Journal articles on the topic 'Marine ecology South Australia Christies Beach'

AbstractA survey of driftwood and mangrove wood in South Australia revealed a high diversity of marine fungi. Across eight sites there were 43 species of marine fungi, of which 42 are new records for South Australia, 11 new records for Australia and 12 taxa currently of uncertain status likely to be new species. Sites had distinctive species compositions with the largest difference attributable to substrate type (beach driftwood vs. mangrove wood). However, even between mangrove sites, species assemblages were distinctly different with only the more common species occurring at all mangrove sites. More intensive surveys across a broader range of habitats and geographic locations should reveal significantly more species.

Understanding a region’s phylogeography is essential for an evolutionary perspective on its biological conservation. This review examines the phylogeographic structures in south-eastern Australia that have been revealed by mitochondrial DNA sequencing and other genetic techniques and examines whether they can be explained by known factors. The review covers species that occur in the intertidal zone or, even infrequently, in the shallow subtidal zone. The coasts most frequently associated with phylogeographic structure are the boundaries between the Peronian and Maugean biogeographical provinces in southern New South Wales and the Maugean and Flindersian provinces in South Australia, the areas in Victoria and north-eastern Tasmania separated by the Bassian Isthmus at glacial maxima, long sandy stretches without rocky intertidal habitat on the Ninety Mile Beach in Victoria and the Younghusband Peninsula–Coorong in South Australia, southern Tasmania and Bass Strait, which acts as a barrier for littoral species.

Characteristics of marine shellfish and other species found in a Last Interglacial (LIG) shell deposit at Point Ritchie (Moyjil) at Warrnambool in south-western Victoria have been compared to those from modern and LIG natural beach deposits, Holocene Aboriginal middens and modern Pacific Gull (Larus pacificus) middens. The research was aimed at determining whether properties such as shell speciation, size or taphonomy could identify the mechanism responsible for formation of the Moyjil deposit. Marine species found in the Moyjil deposit resemble those found in both Aboriginal and Pacific Gull middens and are non-discriminatory for the two types. Taphonomic properties such as wear and breakage pattern of opercula of the dominant species, Lunella undulata (syn. Turbo undulatus), are non-diagnostic because of post-depositional erosion and transport effects in the available specimens. The size of L. undulata opercula show clear bias toward larger individuals, in common with Aboriginal and seabird middens, when compared to natural shell deposits. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) of the size distributions shows a greater similarity of the Moyjil deposit to the two seabird middens than the two Aboriginal middens. Small individuals (operculum L. undulata as well as smaller shellfish species are absent from the seabird middens studied, but they are present in Aboriginal middens and in the Moyjil deposit. Overall, we conclude that shell properties alone are not sufficient to distinguish which predator collected the shellfish occurring in the deposit.

A revised Holocene sea-level history for the southern Gulf of Carpentaria is presented based on new data from the South Wellesley Archipelago and age recalibration of previous research. Results confirm that rising sea levels during the most recent post-glacial marine transgression breached the Arafura Sill ca. 11,700 cal. yr BP. Sea levels continued to rise to ca. –30 m by 10,000 cal. yr BP, leading to full marine conditions. By 7700 cal. yr BP, sea-level reached present mean sea-level (PMSL) and continued to rise to an elevation of between 1.5 m and 2 m above PMSL. Sea level remained ca. + 1.5 between 7000 and 4000 cal. yr BP, followed by rapid regression to within ± 0.5 m of PMSL by ca. 3500 cal. yr BP. When placed into a wider regional context results from this study show that coastal landscape evolution in the tropical north of Australia was not only dependent on sea-level change but also show a direct correlation with Holocene climate variability. Specifically, the formation and preservation of beach-rock deposits, intertidal successions, beach and chenier ridge systems hold valuable sea-level and Holocene climate proxies that can contribute to the growing research into lower latitude Holocene sea-level and climate histories.

