefficient 2.82; 95% CI 1.77, 3.86,P<0.001). Vitamin D supplementation expressed as dose per kg of body weight was also positively correlated with serum 25(OH)D levels (unstandardized coefficient 0.744; 95% CI 0.395, 1.092,P<0.001). In conclusion, this study finds that vitamin D deficiency in a predominantly white Caucasian cohort of pregnant women is less prevalent than has been reported in other studies, providing useful information relating to supplementation and screening in this, and similar, populations.
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Harris, Ian M., Harriet R. Mills, and Roberta Bencini. "Multiple individual southern brown bandicoots (Isoodon obesulus fusciventer) and foxes (Vulpes vulpes) use underpasses installed at a new highway in Perth, Western Australia." Wildlife Research 37, no. 2 (2010): 127. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr09040.
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Context. Although wildlife crossing structures are often included when new roads are built, their effectiveness at reconnecting wildlife populations is still largely unknown. A new highway was built in 2005 through an area of remnant vegetation in Perth, Western Australia. Assessment of the area before construction identified potential impacts on a population of southern brown bandicoots (Isoodon obesulus fusciventer). Aims. We aimed to determine the use by bandicoots of three underpasses constructed to provide a linkage between habitats that were fragmented by the highway, focussing on how many different individuals used them, which is an essential step to demonstrate their effectiveness at reconnecting fragmented populations. Methods. We used detection of tracks in sand pads for 1 year to establish the use of the underpasses by bandicoots. We then captured 56 bandicoots and fitted them with passive integrated transponders (PIT), and installed a Trovan 650 scanner/decoder within the most frequently used underpass to establish whether multiple individuals used it. Key results. By using sand pads, we demonstrated that bandicoots used the underpasses, with a total of 278 passes between August 2005 and August 2006. One underpass accounted for 71% of these passes and was used already during construction. Eight different bandicoots were recorded using this underpass between August 2006 and August 2007, demonstrating use by multiple individuals. A dramatic decline in the use of this underpass was observed after foxes (Vulpes vulpes) also started using it in August 2006, and a fox built a den near the entrance of this structure. Because we also failed to recapture any of the bandicoots implanted with PITs we suspect that they had been killed by foxes. Conclusions. A severe decline in bandicoots coinciding with underpass use by foxes raises questions as to the long-term success of fauna crossings. Clearly, the relationship between underpass use by predators and the target species, in this case bandicoots, needs to be examined further. Implications. Our work demonstrated that although underpasses have the potential to reconnect populations because multiple individuals used them, their installation may be detrimental to wildlife populations if predators are not controlled.
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Hayward, Matt W., Aline Si Lin Poh, Jennifer Cathcart, Chris Churcher, Jos Bentley, Kerryn Herman, Leah Kemp, et al. "Numbat nirvana: conservation ecology of the endangered numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) (Marsupialia : Myrmecobiidae) reintroduced to Scotia and Yookamurra Sanctuaries, Australia." Australian Journal of Zoology 63, no. 4 (2015): 258. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo15028.
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Despite a vigorous reintroduction program between 1985 and 2010, numbat populations in Western Australia are either static or declining. This study aimed to document the population ecology of numbats at two sites that are going against this trend: Scotia Sanctuary in far western New South Wales and Yookamurra Sanctuary in the riverland of South Australia. Scotia (64 659 ha) and Yookamurra (5026 ha) are conservation reserves owned and managed by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and where numbats were reintroduced in 1999 and 1993 respectively. Both sites have large conservation-fence-protected introduced-species-free areas where there are no cats (Felis catus) or red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Numbats were sourced from both wild and captive populations. From small founder populations, the Scotia numbats are now estimated to number 169 (113–225) with 44 at Yookamurra. Radio-collared individuals at Scotia were active between 13 and 31°C. Females had home ranges of 28.3 ± 6.8 ha and males 96.6 ± 18.2 ha, which leads to an estimated sustainable population or carrying capacity of 413–502 at Scotia. Captive-bred animals from Perth Zoo had a high mortality rate upon reintroduction at Scotia due to predation by raptors and starvation. The habitat preferences for mallee with a shrub understorey appear to be driven by availability of termites, and other reintroduced ecosystem engineers appear to have been facilitators by creating new refuge burrows for numbats. This study shows that numbats can be successfully reintroduced into areas of their former range if protected from introduced predators, and illustrates the difficulties in monitoring such cryptic species.
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Reed, D. A., S. Toze, and B. Chang. "Spatial and temporal changes in sulphate-reducing groundwater bacterial community structure in response to Managed Aquifer Recharge." Water Science and Technology 57, no. 5 (April 1, 2008): 789–95. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2008.172.
Full textAbstract:
The population dynamics of bacterial able to be cultured under sulphate reducing condition was studied in conjunction with changes in aquifer geochemistry using multivariate statistics for two contrasting Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) techniques at two different geographical locations (Perth, Western Australia and Adelaide, South Australia). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to investigate spatial and temporal changes in the overall chemical signature of the aquifers using an array of chemical analytes which demonstrated a migrating geochemical plume. Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) using DNA from sulphate-reducing bacteria cultures was used to detect spatial and temporal changes in population dynamics. Bacterial and geochemical evidence suggested that groundwater at greatest distance from the nutrient source was least affected by treated effluent recharge. The results suggested that bacterial populations that were able to be cultured in sulphate reducing media responded to the migrating chemical gradient and to the changes in aquifer geochemistry. Most noticeably, sulphate-reducing bacterial populations associated with the infiltration galleries were stable in community structure over time. Additionally, the biodiversity of these culturable bacteria was restored when aquifer geochemistry returned to ambient conditions during the recovery phase at the Adelaide Aquifer Storage and Recovery site.
