Journal articles on the topic 'Plant communities Victoria'
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1
Cannone, Nicoletta, and Rodney Seppelt. "A preliminary floristic classification of southern and northern Victoria Land vegetation, continental Antarctica." Antarctic Science 20, no. 6 (June 9, 2008): 553–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0954102008001454.
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AbstractThis paper proposes a new objectively-generated vegetation classification for southern and northern Victoria Land (continental Antarctica) based on the floristic composition of the plant communities. The new classification aims to integrate the existing physiognomic classification of the cryptogamic Antarctic tundra, provide useful data on floristic composition and distribution of the vegetation occurring in southern and northern Victoria Land, and develop a suitable tool allowing easy comparison of syntaxa from different locations. Field data from 26 sites along a latitudinal gradient (72°–77°S) were analysed by a hierarchical classification integrated with multivariate statistics, including indirect ecological information (Principal Component Analysis). Similarity of the identified groups was assessed through the Jaccard similarity index. The new classification is compatible with previous ones and is widely applicable to Victoria Land and includes previous classification. This standardized approach relates plant communities to their floristic composition and provides a basis for relating vegetation composition to environmental gradients and to patterns of vegetation dynamics and succession which are still poorly understood in Antarctica.
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Schaefer, James A., and François Messier. "Composition and spatial structure of plant communities on southeastern Victoria Island, arctic Canada." Canadian Journal of Botany 72, no. 9 (September 1, 1994): 1264–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/b94-154.
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We used multivariate methods to investigate the composition and spatial organisation of tundra plant communities in the Wellington Bay region of southeastern Victoria Island (69°N, 106°W). Ordination and classification of sites at an intermediate scale (≈ 1 ha) were conducted using principal components analysis and sums of squares agglomerative clustering on a matrix of standardized chord distances. The findings suggested eight vegetation classes. These communities are described floristically. At this spatial scale, the vegetation showed correspondence to elevation, slope, and thickness of soil, but not to aspect. The spatial patterns of multiple plant species and physical variables (i.e., slope of terrain and thickness of soil) were examined using multiscale ordination and double logarithmic regressions of variance on distance, respectively. Multiscale ordination revealed ever-increasing plant heterogeneity with distance (0.25 – 1600 m) and suggested only weak general patterns at scales ≤ 200 m. Similarly, variance in the physical factors tended to increase continually with distance. Both the vegetation and physical environment thus appeared to be organised on gradients. Key words: Arctic, classification, ordination, spatial scale, tundra.
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Thomas, I., N. J. Enright, and C. E. Kenyon. "The Holocene history of mediterraneantype plant communities, Little Desert National Park, Victoria, Australia." Holocene 11, no. 6 (September 2001): 691–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.1191/09596830195717.
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Hurst, Thomas, and Paul I. Boon. "Agricultural weeds and coastal saltmarsh in south-eastern Australia: an insurmountable problem?" Australian Journal of Botany 64, no. 4 (2016): 308. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt16027.
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It is often assumed that saline coastal wetlands experience environmental conditions so severe that they are largely immune to invasion by exotic plant species. The belief is implicit in many older reviews of threats to mangroves and coastal saltmarshes, where a limited range of vascular plant taxa, often focussing on *Spartina, (throughout the paper an asterisk denotes an introduced (exotic) species as per Carr 2012) have been invoked as the major species of concern. Even though the weed flora of southern Australia is derived largely from agriculture and horticulture, neither of which includes many species tolerant of waterlogged, variably saline environments, a recent assessment of Victorian saline coastal wetlands indicated that exotic plants were the third-most pervasive threat, after land ‘reclamation’ and grazing. Tall wheat grass, *Lophopyrum ponticum (Podp.) A.Love., is one of the most severe and widely distributed weeds of saline coastal wetlands in south-eastern Australia. It is promoted by the agricultural extension arm of the Victorian government as a salt-tolerant pasture grass; however, its broad ecological amplitude and robust life form make it a most serious invader of upper saltmarsh in Victoria. We assessed the effectiveness of different control measures, including slashing and herbicides, for the management of *L. ponticum infestations (and their side effects on saltmarsh communities) in the Western Port region of Victoria. A nominally monocot-specific herbicide widely used to control *Spartina, Fluazifop-P, was ineffective in controlling *L. ponticum. The broad-spectrum systemic herbicide glyphosate was more effective in controlling *L. ponticum, but had undesirable impacts on native plant species. Controlling weeds in coastal wetlands using available herbicides for use near coastal waterways would seem to remain problematic.
