Academic literature on the topic 'Mt Lofty Ranges'

The effects of nitrogen (N) fertiliser (0–200 kg/ha) on mass, botanical composition, and N concentration (%) in herbage were examined in nine 2- or 3-year rate × time of application experiments, 14 single-year annual rate of application experiments and 15 short-term spring rate of application experiments, at 27 sites in the Mt Lofty Ranges, South Australia, in 7 years between 1970 and 1979, inclusive. Effects on in vitro digestibility and concentrations of other nutrients in herbage were examined in selected experiments.Annual applications of 200 kg N/ha increased herbage mass by an average of 2.8 t/ha (57% increase), over the average yield of unfertilised pasture of 4.6 t/ha. Subterranean clover was eliminated from the sward with this rate of N application, although this may have been exacerbated by the experimental methods used. N fertiliser application increased herbage mass throughout the growing season, except in autumn 1972 when low rainfall restricted growth and about half of the experiments were not harvested. In 5 of the 126 individual harvests, herbage mass did not respond positively to N fertiliser applications, even though clover composition of herbage declined.A single application of 50 kg N/ha in autumn increased herbage mass, 6–8 weeks later, by an average 11�kg�DM/kg N, but this N effect only persisted to a subsequent harvest in about half of the experiments, with an average residual effect of 25%. Commonly, a response to N fertiliser in the first and/or second harvests was followed by a non-responsive period and then a depression in herbage mass, where no further N fertiliser was applied. With repeated N fertiliser applications, the average responses to 50� kg� N/ha were 11 kg DM/kg N in late winter and also in early spring, similar to the autumn response, and 18�kg�DM/kg N in late spring. In a later study, a single application of 50 kg N/ha in spring, for silage or hay conservation, increased herbage mass by an average of 1.3 t/ha in late spring while the average response to 100 kg N/ha was 2.0 t/ha. Clover composition declined but was rarely eliminated from the sward by these N rates when applied only in spring.From early winter to early spring, N concentration in herbage from unfertilised pasture ranged from 3 to 4% N and then progressively declined. Relationships between herbage N concentrations and increasing N rates were either linear or curvilinear in early and late winter, whereas in spring, many of these responses to N fertiliser were sigmoidal, with a decline in herbage N concentrations being observed at low N rates. Nitrogen fertiliser applied throughout the growing season had little effect on in vitro digestibility for a wide range of pasture compositions. However, in vitro digestibility of a pure grass pasture was increased early in the growing season by applications up to 50 kg N/ha, but was depressed by the same N rates applied in late spring. Consistently, an increase in N had the following effect on the concentration of other herbage nutrients: K�increased; Ca decreased becoming more pronounced as the growing season progressed; P decreased in late spring; and Cu fell in autumn. The content of these nutrients in harvested herbage usually increased with increasing N rate, particularly when associated with large herbage mass responses to N fertiliser. The K : (Ca + Mg) ratio in herbage, a criterion for grass tetany, increased detrimentally with increasing N rate. Strategies are proposed for using N fertiliser on rain-fed pasture in the Mt Lofty Ranges.

Charles Albert Edward Fenner (1884?1955) was educated in Melbourne but spent the major part of his working life in South Australia, first as Superintendent of Technical Education and later as Director of Education, holding the latter post during the difficult years of the Second World War. He is best remembered for his role in the establishment of Geography as a university discipline and for his landform studies. He brought together earlier work on the tectonics of the Gulfs region of South Australia and introduced the term ?shatter belt' to describe the complex of horsts and sunken blocks. He noted evidence pointing to recent and continuing earth movements, and suggested that such earth movements were responsible for the westerly diversion of the River Murray at Chucka Bend. He also conceived a hypothesis of ?double planation' in explanation of the morphology of the Mt Lofty Ranges.

Copy of author's previously published work inserted. Bibliography: leaves 261-306. The objectives of the project were: i. to determine whether there are competitive interactions between Aporrectodea trapezoides and A. caliginosa and A. rosea.--ii. to investigate compeditive interactions between A. calignosa, Microscolex dubius and A. trapezoides.--iii . to determine the likely impact of A. longa on soil fauna, especially the native earthworm, Gemascolex lateralis, in native ecosystems.