AbstractThe South Pacific subpopulation of the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta is categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List because of significant population declines. Five Queensland beaches support high-density nesting of this subpopulation, but egg and hatchling survival are low at some beaches because of feral and native terrestrial predators. We quantified predation of loggerhead turtle eggs by two species of goanna, Varanus panoptes and Varanus varius, at Wreck Rock beach, one of the turtle's major nesting beaches. In addition, we conducted an experiment to determine the efficacy of a nest protection device. Predation rates at Wreck Rock beach were 15.2% for treatment and 45.8% for non-treatment clutches during the 2013–2014 nesting season. A higher probability of predation (64%) was predicted for the northern beach. Although nests were only partially predated (16.4% of the total number of eggs), nest loss to predators and beach erosion (caused by a cyclone) was 91.7%. If left unmanaged, the cumulative impact of predation and other threats, including those exacerbated by climate change, can cause unsustainable loss of loggerhead turtle nests. This study provides one of the first quantitative data sets on rates of loggerhead turtle clutch predation in the South Pacific. It enhances our understanding of goanna predation impacts and identifies an efficient predator exclusion device for mitigating the effects of terrestrial predators at Wreck Rock beach, and for protecting marine turtle nests across northern Australia and globally.

Ichthyoplankton surveys were employed to determine the distribution and spawning season of Hyperlophus vittatus off south-western Australia. Eggs and larvae of H. vittatus were sampled with 500-μm-mesh bongo-nets monthly during 1992, and less regularly during 1993, close to the beach and at 5.5 and 11 km offshore in four areas within the region of the fishery. The spatio-temporal distribution and abundance of eggs indicates that H. vittatus spawns in nearshore marine waters from May to September, with a peak in June and July. Larvae were rarer and less abundant than the eggs and therefore were less reliable indicators of spawning areas and season. Samples taken along transects across the continental shelf in July of both 1993 and 1994 indicated that H. vittatus did not spawn further than 14 km from the coast. Samples taken in July 1994 just beyond the surf zone at beaches, and at corresponding sites 5.5 km offshore, at 3.7-km intervals along 150 km of coastline indicated that H. vittatus spawns throughout the distribution of the fished stock off south-westem Australia.

The turbulent waters off ocean beaches provide habitat for large marine fauna, including dolphins, sharks, rays, turtles and game fish. Although, historically, these assemblages have proven difficult to quantify, we used a new drone-based approach to assess spatial and temporal variation in assemblages of large marine fauna off four exposed beaches in New South Wales, Australia. In total, 4388 individual large marine animals were identified from 216 drone flights. The most common taxa, bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.) and Australian cownose rays (Rhinoptera neglecta), occurred in 25.5 and 19.9% of flights respectively. White (Carcharodon carcharias), bull (Carcharhinus leucas) and other whaler (Carcharhinus spp.) sharks were observed in <1% of flights. There was significant variation in the structure of assemblages of large fauna among beaches, with those adjacent to riverine estuaries having greater richness and abundance of wildlife. Overall, drone surveys were successful in documenting the spatio-temporal dynamics of an impressive suite of large marine fauna. We contend that emerging drone technology can make a valuable contribution to the ecological information required to ensure the long-term sustainability of sandy-beach ecosystems and associated marine wildlife.

Marine turtles regularly migrate hundreds to thousands of kilometres between nesting beaches and home foraging grounds. Effective conservation of marine turtles requires understanding of migration patterns in order to facilitate regional cooperation across the turtles' migratory range. Indigenous Australians maintain traditional rights and responsibilities for marine turtle management across much of the northern Australian coast. To better understand turtle migrations and identify with whom the Aboriginal people of north-east Arnhem Land (Yolngu) share turtles, we used satellite telemetry to track the migration routes of 20 green turtles (Chelonia mydas) departing from a nesting beach ~45 km south of Nhulunbuy, north-east Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. All tracked turtles remained within the Gulf of Carpentaria. These results suggest that the foraging habitat for adults of this nesting population may be largely confined to the Gulf, offering an optimistic scenario for green turtle conservation. Given these results and the critical role indigenous people play in conserving and managing marine turtles, we recommend that a formal network of indigenous communities be established as the foundation of a community-based turtle-management strategy for the Gulf of Carpentaria region.