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Sewell, Kim B., and Robert J. G. Lester. "Stock composition and movement of gemfish, Rexea solandri, as indicated by parasites." Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 52, S1 (August 1, 1995): 225–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f95-530.
Full textAbstract:
The parasite fauna of gemfish, Rexea solandri, from seven areas off southern Australia, was examined for evidence of isolated gemfish populations. Canonical multivariate analyses of data on larval nematodes (Anisakis spp. and Terranova sp.), cestode plerocercoids (Hepatoxylon trichiuri and Nybelinia sp.), acanthocephalans (Rhadinorhynchus sp. and Corynosoma sp.), and a hemiuroid digenean from a total of 763 gemfish showed that the parasite faunas of fish from eastern Australia were similar except for a sample taken off New South Wales at the end of the spawning season whose affinities are unknown. Fish from South Australia had similar parasite faunas to those collected from eastern Australia, suggesting that fish from the eastern and western Bass Strait belong to the same stock. Fish collected from the Great Australian Bight were distinct from the southern and eastern fish. Differences in parasite fauna were detected between samples taken within the spawning season and those taken from the same locations outside the spawning season, presumably a result of the spawning migration.
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IVESON, J. B., S. D. BRADSHAW, R. A. HOW, and D. W. SMITH. "Human migration is important in the international spread of exoticSalmonellaserovars in animal and human populations." Epidemiology and Infection 142, no. 11 (December 16, 2013): 2281–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0950268813003075.
Full textAbstract:
SUMMARYThe exposure of indigenous humans and native fauna in Australia and the Wallacea zoogeographical region of Indonesia to exoticSalmonellaserovars commenced during the colonial period and has accelerated with urbanization and international travel. In this study, the distribution and prevalence of exoticSalmonellaserovars are mapped to assess the extent to which introduced infections are invading native wildlife in areas of high natural biodiversity under threat from expanding human activity. The major exoticSalmonellaserovars, Bovismorbificans, Derby, Javiana, Newport, Panama, Saintpaul and Typhimurium, isolated from wildlife on populated coastal islands in southern temperate areas of Western Australia, were mostly absent from reptiles and native mammals in less populated tropical areas of the state. They were also not recorded on the uninhabited Mitchell Plateau or islands of the Bonaparte Archipelago, adjacent to south-eastern Indonesia. Exotic serovars were, however, isolated in wildlife on 14/17 islands sampled in the Wallacea region of Indonesia and several islands off the west coast of Perth. Increases in international tourism, involving islands such as Bali, have resulted in the isolation of a high proportion of exotic serovar infections suggesting that densely populated island resorts in the Asian region are acting as staging posts for the interchange ofSalmonellainfections between tropical and temperate regions.
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Sinclair, Elizabeth, Belinda Cheetham, Siegfried Krauss, and Richard Hobbs. "Morphological and molecular variation in Conospermum triplinervium (Proteaceae), the tree smokebush: implications for bushland restoration." Australian Journal of Botany 56, no. 5 (2008): 451. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt07137.
Full textAbstract:
Ecological restoration benefits from information on population genetic structure and variation within a species to make informed decisions on where to source material of the local genetic provenance. Conospermum triplinervium is extremely rare in Bold Park, a large bushland remnant currently undergoing restoration in Perth, Western Australia. We sampled plants from Bold Park and six other native populations across the northern half of the species’ range to assess patterns of morphological and genetic variation. There was considerable variation across six leaf measures with significant differentiation among some populations. The molecular data showed a high level of population structure (ΘB = 0.4974), with varying degrees of spatial overlap among populations in an ordination plot. Significant differentiation was observed among all pairs of populations, except for Bold Park and its geographically closest populations at Kings Park and Neerabup. These two populations had greater genetic variation (50.9% and 54.5% polymorphic markers, respectively) than did that at Bold Park (20.2%). The small Bold Park population would benefit from augmentation (via cuttings) from local plants. However, in the longer term, should the Bold Park population show evidence of declining viability, then material should be sourced from the genetically similar Kings Park population to increase genetic variation whilst also maintaining genetic integrity.
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Scheibling, RE, T. Evans, P. Mulvay, T. Lebel, D. Williamson, and S. Holland. "Commensalism Between an Epizoic Limpet, Patelloida nigrosulcata, and Its Gastropod Hosts, Haliotis roei and Patella laticostata, on Intertidal Platforms off Perth, Western Australia." Marine and Freshwater Research 41, no. 5 (1990): 647. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf9900647.
Full textAbstract:
On intertidal limestone platforms off Perth and neighbouring islands, the limpet Patelloida nigrosulcata occurs only on the shells of living abalone (Haliotis roei) and other limpets (Patella laticostata). The incidence of commensalism varies among sites and between habitats within sites but is consistently high (> 80%) among dense abalone populations along the seaward margin of platforms. There is usually only 1 limpet per shell, although 2 or 3 limpets occasionally co-occur. A strong positive relationship in size (shell length) between Patelloida nigrosulcata and H. roei indicates that limpets settle on juvenile abalone and grow at a rate proportional to the growth rate of their host. A similar size relationship exists between Patelloida nigrosulcata and Patella laticostata. Patelloida nigrosulcata forages diurnally from a home scar and markedly limits the growth of erect macroalgae on the host shell. Escape from intense interspecific competition with other molluscan grazers on the platforms may have been a strong selective force in the evolution of this commensal relationship.
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Berra, TM, LELM Crowley, W. Ivantsoff, and PA Fuerst. "Galaxias maculatus: An explanation of its biogeography." Marine and Freshwater Research 47, no. 6 (1996): 845. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf9960845.