Thesis (B. Sc.)--University of Adelaide, Department of Zoology.
Cover title. "Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of science with Honors, Department of Zoology, University of Adelaide, May 1998" -- Cover. Bibliography: p. 46-53.

"September 2002" Bibliography: leaves 77-85. Examines the persistence of the yellow-footed antechinus using live trapping in small, remnant patches and strips of forest, to document autecological sata and the investgate occurrence, breeding activity and inter-patch movements. Radio-tracking was conducted to compare home range properties of lactating females in restricted and unrestricted habitat.

Thesis (M. Env. Sc.)--University of Adelaide, Mawson Graduate Centre for Environmental Studies, 1996.
Two col. maps in pocket on back end-paper. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-135).

Thesis (B. Sc.(Hons.))--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Geology and Geophysics, 1996.
Australian National Grid reference Hallett 6631-11 1:50 000 sheet Caroona 6731-111 1:50 000 sheet. Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis examined the impact of anthropogenic alterations in four riverine catchments of the Eastern Mt. Lofty Ranges, South Australia, to identify if creek restoration via environmental flows is a viable management option and if so, to determine; 1) Whether an aquatic/riparian viable seed bank was present and if so what was its composition 2) The ecological condition of selected riverine reaches. This in combination with the seed bank study would identify those creeks that would most benefit from the imposition of environmental flows 3) The response of key species to the water regimes likely to result from the imposition of environmental flows 4) The influence of nutrient enrichment under a fluctuating water level and to use this information to formulate best practice policy for environmental flows 5) Whether aquatic plants promoted by environmental flows were a significant fraction of the diet for higher trophic levels represented by Trichopterans and Amphipods. The seed banks were of comparable density (ranging from 4,000 to 110,000 seeds m-2) and species richness (ranging from 13 to 20 aquatic / riparian species) to the seed banks of other Australian rivers and wetlands, but this varied significantly among riverine sections and across catchments. Out of a total of 81 species recorded, 51 were classified as terrestrial (63% of all species recorded). What is of greater concern was the number of exotic (both aquatic and terrestrial) species recorded: 43% of the species recorded in the Angas, 47% of the species in the Finniss, 39% of the species in Tookayerta creek and 43% of the species recorded in Currency creek were exotic, which are significantly higher in comparison to other Australian studies. There were 24 to 28 aquatic/riparian species recorded in the extant vegetation of each catchment that were not recorded in their seed banks. Likewise, a number of species (3 to 7) were recorded in each catchments seed bank that were not recorded in the extant vegetation of those catchments. A species of particular interest is Crassula sieberana, which is on the State endangered plant species list. Indices for assessing the ecological condition, health or integrity of a river or riparian habitat were employed to investigate the relationship between the river/riparian habitat and the land and water management practices associated with those habitats. Of the four catchments surveyed, each catchment identified a unique set of site parameters (subindex indicators) that were strongly correlated with its ecological condition. Indicator species analyses revealed pasture grasses to be a significant indicator of reaches in very poor condition (p = 0.0010) along the Finniss and Baumea juncea of those reaches in good condition (p = 0.0230). Along the Angas, Cotula coronopifolia was an indicator of those reaches in average condition (p = 0.0240) and along Currency creek, Cladium procerum was an indicator of those reaches in good condition (p = 0.0190). However, when all 115 surveyed reaches were analysed together, those reaches of average to excellent ecological condition were all strongly correlated (R2 = 0.50) with the subindex indicators: bank stability, % riparian cover, grazing, fenced, aquatic wood, and width of the riparian vegetation. This would indicate that these subindex indicators are the main site parameters determining the ecological condition of a riverine reach and hence its restoration potential. Those catchments or sub-catchments containing a high proportion of reaches classified to be in poor to very poor condition had significantly reduced seed banks. The influence of water level fluctuations (±15 cm, ±30 cm and ±45 cm) on the growth of four species of emergent macrophytes (Cyperus vaginatus, Phragmites australis, Typha domingensis