The genus Smeagol consists of five named species of air-breathing marine slugs (restricted to southern Australia and New Zealand) and three undescribed taxa from southern Japan. Only one species, S. hilaris, is known to be from New South Wales (NSW), and it previously had a known distribution limited to one site, Merry Beach on the south coast. This diminutive invertebrate is classified as critically endangered in NSW due to its extremely restricted distribution and concern about its historically declining numbers. Accordingly, the aims of this study were to survey the known population of S. hilaris at Merry Beach and to explore other potentially suitable sites, using a visual census method, to determine if further populations or species exist in NSW. The resulting quantitative surveys of the known population and a new population at Storm Bay, Kiama, NSW, are reported here. DNA barcoding of a ~650 bp segment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene for several individuals from each population confirmed the conspecificity among the two populations. The population at Merry Beach was found to remain viable, while the discovery of the new population of S. hilaris represents a doubling of the known global populations of this species. Details of the highly-specialised niche habitat occupied by Smeagol in New South Wales and recommendations for ongoing management are documented.

Three new species of the desmodoroid genus Onyx are described from ocean beaches of northern New South Wales, Australia: Onyx macramphis, sp, nov., Onyx adenophorus, sp. nov., and Onyx cannoni, sp. nov. The genus Onyx is revised, the status of the type species, O. perfectus Cobb, 1891, is discussed and an annotated list of the species of the genus is presented. The precaudal position of the caudal glands in O. adenophoius prompts a discussion of the significance of the precaudal position of caudal glands in free-living marine nematode taxonomy in general.

The Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), classed as endangered in Australia, is one of Australia’s least studied marine turtles and is little known in the south-east Asian region. This is the first detailed study of the nesting biology and ecology of L. olivacea in Australia or south-east Asia, which adds to the regional knowledge of the species and will aid management locally. Daytime surveys of nesting tracks at 14-day intervals in 2004 and irregular surveys in 2005 indicated that the nesting season extended from February to November with peak nesting in April and May. Daily track counts over a 14-day period in April 2004 during peak nesting showed that nesting abundance varied between nights and along the beach. Nightly numbers ranged from 2 to 59 turtles per night over the 10-km beach while, spatially, nesting densities (0.1–6.9 tracks km–1 night–1) varied between sectors. Nesting in this population was solitary, as opposed to the mass nesting behaviour of L. olivacea observed elsewhere in its range, such as in India, Mexico and Costa Rica. The size of nesting L. olivacea was normally distributed with a mean curved carapace length of 69.6 ± 2.3 (s.d.) cm (range = 65.0–75.2, n = 85). During the peak of the nesting season dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) were responsible for the highest egg mortality (over 14%), followed by varanids (Varanus spp., 4.5%) and humans (1.7%). Cyclone Ingrid caused significant egg loss in 2004. Saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) were a significant predator of adult nesting turtles.

Prograded barrier systems record shoreline behaviour and palaeoenvironmental information. The Guichen Bay Holocene embayment fill succession in South Australia has been subject to several prominent studies; however, several important unanswered questions remained regarding the timing of the older ridge sets at this site. Additional Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating indicates that progradation commenced in the southeastern corner of the plain ~7300 years ago and was rapid between ~5800 and ~5000 years ago. To augment this record, three OSL dating transects were constructed at nearby Rivoli Bay in the north, central and south. Rapid progradation occurred in the south and then north of the Rivoli plain until ~5000 years ago. Steady progradation occurred in the centre of the plain between ~5000 years ago and present. Rapid shoreline progradation at Guichen and Rivoli Bays before ~5000 years ago was due to the input of sediment from the erosion of Robe and Woakwine Ranges and the inner continental shelf as sea levels rose to present. Raised beach strata imaged with Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) at Rivoli Bay suggest a sea-level highstand of +2 m above present ~3500 years ago, steadily falling and reaching the present ~1000 years ago. This concurs with evidence from Guichen Bay and may have promoted shoreline progradation. Sediment infilling of Guichen and Rivoli Bays and the fall in sea level restricted the marine corridor between the Woakwine and Robe Ranges to a narrow channel by ~4000 and ~2000 years in the north and south, respectively. Holocene shoreline behaviour was influenced by changing sediment supply and shoreline reorientation with changing wave refraction patterns.