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Galaxias maculatus is a small diadromous fish found in Australia, New Zealand, South America and on some oceanic islands. Two hypotheses have been advanced to explain this widespread, disjunct distribution. McDowall promoted dispersal through the sea of salt-tolerant juveniles but Rosen and others claimed that the distribution reflected the break-up of Gondwana and subsequent drift of the southern continents. Allozyrne electrophoresis of muscle extracts of specimens of Galaxias maculatus from eastern and western Australia, New Zealand and Chile was used to test the hypothesis that populations of G. maculatus from the western Pacific and the eastern Pacific do not differ genetically. FST based on allele frequencies and genotypes was 0.14, suggesting only minor differentiation between eastern and western Pacific populations. Minor differentiation in allele frequency existed at some loci, but no fixation of alternative alleles has occurred. The populations examined appear to be part of the same gene pool, indicating that gene flow via dispersal through the sea occurs today. It is unlikely that South American and Australasian populations would be conspecific if they have exchanged no migrants since the break-up of Gondwana at the end of the Mesozoic.
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Bradshaw, Don, Aubret Fabien, Stéphanie Maumelat, Terry Schwaner, and Xavier Bonnet. "Diet divergence, jaw size and scale counts in two neighbouring populations of tiger snakes (Notechis scutatus)." Amphibia-Reptilia 25, no. 1 (2004): 9–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156853804322992797.
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AbstractLarge snakes usually possess a higher number of scales to cover their larger bodies and their larger heads. It has been suggested that a diet based on large prey items also favours the development of scale number because the skin would be more extensible and would enable easier swallowing of voluminous prey. A recent study, however, suggested that although body size positively influences scale count in snakes, diet is probably unimportant (Shine, 2002). We took advantage of a natural experiment that separated two neighbouring and genetically indistinguishable populations of tiger snakes in the vicinity of Perth, Western Australia. In one population, situated on a small coastal Island (Carnac Island), snakes feed primarily on seagull chicks (large prey). In the second population, located on the mainland (Herdsman Lake), snakes feed mostly on frogs (small prey). Carnac Island snakes possess more scales (labial and mid-body rows) and larger relative jaw lengths compared with Herdsman Lake snakes. Although preliminary, these data suggest that tiger snakes, whose many populations show contrasted feeding habits, are suitable models to test the "dietary habits / scale count" hypothesis.
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Klunzinger, Michael W., Stephen J. Beatty, David L. Morgan, Gordon J. Thomson, and Alan J. Lymbery. "Glochidia ecology in wild fish populations and laboratory determination of competent host fishes for an endemic freshwater mussel of south-western Australia." Australian Journal of Zoology 60, no. 1 (2012): 26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo12022.
Full textAbstract:
Glochidia (parasitic larvae) of freshwater mussels generally require a fish as a host. Westralunio carteri Iredale, 1934 (Bivalvia : Hyriidae), the only freshwater mussel found in south-western Australia, was listed as Vulnerable, but recently changed to Least Concern (International Union for the Conservation of Nature). Glochidia were found on four alien and seven native species of fish from 18 sites in the South West Coast Drainage Division. On alien fishes, prevalence of glochidia ranged from 0.0 to 41.0% and mean intensity (number of glochidia per infested fish) from 1.0 to 6.0, while on native fishes prevalence was 9.2–90.5% and intensity was 2.3–7.1. Glochidia infestation was greatest on benthic fishes, which may be a consequence of greater encounter rates, but other factors, such as host size, probably also influence glochidia prevalence and intensity. Glochidia were generally restricted to fins of infested fish, and were rarely on gills or the body surface. In the laboratory, four native and one alien fish species were found to be competent hosts for their ability to produce juvenile W. carteri, but two alien fish species were not. The inability of some alien fishes to produce juvenile W. carteri could potentially reduce recruitment success in areas dominated by alien fishes.
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Ivantsoff, W., and LELM Crowley. "Review of the Australian silverside fishes of the genus Atherinomorus (Atherinidae)." Marine and Freshwater Research 42, no. 5 (1991): 479. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf9910479.
Full textAbstract:
Previous studies of the genus Atherinomorus suggested that A. lacunosus was one species with a very wide range over the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Morphology (including osteology) and meristics of many populations of Atherinornorus were studied to test this hypothesis. The results indicate that there are two species pairs of Atherinomorus around the coast of Australia. Each of the four species can be distinguished by the combination of meristic and morphological characters. This study was supplemented with an electrophoretic analysis on a limited collection of fish from the western, northern and eastern coasts of Australia.
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Morgan, Ruth A. "Health, Hearth and Empire: Climate, Race and Reproduction in British India and Western Australia." Environment and History 27, no. 2 (May 1, 2021): 229–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.3197/096734021x16076828553511.
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In the wake of the Indian Uprising in 1857, British sanitary campaigner and statistician Florence Nightingale renewed her efforts to reform Britain's military forces at home and in India. With the Uprising following so soon after the Crimean War (1854-56), where poor sanitary conditions had also taken an enormous toll, in 1859 Nightingale pressed the British Parliament to establish a Royal Commission on the Sanitary State of the Army in India, which delivered its report in 1863. Western Australia was the only colony to present its case before the Commissioners as an ideal location for a foreign sanatorium, with glowing assessments offered by colonial elites and military physicians. In the meantime, Nightingale had also commenced an investigation into the health of Indigenous children across the British Empire. Nearly 150 schools responded to her survey from Ceylon, Natal, West Africa, Canada and Australia. The latter's returns came from just three schools in Western Australia: New Norcia, Annesfield in Albany and the Sisters of Mercy in Perth, which together yielded the highest death rate of the respondents. Although Nightingale herself saw these inquiries as separate, their juxtaposition invites closer analysis of the ways in which metropolitan elites envisioned particular racial futures for Anglo and indigenous populations of empire, and sought to steer them accordingly. The reports reflect prevailing expectations and anxieties about the social and biological reproduction of white society in the colonies, and the concomitant decline of Indigenous peoples. Read together, these two inquiries reveal the complex ways in which colonial matters of reproduction and dispossession, displacement and replacement, were mutually constituting concerns of empire. In this article I situate the efforts to attract white women and their wombs to the temperate colony of Western Australia from British India in the context of contemporary concerns about Anglo and Aboriginal mortality. In doing so, I reflect on the intersections of gender, race, medicine and environment in the imaginaries of empire in the mid-nineteenth century.