and Triglochin procerum) were species dependent. These species naturally inhabits different zones across the elevation gradient. C. vaginatus, which has a high elevation preference, was strongly inhibited by increasing water depth and fluctuations in water levels. In contrast, species with an intermediate elevation preference, such as Phragmites australis and Typha domingensis, were more tolerant to both depth and water level fluctuations. However, the biomass and relative growth rate (RGR) of T. domingensis and P. australis were depressed when grown under the combination of deep elevation and a highly fluctuating water level (±45 cm). Between the static and ±45 cm amplitude treatments, growth of T. domingensis was inhibited by 52%. The growth of P. australis appeared to be enhanced by fluctuating water levels and only showed a severe drop-off in growth in the deep elevation, ±45 cm amplitude treatment. In C. vaginatus the RGR was dependent of the average emergent surface area (and the implied rate of carbon acquisition)(p<0.0001; r2=0.7196; F=87.276; n=36; RGR (mg g-1 day-1) = -5.096 + 4.313 × ln (Average emergent surface area (cm2)), but this was not the case in P. australis and T. domingensis (p>0.05) even when the photosynthetic canopy was partially inundated by rising water levels. Yet these two species demonstrated different growth rates when grown under different water regime amplitudes and at different elevations. Growth of T. procerum did not respond to either amplitude or elevation, but its RGR remained negative. This suggests that another factor(s) was limiting the growth of P. australis, T. domingensis and possibly T. procerum, a factor that varies with water level. Cyperus gymnocaulos had significantly increased plant performance (p <.0001) with increased nutrient loading rates but this effect was significantly reduced under a fluctuating water regime (p =0.0007). Remarkably, under a fluctuating regime, P. australis had a significant reduction in performance with increased nutrient loading rates (p =0.0013), whereas T. domingensis performance was significantly limited (p =0.034) even with increased nutrient loading rates. T. procerum too had increased plant performance with increased nutrient loading rates but this effect was reduced under a fluctuating regime. The morphological response by T. procerum demonstrates that it is mainly limited by the nutrient loading rates and not the water regime. However, it was significantly limited/reduced by its increased turnover rates caused by a stochastic fluctuating water regime. Illustrating that in fact the effects of nutrient enrichment on T. procerum were independent of water regime but bearing in mind that water regime is the primary factor determining the productivity of this species. For those species with higher elevation preferences, e.g. C. gymnocaulos, or low elevation preference, e.g. T. procerum, the effects of nutrient loading are independent of water regime, whereas those species with an intermediate elevation preference, e.g. P. australis and T. domingensis the effects of nutrient loading are largely dependent on the water regime. Amphipoda and Trichoptera selectively fed on succulent semi-emergent macrophytes across sites of average to excellent ecological condition (31-64% to 65-97% of diet), depending on availability. These semi-emergent macrophytes contained the lowest C:N ratio (≈10:1), closest to that of their consumers (≈5:1) and therefore the highest nutritional content. In degraded riverine reaches, there were limited food resources available, hence course particulate organic matter (CPOM) formed the main dietary components of Amphipoda (20-53% of diet) even though it had the highest C:N ratio (≈40:1). At site VP. 1, filamentous algae was the main dietary component of Trichoptera (48-64% of diet) due to its availability and its low C:N ratio (≈14:1) in comparison to the other primary sources available. The imbalanced consumer-resource nutrient ratios in these degraded riverine reaches are likely to impose constraints on the growth and reproduction of their aquatic shredder communities with probable knock-on effects at higher trophic levels. The installation of environmental flows to restore and promote aquatic/riparian plant communities, which in turn would benefit higher trophic organisms, is a viable and realistic management option along selected reaches. Those selected reaches contain a significant aquatic/riparian seed bank and with sufficient physical habitat remaining to promote their germination and establishment. However, the imposition of environmental flows as a control measure to prevent the colonisation and dominance of particular species (T. domingensis and P. australis) was deemed to be redundant as a management technique given the limited water resources available.
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2007