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Bomfleur, Benjamin, Christian Pott, and Hans Kerp. "Plant assemblages from the Shafer Peak Formation (Lower Jurassic), north Victoria Land, Transantarctic Mountains." Antarctic Science 23, no. 2 (November 23, 2010): 188–208. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0954102010000866.
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AbstractThe Jurassic plant fossil record of Gondwana is generally meagre, which renders phytogeographic and palaeoclimatic interpretations difficult to date. Moreover, plant fossil assemblages mainly consist of impressions/compressions with rather limited palaeobiological and palaeoecological significance. We here present a detailed survey of new Early Jurassic plant assemblages from the Pliensbachian Shafer Peak Formation, north Victoria Land, Transantarctic Mountains. Some of the well-preserved fossils yield cuticle. The floras consist of isoetalean lycophytes, sphenophytes, several ferns, bennettitaleans, and conifers. In addition, three distinct kinds of conifer shoots and needles were obtained from bulk macerations. The composition of the plant communities is typical for Jurassic macrofloras of Gondwana, which underscores the general homogeneity of Southern Hemisphere vegetation during the mid-Mesozoic. Altogether, the plant fossil assemblages indicate humid and warm temperate conditions, which is in contrast to recent palaeoclimatic models that predict cool temperate climates for the continental interior of southern Gondwana during the Jurassic. However, there is no evidence for notable soil development or peat accumulation. The environmental conditions were apparently very unstable due to intense volcanic activity that resulted in frequent perturbation of landscape and vegetation, hampering the development of long-lived climax communities. Cuticles of bennettitaleans and conifers show xeromorphic features that may have been beneficial for growth in this volcanic environment.
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Daniel, Rosalie, Barbara A. Wilson, and David M. Cahill. "Phytophthora cinnamomi in native vegetation communities of southern Victoria—morphological variation and paragyny among isolates." Australasian Plant Pathology 32, no. 3 (2003): 403. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ap03041.
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Wilson, B. A., J. Aberton, and D. M. Cahill. "Relationships between site factors and distribution of Phytophthora cinnamomi in the Eastern Otway Ranges, Victoria." Australian Journal of Botany 48, no. 2 (2000): 247. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt98067.
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The Eastern Otway Ranges, Victoria is an area recognised for its significant flora and fauna communities. An area of about 7000 ha, the Anglesea heathlands has been listed on the register of the National Estate. Although symptoms of the plant pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi have been recorded in the area since the 1970s, the extent of infestation and its effects have not been documented. The aims of this study were to assess the distribution of infestation, identify the relationship of plant infection to site variables and to identify evidence of spread of the pathogen. The presence of P. cinnamomi was assessed at 50 study sites by a visual evaluation of the vegetation, using species such as Xanthorrhoea australis (Austral grass tree) and Isopogon ceratophyllus (horny cone bush) as indicator species. Soil and plant tissues were assayed for the presence of the pathogen by cotyledon baiting and immunoassay methods. Phytophthora cinnamomi was isolated at 76% of the study sites from the floristic communities identified: heathy open forest; heathy woodland I and II; Bald Hills heathland; riparian open forest. There were significantly more diseased sites at lower altitudes. The pathogen is widely spread and causing disease throughout the area, but at present often only in small patches. There is an urgent need for disease management to protect the significant communities. These findings suggest that management actions such as mapping current infestations, closing tracks and implementing vehicle wash-down points are required.
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Ashton, DH. "Ecology of Bryophytic Communities in Mature Eucalyptus regnans F Muell Forest at Wallaby Creek, Victoria." Australian Journal of Botany 34, no. 2 (1986): 107. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9860107.
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Bryophytic communities in plateau forests of mature Eucalyptus regnans are distributed according to substrate type and microclimate, whereas those in gully rainforests are more catholic. Objective classification of releves indicated the extent to which groupings are shared between these major topographic sites and the degree to which their distribution is mediated by differences in microclimate. Communities on many substrates in E. regnans forests are either seral to a fern floor 'climax' or exhibit pattern and process cycles of regenerative stability.