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Krawiec, Josef, Siegfried L. Krauss, Robert A. Davis, and Peter B. S. Spencer. "Weak genetic structuring suggests historically high genetic connectivity among recently fragmented urban populations of the scincid lizard, Ctenotus fallens." Australian Journal of Zoology 63, no. 4 (2015): 279. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo15022.
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Populations in fragmented urban remnants may be at risk of genetic erosion as a result of reduced gene flow and elevated levels of inbreeding. This may have serious genetic implications for the long-term viability of remnant populations, in addition to the more immediate pressures caused by urbanisation. The population genetic structure of the generalist skink Ctenotus fallens was examined using nine microsatellite markers within and among natural vegetation remnants within a highly fragmented urban matrix in the Perth metropolitan area in Western Australia. These data were compared with samples from a large unfragmented site on the edge of the urban area. Overall, estimates of genetic diversity and inbreeding within all populations were similar and low. Weak genetic differentiation, and a significant association between geographic and genetic distance, suggests historically strong genetic connectivity that decreases with geographic distance. Due to recent fragmentation, and genetic inertia associated with low genetic diversity and large population sizes, it is not possible from these data to infer current genetic connectivity levels. However, the historically high levels of gene flow that our data suggest indicate that a reduction in contemporary connectivity due to fragmentation in C. fallens is likely to result in negative genetic consequences in the longer term.
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Pettigrew, Simone. "Older Patients' Expectations of a "Senior-Friendly Hospital"." Australian Journal of Primary Health 12, no. 3 (2006): 52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/py06045.
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With the ageing of populations around the world, hospitals seeking to maximise the satisfaction of their patients will need to ensure their services meet the expectations of the growing segment of older patients. Four focus groups were conducted in Perth, Western Australia, to explore those aspects of a hospital stay that are considered to be most important to older patients. The focus group participants nominated nursing care, meals, admission procedures, communication processes and physical facilities as those aspects of hospital service that are of particular importance to older patients. They noted that these issues are likely to be relevant to some degree to all patients but that, due to the needs of older patients, they become especially critical in later years. These findings have similarities with those generated by other studies but are more extensive than described elsewhere and thus provide more detailed guidance for hospital managers seeking to ensure their facilities are senior-friendly.
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Hobday, D. K., R. A. Officer, and G. D. Parry. "Changes to demersal fish communities in Port Phillip Bay, Australia, over two decades, 1970-91." Marine and Freshwater Research 50, no. 5 (1999): 397. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf97088.
Full textAbstract:
Changes to the structure of fish communities in Port Phillip Bay between 1970 and 1991 were analysed by trawling at 14 stations sampled regularly during 1970-75 and in 1990/91. Differences between stations were compared by using Bray-Curtis dissimilarity indices, multidimensional scaling and analysis of variance for the most abundant species. Differences between two sampling periods in the 1970s appear to be the result of the use of different vessels for trawling. A third vessel was used during 1990/91, but differences in catches between 1972-75 and 1990/91 appear to represent real temporal changes rather than differences between trawl efficiencies. Between 1972-75 and 1990/91, increased fishing pressure is the most likely explanation for declines in several important commercial and recreational species. A consequent decrease in competition may have caused an increase in the abundance of stingarees. A decline in seagrass abundance in the western bay probably reduced the abundance of several seagrass-dependent species. The Japanese goby was introduced into the bay after the mid 1970s, and populations of little rock whiting in the western bay and globefish in deep regions of Port Phillip Bay appear to have increased because of the recent establishment of additional exotic invertebrates.
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G. Doupé, Robert, David L. Morgan, and Howard S. Gill. "Prospects for a restorative fishery enhancement of Lake Kununurra: a high-level tropical impoundment on the Ord River, Western Australia." Pacific Conservation Biology 11, no. 2 (2005): 136. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc050136.
Full textAbstract:
The high-level irrigation water supply dams of the Ord River in tropical Western Australia impede the movement of Barramundi Lates cafcarifer and other tropical fish species. A recreational Barramundi fishery enhancement of Lake Kununurra using a fishway has been widely promoted as advancing fishery conservation and the reformation of land and water management practices within the greater Ord River region. Of the fishways considered here, none have been found to admit Barramundi in the numbers and size classes necessary to establish or maintain the recreational fishery. Reasons for this include an inadequate understanding of fish behaviour and/or fishway deSign faults. The seemingly reluctant use of fishways by Barramundi might also be confounded by some observations being made on rivers where Barramundi populations are either comparatively small or non-existent. The alternative to a fishway is hatchery stocking. This option, like a dedicated Barramundi fishway, represents a single-species approach to fishery enhancement and is the least legitimate attempt to restore the ecological integrity of the fish communities of either Lake Kununurra or the Ord River. We argue that progress toward the restoration of the lake should continue, though a fishery enhancement programme that incorporates the broader fish community and not just a single species, would better rebuild the presently degraded Ord River system. Of the available options, we recommend testing an experimental model that incorporates aspects of the vertical-slot and bypass fishway designs, with the objectives being to learn migratory fish behaviour, abundance, and patterns and cues for fish movement. This approach can incorporate Barramundi as the target species to better understand entrance design constraints, minimum slot widths for larger fish, and operation under low flows during peak irrigation water demands, but still accommodate the movement of tropical fishes during these periods.