Coastal development adjacent to sea turtle nesting beaches can result in an increase in exposure to artificial lighting at night. That lighting can repel nesting females and interfere with the orientation of hatchlings from the nest to the sea. Disrupted hatchling orientation is a serious source of turtle mortality, sufficient to reduce recruitment and contribute to a long-term marine turtle population decline. The purpose of this study was to assess whether artificial lighting disrupts hatchling sea-finding behaviour at the largest loggerhead rookery in the South Pacific, the Woongarra coast, south-east Queensland. The crawling tracks of hatchlings that emerged from nests, as well as staged emergences, were used to assess the effect of lighting conditions at several local beaches on hatchling sea-finding behaviour. Disrupted orientation was observed at only a few locations, excluding the majority of the main nesting beach at Mon Repos Conservation Park. At the sites where orientation was disrupted, normal orientation was restored when a full moon was visible, presumably because lunar illumination reduced the perceived brightness of the artificial lights. The controlled use of lights used for guided turtle-viewing tour groups within Mon Repos conservation Park did not interfere with the sea-finding behaviour of hatchling turtles. Further coastal development, especially at the nearby town of Bargara, requires that a light management plan be formulated to ensure that development does not adversely affect the marine turtles that utilise the local nesting beaches.

Abstract ContextA series of unprovoked shark attacks on New South Wales (Australia) beaches between 2013 and 2015 triggered an investigation of new and emerging technologies for protecting bathers. Traditionally, bather protection has included several methods for shark capture, detection and/or deterrence but has often relied on environmentally damaging techniques. Heightened environmental awareness, including the important role of sharks in the marine ecosystem, demands new techniques for protection from shark attack. Recent advances in drone-related technologies have enabled the possibility of real-time shark detection and alerting. AimTo determine the reliability of drones to detect shark analogues in the water across a range of environmental conditions experienced on New South Wales beaches. MethodsA standard multirotor drone (DJI Inspire 1) was used to detect shark analogues as a proxy during flights at 0900, 1200 and 1500 hours over a 3-week period. The 27 flights encompassed a range of environmental conditions, including wind speed (2–30.0kmh−1), turbidity (0.4–6.4m), cloud cover (0–100%), glare (0–100%), seas (0.4–1.4m), swells (1.4–2.5m) and sea state (Beaufort Scale 1–5 Bf). Key resultsDetection rates of the shark analogues over the 27 flights were significantly higher for the independent observer conducting post-flight video analysis (50%) than for the drone pilot (38%) (Wald P=0.04). Water depth and turbidity significantly impaired detection of analogues (Wald P=0.04). Specifically, at a set depth of 2m below the water surface, very few analogues were seen by the observer or pilot when water turbidity reduced visibility to less than 1.5m. Similarly, when water visibility was greater than 1.5m, the detection rate was negatively related to water depth. Conclusions The present study demonstrates that drones can fly under most environmental conditions and would be a cost-effective bather protection tool for a range of user groups. ImplicationsThe most effective use of drones would occur during light winds and in shallow clear water. Although poor water visibility may restrict detection, sharks spend large amounts of time near the surface, therefore providing a practical tool for detection in most conditions.

Abstract. Coastal ecosystems produce and store carbonate particles, which play a significant role in the carbonate dynamics of coastal areas and may contribute to the sediment budget of adjacent beaches. In the nearshore seabed of temperate zones (e.g. Mediterranean Sea and South Australia), marine biogenic carbonates are mainly produced inside seagrass meadows. This study quantifies the contribution of biogenic sediments, mainly produced in Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows and secondarily in photophilic algal communities, to the sediment budget of a Mediterranean beach–dune system (San Giovanni beach, western Sardinia, western Mediterranean Sea). A set of geophysical, petrographic and sedimentological data was used to estimate the sediment volume and composition of the beach–dune system as a whole. The San Giovanni beach–dune system contains 3 797 000 ± 404 000 t of sediment, 83 % (3 137 000 ± 404 000 t) of which is located in the coastal wedge, 16 % (619 000 ± 88 000 t) in the dune fields and 1 % (41 000 ± 15 000 t) in the subaerial beach. The sediments are composed of mixed modern bioclastic and relict bioclastic and non-bioclastic grains from various sources. The system receives a large input of modern bioclastic grains, mainly composed of rhodophytes, molluscs and bryozoans, which derive from sediment production of present-day carbonate factories, particularly P. oceanica seagrass meadows. Radiocarbon dating of modern bioclastic grains indicated that they were produced during the last 4.37 kyr. This value was used to estimate the long-term deposition rates of modern bioclastic sediments in the various beach compartments. The total deposition rate of modern bioclastic grains is 46 000 ± 5000 t century−1, mainly deposited in the coastal wedge (39 000 ± 4 000 t century−1) and dunes (7000 ± 1000 t century−1), and 46 000 t represents ∼ 1.2 % of the total beach–dune sediment mass. Carbonate production from coastal ecosystems was estimated to be 132 000∕307 000 t century−1, 28 % (15 % ∕ 34 %) of which is transported to the beach–dune system, thus significantly contributing to the beach sediment budget. The contribution to the beach sediment budget represents a further ecosystem service, which our data can help quantify, provided by P. oceanica. The value of this sediment-supply service is in addition to the other important ecological services provided by seagrass meadows. The dependence of the beach sediment budget on carbonate production associated with coastal ecosystems has several implications for the adaptation of mixed and carbonate beaches to the loss of seagrass meadows due to local impacts and the changes expected to occur over the next few decades in coastal ecosystems following sea level rise.