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Gray, S., and N. Booker. "Wastewater services for small communities." Water Science and Technology 47, no. 7-8 (April 1, 2003): 65–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2003.0672.
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Connection to centralised regional sewage systems has been too expensive for small-dispersed communities, and these townships have traditionally been serviced by on-site septic tank systems. The conventional on-site system in Australia has consisted of an anaerobic holding tank followed by adsorption trenches. This technique relies heavily on the uptake of nutrients by plants for effective removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from the effluent, and is very seasonal in its efficiency. Hence, as these small communities have grown in size, the environmental effects of the septic tank discharges have become a problem. In locations throughout Australia, such as rural Victoria and along the Hawkesbury-Nepean River, septic tanks are being replaced with the transport of sewage to regional treatment plants. For some isolated communities, this can mean spending $20,000-$40,000/household, as opposed to more common connection prices of $7,000/household. This paper explores some alternative options that might be suitable for these small communities, and attempts to identify solutions that provide acceptable environmental outcomes at lower cost. The types of alternative systems that are assessed in the paper include local treatment systems, separate blackwater and greywater collection and treatment systems both with and without non-potable water recycling, a small township scale treatment plant compared to either existing septic tank systems or pumping to a remote regional treatment facility.The work demonstrated the benefits of a scenario analysis approach for the assessment of a range of alternative systems. It demonstrated that some of the alternatives systems can achieve better than 90% reductions in the discharge of nutrients to the environment at significantly lower cost than removing the wastewater to a remote regional treatment plant. These concepts allow wastewater to be retained within a community allowing for local reuse of treated effluent.
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Wagner, Johann, Donald McLennan, and A. K. Pedersen. "Vascular synphenology of plant communities around Cambridge Bay, Victoria Island, Nunavut, during the growing season of 2015." Polar Knowledge: Aqhaliat Report 1, no. 1 (March 31, 2019): 9–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.35298/pkc.2018.02.
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Williams, RJ, and DH Ashton. "Cyclical Patterns of Regeneration in Subalpine Heathland Communities on the Bogong High-Plains, Victoria." Australian Journal of Botany 36, no. 6 (1988): 605. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9880605.
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In the subalpine tract of the Bogong High Plains, cyclical patterns of regeneration occur within open heath and closed heath communities. In the Grevillea australis-Poa hiemata open grassy heath, most Grevillea shrubs are at present mature or senescent. Beneath the foliage of these shrubs, and in their canopy gaps, the dominant replacement species in the herb layer is snowgrass (Poa hiemata), and these shrubs tend to be replaced by snowgrass as they senesce. In the Phebalium squamulosum-Grevillea australis closed heath, both snowgrass and shrubs may occupy the senescent and gap phases of the dominant shrubs. Grazing by free-ranging cattle appears to favour the recolonisation of such gaps by shrubs rather than by Poa. In Prostanthera cuneata closed heath, regeneration in gaps was clearly shrub-dominated, with little establishment of snowgrass. Some shrubs, such as Grevillea, are obligate seed regenerators, whereas Phebalium and Prostanthera are capable of regeneration by both seed and vegetative means, such as root stock and layering stems. The life cycle of the major shrubs, from establishment to death, appears to require 30-50 years.
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Calder, DM, SC Cropper, and D. Tonkinson. "The Ecology of Thelymitra epipactoides F Muell (Orchidaceae) in Victoria, Australia, and the Implications for Management of the Species." Australian Journal of Botany 37, no. 1 (1989): 19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9890019.
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The habitats of existing populations of Thelymitra epipactoides in Victoria, Australia, are described according to the physical and biotic environments. The orchid is confined to a range of heathland communities usually near the coast. The species seems to prefer the more open, previously disturbed sites within the community. Following a discussion of the particular habitat requirements of T. epipactoides, some guidelines for the conservation management of the species are outlined.
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Hahs, A., N. J. Enright, and I. Thomas. "Plant communities, species richness and their environmental correlates in the sandy heaths of Little Desert National Park, Victoria." Austral Ecology 24, no. 3 (June 1999): 249–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1442-9993.1999.00969.x.