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Chen, Zhirong, Jianhong (Cecilia) Xia, and Buntoro Irawan. "Development of Fuzzy Logic Forecast Models for Location-Based Parking Finding Services." Mathematical Problems in Engineering 2013 (2013): 1–6. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/473471.
Full textAbstract:
Park-and-ride (PnR) facilities provided by Australian transport authorities have been an effective way to encourage car drivers to use public transport such as trains and buses. However, as populations grow and vehicle running costs increase, the demand for more parking spaces has escalated. Often, PnR facilities are filled to capacity by early morning and commuters resort to parking illegally in streets surrounding stations. This paper reports on the development of a location-based parking finding service for PnR users. Based on their current location, the system can inform users which is the best station to park their cars during peak period. Two criteria—parking availability and the shortest travel time—were used to evaluate the best station. Fuzzy logic forecast models were used to estimate the uncertainty of parking availability during the peak parking demand period. A prototype using these methods has been developed based on a case study of the Oats Street and Carlisle PnR facilities in Perth, Western Australia. The system has proved to be efficacious and has the potential to be applied to other parking systems.
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Galeotti, David M., Mark A. Castalanelli, David M. Groth, Clint McCullough, and Mark Lund. "Genotypic and morphological variation between Galaxiella nigrostriata (Galaxiidae) populations: implications for conservation." Marine and Freshwater Research 66, no. 2 (2015): 187. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf13289.
Full textAbstract:
Galaxiella nigrostriata is a freshwater fish that is endemic to the seasonally dry coastal wetlands of south-west Western Australia and considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as lower risk–near threatened. This small fish (maximum total length<50mm) aestivates in the sediment over the long, dry Mediterranean summer and its dispersal is limited by lack of habitat connectivity. The objective of this study was to identify the historical and contemporary genetic connectivity between populations of G. nigrostriata and to assess morphological variation between these populations. Results showed that all populations were genetically divergent and no mtDNA haplotypes were shared between populations. In contrast, morphological differentiation between individual populations was weak; however, pooling populations into two broad regions (Swan coastal plain and southern coast) resulted in clear morphological differentiation between these two groups. Based on these results, we postulate G. nigrostriata distribution last expanded in the early Pleistocene ~5.1 million years ago and have since been restricted to remnant wetlands in the immediate area. Galaxiella nigrostriata populations at the northern end of their range are small and are the most vulnerable to extinction. Conservation efforts are therefore required to ensure the survival of these genetically and morphologically distinctive Swan coastal plain populations.
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Beatty, Stephen J., David L. Morgan, Mahmoud Rashnavadi, and Alan J. Lymbery. "Salinity tolerances of endemic freshwater fishes of south-western Australia: implications for conservation in a biodiversity hotspot." Marine and Freshwater Research 62, no. 1 (2011): 91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf10100.
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Secondary salinisation represents an important threat to terrestrial and aquatic habitats throughout the world. In south-western Australia, widespread salinisation of waterways has caused large range reductions in the highly endemic freshwater fish fauna. We hypothesised that differences in the distributions of three fish species within the salinised Blackwood River would be related to their salinity tolerances. Galaxias occidentalis was widespread throughout the catchment, whereas Nannoperca vittata was restricted to the main channel and freshwater tributaries of the lower catchment, and Nannatherina balstoni was restricted to those tributaries and a perennial section of the main channel that received a considerable amount of fresh groundwater. Acute salinity tolerances (Effect Concentrations) of G. occidentalis and N. vittata were similar (EC50 ∼14.6 g L–1), but significantly greater than that of N. balstoni (EC50 ∼8.2 g L–1). The greater geographical range of G. occidentalis, compared with N. vittata, may be a consequence of the dispersal capability of the former species, and the lower salinity tolerance of N. balstoni contributes to its highly restricted range. The findings demonstrate that secondary salinisation has greatly impacted these freshwater fishes, and fresh groundwater refuges, predicted to decrease due to reduced rainfall, appear crucial in maintaining remnant populations.
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Bennison, Clifford, J. Anthony Friend, Timothy Button, Harriet Mills, Cathy Lambert, and Roberta Bencini. "Potential impacts of poison baiting for introduced house mice on native animals on islands in Jurien Bay, Western Australia." Wildlife Research 43, no. 1 (2016): 61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr15126.
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Context House mice (Mus domesticus) are present on Boullanger and Whitlock islands, Western Australia, and could potentially threaten populations of the dibbler (Parantechinus apicalis) and grey-bellied dunnart (Sminthopsis griseoventer) through competition for resources. A workshop in 2007 recommended a study to assess the feasibility of eradicating house mice from the islands by using poison baits and of the risk posed to non-target native species. Aim We aimed to assess the risk to non-target native species if poison baiting was used to eradicate house mice on Boullanger and Whitlock islands. Methods Non-toxic baits containing the bait marker rhodamine B were distributed on Boullanger Island and on the mouse free Escape Island to determine the potential for primary poisoning. Acceptance of baits by mammals was measured through sampling and analysis of whiskers, and by reptiles through observations of dye in faeces. To determine the potential for secondary exposure to poison, the response of dibblers to mouse carcasses was observed using motion-activated cameras. Bait acceptance was compared using two methods of delivery, namely, scattering in the open and delivery in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubes. A cafeteria experiment of bait consumption by dibblers was also undertaken using captive animals held at the Perth Zoo. Ten dibblers were offered non-toxic baits containing rhodamine B in addition to their normal meals; consumption of bait and the presence of dye in whiskers were measured. Key results Bait acceptance on the islands was high for house mice (92% of individuals) and dibblers (48%) and it was independent of bait-delivery technique. There was no evidence of bait acceptance by grey-bellied dunnarts. Dibblers may consume mice carcasses if available; however, no direct consumption of mice carcasses was observed with movement sensor cameras but one dibbler was observed removing a mouse carcass and taking it away. During the cafeteria experiment, 9 of 10 captive dibblers consumed baits. Conclusions This investigation demonstrated that dibblers consume baits readily and island populations would experience high mortality if exposed to poison baits. Poison baiting could effectively eradicate mice from Boullanger and Whitlock islands but not without mortality for dibblers. Implications Toxic baits could be used to eradicate mice from Boullanger and Whitlock islands, provided that non-target species such as dibblers were temporarily removed from the islands before the application of baits.