Climate change induced sea-level rise (SLR) is on its increase globally. Regionally the lowlands of China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and islands of the Malaysian, Indonesian and Philippine archipelagos are among the world’s most threatened regions. Sea-level rise has major impacts on the ecosystems and society. It threatens coastal populations, economic activities, and fragile ecosystems as mangroves, coastal salt-marches and wetlands. This paper provides a summary of the current state of knowledge of sea level-rise and its effects on both human and natural ecosystems. The focus is on coastal urban areas and low lying deltas in South-East Asia and Vietnam, as one of the most threatened areas in the world. About 3 mm per year reflects the growing consensus on the average SLR worldwide. The trend speeds up during recent decades. The figures are subject to local, temporal and methodological variation. In Vietnam the average values of 3.3 mm per year during the 1993-2014 period are above the worldwide average. Although a basic conceptual understanding exists that the increasing global frequency of the strongest tropical cyclones is related with the increasing temperature and SLR, this relationship is insufficiently understood. Moreover the precise, complex environmental, economic, social, and health impacts are currently unclear. SLR, storms and changing precipitation patterns increase flood risks, in particular in urban areas. Part of the current scientific debate is on how urban agglomeration can be made more resilient to flood risks. Where originally mainly technical interventions dominated this discussion, it becomes increasingly clear that proactive special planning, flood defense, flood risk mitigation, flood preparation, and flood recovery are important, but costly instruments. 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AbstractIn spring 2014, thousands of green algal balls were washed up at Dee Why Beach, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Reports of algal balls are uncommon in marine systems, and mass strandings on beaches are even more rare, sparking both public and scientific interest. We identified the algal masses as

This paper presents a reconstruction of the Holocene evolution of the Inskip Peninsula in SE Queensland. The peninsula links two major dune fields, the Cooloola Sand Mass to the south and K’gari (Fraser Island) to the north. Geomorphic features of this peninsula include remnant parabolic dunes, numerous beach ridges with foredunes, and a series of spits. Together these features provide insight into Holocene coastal evolution and changing marine conditions. A remnant beach ridge/foredune complex at the northern portion of Inskip may have been connected to K’gari and a river/tidal channel near Rainbow Beach township which separated it from the Cooloola Sand Mass to the south. This channel avulsed northward in the early mid-Holocene (after 8.8 ka) with spit development from the south. This was followed by a phase of beach-ridge/foredune complex development that started by ~6.7 ka. Stratigraphic evidence from the highest and best developed parabolic dunes in the northern portion of Inskip Peninsula indicates dune development from the mid-Holocene beach complex by 4.8 ka. Beach ridges with foredunes continued to prograde but notably declined in size during the late-Holocene. In the latest Holocene (<4.8 ka) many of the late-Holocene beach ridges/foredune complexes have been truncated by a re-orientation of the shoreline and longshore sediment transport has promoted the growth of the modern spit at the northern end of the peninsula. Erosive and longshore processes continue to be highly active because of tidal interactions between Great Sandy Strait and the Coral Sea. This detailed study of Inskip Peninsula’s evolution aids significantly in future coastal management decisions, and provides evidence for World Heritage Area extension for the Cooloola Sand Mass, including the incorporation of Inskip Peninsula itself. It also contributes to the global understanding to coastal evolution in an area of strong wave and tidal interaction.