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Armstrong, Elizabeth, Deborah Hersh, Judith M. Katzenellenbogen, Juli Coffin, Sandra C. Thompson, Natalie Ciccone, Colleen Hayward, Leon Flicker, Deborah Woods, and Meaghan McAllister. "Study Protocol:Missing Voices– Communication Difficulties after Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury in Aboriginal Australians." Brain Impairment 16, no. 2 (July 20, 2015): 145–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/brimp.2015.15.
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Background:Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians experience stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI) with much greater frequency than non-Aboriginal Australians. Acquired communication disorders (ACD) can result from these conditions and can significantly impact everyday life. Yet few Aboriginal people access rehabilitation services and little is known about Aboriginal peoples’ experiences of ACD. This paper describes the protocol surrounding a study that aims to explore the extent and impact of ACD in Western Australian Aboriginal populations following stroke or TBI and develop a culturally appropriate screening tool for ACD and accessible and culturally appropriate service delivery models.Method/Design:The 3-year, mixed methods study is being conducted in metropolitan Perth and five regional centres in Western Australia. Situated within an Aboriginal research framework, methods include an analysis of linked routine hospital admission data and retrospective file audits, development of a screening tool for ACD, interviews with people with ACD, their families, and health professionals, and drafting of alternative service delivery models.Discussion:This study will address the extent of ACD in Aboriginal populations and document challenges for Aboriginal people in accessing speech pathology services. Documenting the burden and impact of ACD within a culturally secure framework is a forerunner to developing better ways to address the problems faced by Aboriginal people with ACD and their families. This will in turn increase the likelihood that Aboriginal people with ACD will be diagnosed and referred to professional support to improve their communication, quality of life and functioning within the family and community context.
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Ayres, Renae M., Vincent J. Pettigrove, and Ary A. Hoffmann. "Genetic structure and diversity of introduced eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) in south-eastern Australia." Marine and Freshwater Research 63, no. 12 (2012): 1206. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf11279.
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The closely related eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) and western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) have been introduced into many countries and collectively represent the most widely distributed freshwater fish in the world. We investigated genetic patterns associated with the spread of G. holbrooki in its introduced range in south-eastern Australia, by sampling 60 G. holbrooki populations (n = 1771) from major regions where G. holbrooki was initially introduced into Australia, and characterising the genetic diversity and population structure of G. holbrooki, using five polymorphic nuclear microsatellite loci and sequences from two mitochondrial genetic markers. Results were compared with published data on American and European Gambusia samples and historical records. Low microsatellite diversity and strong population genetic structuring were found within G. holbrooki in south-eastern Australia. Observed heterozygosity and allelic richness declined regionally in the order Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide. Microsatellite variation in Australia was reduced compared with native populations. Two mitochondrial DNA haplotypes of G. holbrooki were found; one was common, whereas the other was detected in one Sydney population and one Melbourne population. Cytochrome b sequence diversity was reduced compared with native and European ranges, and sequences were identical to two haplotypes previously identified. Microsatellite diversity of G. holbrooki in south-eastern Australia validates historical records of its spread, beginning north and moving south. Mitochondrial sequencing confirms that G. holbrooki is present in Australia, but the origins of Australian G. holbrooki populations remain unclear.
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Clarke, K. Robert, James R. Tweedley, and Fiona J. Valesini. "Simple shade plots aid better long-term choices of data pre-treatment in multivariate assemblage studies." Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 94, no. 1 (September 18, 2013): 1–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0025315413001227.
Full textAbstract:
Shade plots, simple visual representations of abundance matrices from multivariate species assemblage studies, are shown to be an effective aid in choosing an overall transformation (or other pre-treatment) of quantitative data for long-term use, striking an appropriate balance between dominant and less abundant taxa in ensuing resemblance-based multivariate analyses. Though the exposition is entirely general and applicable to all community studies, detailed illustrations of the comparative power and interpretative possibilities of shade plots are given in the case of two estuarine assemblage studies in south-western Australia: (a) macrobenthos in the upper Swan Estuary over a two-year period covering a highly significant precipitation event for the Perth area; and (b) a wide-scale spatial study of the nearshore fish fauna from five divergent estuaries. The utility of transformations of intermediate severity is again demonstrated and, with greater novelty, the potential importance seen of further mild transformation of all data after differential down-weighting (dispersion weighting) of spatially ‘clumped’ or ‘schooled’ species. Among the new techniques utilized is a two-way form of the RELATE test, which demonstrates linking of assemblage structure (fish) to continuous environmental variables (water quality), having removed a categorical factor (estuary differences). Re-orderings of sample and species axes in the associated shade plots are seen to provide transparent explanations at the species level for such continuous multivariate patterns.
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Close, Paul G., Rebecca J. Dobbs, David J. Tunbridge, Peter C. Speldewinde, Danielle M. Warfe, Sandy Toussaint, and Peter M. Davies. "Customary and recreational fishing pressure: large-bodied fish assemblages in a tropical, intermittent Australian river." Marine and Freshwater Research 65, no. 5 (2014): 466. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf13042.
Full textAbstract:
Permanent waterholes in intermittent rivers of northern Australia support a diverse piscifauna and are popular areas for customary and recreational fishing. The present preliminary study explored the perception that fishing reduces the abundance of targeted, large-bodied species that become restricted to disconnected waterholes during the distinct dry season. River sites in the Fitzroy River catchment, Western Australia, could be clearly classified as experiencing either high or low fishing pressure by using metrics of human ‘accessibility’. The abundance of Hephaestus jenkinsi and Lates calcarifer, targeted by both recreational and customary fishers was highly correlated with accessibility and showed a negative relationship with fishing pressure. Non-target species showed no discernible trend. We estimated that 38% of river length remains subject to relatively low fishing pressure. These preliminary relationships suggest that fish harvest can potentially alter the structure of fish assemblages in disconnected habitats. The potential impact of fishing on the sustainability of fish populations is, most likely, greatest for non-diadromous species and will become more apparent with increasing distance from recolonisation sources. Combining management techniques that maintain recolonisation and recruitment potential with traditional fisheries management strategies (e.g. bag and size limits) presents a suitable approach to mitigate the effects of fish harvesting from tropical intermittent rivers.
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Peacock, David, Gresley A. Wakelin-King, and Ben Shepherd. "Cane toads (Rhinella marina) in south-western Queensland: invasion front, spread and how Cooper Creek geomorphology could enable invasion into north-eastern South Australia." Australian Journal of Zoology 62, no. 5 (2014): 366. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo14025.
Full textAbstract:
The invasion of northern Australia by the poisonous cane toad is well recognised, as is its devastating impacts on numerous local native species. However, there is little recognition that the toads are spreading into south-western Queensland. Utilising local knowledge, a limited survey was undertaken within the Cooper Creek catchment to locate the invasion front. Dispersal during 2010–11 floods has established cane toads as far south as Jundah. Integrating this information with landform mapping indicates that cane toad invasion can continue south-west down the Cooper Creek. Though arid, Cooper Creek’s geomorphology renders it partially independent of local climate, and permanent and semipermanent waterholes (including RAMSAR-listed wetlands) are found downstream from Windorah and into the Strzelecki Desert. Natural landforms provide potential daytime shelter and breeding sites, and additional suitable habitat created by human activity is also widespread. Even unsuccessful attempts at breeding may be detrimental to regional ecology, especially fish populations, at critical stages of their boom/bust cycle. We conclude that there is no reason why cane toads cannot penetrate further down the Cooper Creek, threatening wetlands in north-eastern South Australia. Published models of cane toad expansion, which conclude that north-eastern South Australia is too dry for cane toad populations to establish, are based on climatic parameters that significantly under-represent true habitat availability.
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Kerezsy, Adam, and Rod Fensham. "Conservation of the endangered red-finned blue-eye, Scaturiginichthys vermeilipinnis, and control of alien eastern gambusia, Gambusia holbrooki, in a spring wetland complex." Marine and Freshwater Research 64, no. 9 (2013): 851. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf12236.
Full textAbstract:
The red-finned blue-eye is the only pseudomugilid fish known from inland Australia and it is found only within an isolated cluster of Great Artesian Basin springs on Edgbaston Reserve in central-western Queensland. Surveys conducted in early 2009 revealed that red-finned blue-eye was present in four individual springs and that invasion of the spring complex by alien eastern gambusia was the most likely factor contributing to local extirpations. A three-year project commenced in the same year, with the twin aims of investigating methods for removing gambusia from springs and relocating small populations of red-finned blue-eye to fish-free springs. Gambusia removal with rotenone has been successful in a trial spring at Edgbaston and aquatic invertebrates have not been adversely affected. From a total of seven relocation events conducted in the same period, red-finned blue-eye populations have persisted in three. The results indicate that gambusia removal and red-finned blue-eye relocation are both suitable methods for red-finned blue-eye conservation, and as the fish is both endangered and declining, these methods and other strategies such as captive breeding should be implemented to prevent species extinction.
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UIBLEIN, FRANZ, TUAN ANH HOANG, and DANIEL GLEDHILL. "Redescription and new records of Jansen’s goatfish, Parupeneus jansenii (Mullidae), from the Western Pacific and Eastern Indian Ocean." Zootaxa 4344, no. 3 (November 8, 2017): 541. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4344.3.6.
Full textAbstract:
For Jansen’s goatfish, Parupeneus jansenii (Mullidae), taxonomic knowledge has been rather poor and occurrence information restricted to a few localities only, with verified records from northern Sulawesi and Sunda Street (Indonesia), and Luzon (Philippines). This species is here included in the so-called “heptacanthus” group together with the Indo-Pacific cinnabar goatfish, P. heptacanthus, and five Indian Ocean congenerics, based on an evenly, symmetrically rounded posterior maxilla margin and similarities in meristic characters and preserved colour. In total 29 P. jansenii and 53 P. heptacanthus consisting of types, recently collected material from south-central Vietnam, southern Indonesia, and NE Australia, and geographically related reference material were studied along with single types of the other five heptacanthus-group species and P. angulatus, a morphologically similar Western Indian Ocean species. In total 62 quantitative meristic and morphometric characters including standard length (SL) were analysed after splitting the data into two size classes (small-sized fish, < 110 mm SL, vs. large-sized fish > 110 mm SL) to account for size-related differences due to allometry. Diagnoses for P. jansenii and P. heptacanthus and a redescription for P. jansenii were prepared. Fresh-fish colour descriptions for both large- and small-sized voucher specimens of P. jansenii are provided and the effects of freshness status on colour patterns is documented. New records for P. jansenii for Vietnam, southern Indonesia and NE Australia (= first verified record for Australia) are reported and depth information (24–100 m depth range) is given for the first time. P. jansenii differs from the co-occurring P. heptacanthus - independently of size - in shallower body and caudal peduncle, smaller maximum head depth, shorter barbels, caudal and pelvic fins, shallower first dorsal fin, shallower first ray of second dorsal fin, and lack of small dark red or reddish-brown spot on or just below the eighth lateral-line scale. The populations of P. jansenii from Vietnam and Australia differ from each other in a single character, the height of the eighth dorsal-fin ray, but both overlap with the intermediate population from Indonesia. This comprehensive alpha-taxonomic approach provides a useful tool for uncovering the diversity of Parupeneus goatfishes.
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Johnstone, R. E., T. Kirby, and K. Sarti. "The breeding biology of the Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii naso Gould in south-western Australia. II. Breeding behaviour and diet." Pacific Conservation Biology 19, no. 2 (2013): 143. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc130143.
Full textAbstract:
Little is known of the breeding behaviour of the Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii naso (FRTBC), a large, iconic forest cockatoo, endemic to the south-west corner of Western Australia, currently listed as Vulnerable under the State Western Australian Wildlife Conservation Act and under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. In this paper, we provide details of breeding behaviour of FRTBC based on observations throughout the year over 17 years, together with observations of diet and feeding behaviour over the same period. FRTBC are monogamous hollow-nesters. Breeding was recorded in all months, with peaks in autumn-winter (April– June) and spring (August–October), with few records in January and February. Breeding also varied between years, with little breeding in 1999, 2001 and 2008, but many observations in 2006 and 2009. Breeding occurred at times of fruiting of either of the principal feed trees, Jarrah Eucalyptus marginata or Marri Corymbia calophylla, so it does not depend solely on one or the other of these species. Courtship displays were noted at all times of the day, from before dawn at roost sites to dusk. In total, 205 breeding events were recorded, of which 69 (93%) of 72 nests had breeding confirmed on a second visit. Use of particular nest hollows varied considerably, with some used only once and some up to seven times. Only one egg is laid, which the female incubates for 29 to 31 days, before a nestling hatches weighing between 27 and 32 g. The female remains in the hollow during incubation and only leaves for a short period in the evening to be fed by the male, usually at dusk. The chicks are brooded for up to 10 days, after which the female leaves the nest between dawn and dusk. Pairs of birds appear to recognise each other by calls, not responding to calls by others in the area. Chicks only respond when the parent is heard. Chicks are fully feathered at 48 days. Fledgling success was estimated at 60%. Juveniles remain dependent on the adults 18 months to 2 years. Thirty-seven chicks were banded between 1997 and 2011. Juvenile-immature birds moved on average less than 3 km from their natal tree and older birds were observed moving up to 19 km. This suggests that FRTBC are generally sedentary. Immature birds took up to three times as long as their parents to open Jarrah or Marri nuts and eat the seeds. In recent years there has been an interesting change in foraging behaviour of birds in the northern Darling Range (adjacent to the Perth metropolitan area) with the FRTBC discovering and using a new food source, the introduced Cape Lilac Melia azedarach, and this species is of growing importance as food in the Perth region. In combination, the data on breeding biology and diet highlight the importance of identifying recruitment rates and food availability in managing populations of FRTBC.
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Barnes, Thomas C., Claudia Junge, Steven A. Myers, Mathew D. Taylor, Paul J. Rogers, Greg J. Ferguson, Jason A. Lieschke, Stephen C. Donnellan, and Bronwyn M. Gillanders. "Population structure in a wide-ranging coastal teleost (Argyrosomus japonicus, Sciaenidae) reflects marine biogeography across southern Australia." Marine and Freshwater Research 67, no. 8 (2016): 1103. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf15044.
Full textAbstract:
Population structure in marine teleosts is often investigated to aid conservation and fisheries management (e.g. to assess population structure to inform restocking programs). We assessed genetic population structure of the important estuary-associated marine fish, mulloway (Argyrosomus japonicus), within Australian waters and between Australia and South Africa. Genetic variation was investigated at 13 polymorphic microsatellite markers. FST values and Bayesian estimates in STRUCTURE suggested population differentiation of mulloway within Australia and confirm strong differentiation between South Africa and Australia. The 12 Australian sample sets fell into one of four spatially separated genetic clusters. Initially, a significant signal of isolation-by-distance (IBD) was evident among Australian populations. However, further investigation by decomposed-pairwise-regression (DPR) suggested five sample sets were influenced more by genetic-drift, rather than gene-flow and drift equilibrium, as expected in strong IBD cases. Cryptic oceanographic and topographical influences may isolate mulloway populations from south-western Australia. The results demonstrate that DPR is suitable to assess population structure of coastal marine species where barriers to gene flow may be less obvious than in freshwater systems. Information on the relative strengths of gene flow and genetic drift facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of the evolutionary forces that lead to population structure, which in turn informs fisheries and assists conservation management. Large-bodied predatory scale-fish may be under increasing pressure on a global scale, owing to a variety of anthropogenic reasons. In southern Australia, the iconic sciaenid A. japonicus (mulloway, jewfish or kob) is no exception. Despite the species supporting important fisheries, much of its ecology is poorly understood. It is possible that a greater understanding of their genetic population structure can help ensure a sustainable future for the only southern Australian sciaenid.
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Johnson, M. S., R. J. Watts, and R. Black. "High levels of genetic subdivision in peripherally isolated populations of the atherinid fish Craterocephalus capreoli in the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia." Marine Biology 119, no. 2 (May 1994): 179–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf00349554.
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