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Boon, Paul I. "Are mangroves in Victoria (south-eastern Australia) already responding to climate change?" Marine and Freshwater Research 68, no. 12 (2017): 2366. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf17015.
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The distribution and productivity of mangroves is directly affected by a wide range of climatic drivers, including temperature, frost, rainfall, evaporation and storm activity, which, in turn, influence a suite of secondary drivers, including changes in freshwater run-off and sediment supply, groundwater dynamics and inter-species competitiveness. The highest-latitude expression of mangroves globally is at Millers Landing, Victoria (38°45′S), and because the vigour and productivity of mangroves across much of Victoria is thought to be limited by low winter temperatures and the incidence and severity of frosts, it is likely that mangroves will be among the first plant communities to be affected by climate change in coastal south-eastern Australia. An increase in plant vigour is likely, but there are almost no historical data with which to compare current rates of primary production. An extension of mangroves to higher latitudes on the mainland is impossible because of the geomorphology of the land that lies further to the south. Small-scale changes in distribution, including the progressive encroachment of mangroves into coastal saltmarsh, are likely to be among the clearest indications of the response of mangroves to a warming climate. Increased effort into tracking changes in mangrove vigour, productivity and distribution is clearly warranted.
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Melick, DR. "Flood Resistance of Tristaniopsis laurina and Acmena smithii From Riparian Warm Temperate Rain-Forest in Victoria." Australian Journal of Botany 38, no. 4 (1990): 371. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9900371.
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The responses of seedlings of Tristaniopsis laurina and Acmena smithii, two important tree species in riparian warm temperate rainforest communities in Victoria, are investigated in relation to flood disturbances. Freshly germinated A. smithii seedlings had died within 5 weeks of complete waterlogging in the greenhouse, and although the young T. laurina seedlings survived waterlogging for 14 weeks, their growth rate was curtailed. Nine-month-old seedlings of both species were found to be relatively tolerant to waterlogging, forming aerenchymatous surface roots after 40 days of flooding. Neither species suffered leaf abscission or demonstrated any other signs of water stress commonly associated with flood intolerant species. In experiments to determine the resilience of these species to physical flood damage, both species also demonstrated a capacity to regenerate vegetatively following the removal of above ground parts in young seedlings. The heartwood of T. laurina was found to be more decay resistant than that of other species in the field including that of A. smithii. The significance of these results are discussed in relation to other factors examined in earlier papers adding to the understanding of the ecological status of these species within the riparian rainforest communities.
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Melick, DR. "Regenerative Succession of Tristaniopsis laurina and Acmena smithii in Riparian Warm Temperate Rain-Forest in Victoria, in Relation to Light and Nutrient Regimes." Australian Journal of Botany 38, no. 2 (1990): 111. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9900111.
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Tristaniopsis laurina and Acmena smithii often form a dominant association in riparian warm temperate rainforest communities in Victoria. The photosynthetic and morphological responses of seedlings of these species to varied light regimes, and the growth responses of seedlings in different nutrient regimes were examined in the laboratory. Acmena smithii was the most shade tolerant, having the lowest light compensation points, dark respiration rates and greater increases in leaf area ratio under low light conditions. Tristaniopsis laurina consistently demonstrated greater maximum rates of leaf photosynthesis at higher photon flux densities. In response to increased nutrients, T. laurina seedlings showed a marked increase in growth and a decrease in root/shoot ratios, while A. smithii demonstrated relatively small growth increases and showed an increase in root/shoot ratios. These results are discussed in relation to the ecological status of these species within the rainforest communities.
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E. Clay, R., and K. E. Schneider. "The ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) fauna of coastal heath in south-west Victoria: effects of dominance by Acacia sophorae and management actions to control it." Pacific Conservation Biology 6, no. 2 (2000): 144. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc000144.
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There has been increasing emphasis on the use of ant communities as indicators of recovery during and after minesite rehabilitation. This study also focuses on ants as indicators of recovery but, in this case, assesses the success of active management of coastal heath vegetation. Remnants of coastal heath near Portland in south-west Victoria are very diverse communities of considerable conservation significance. However, many remnants are suffering a serious loss of plant diversity as they become dominated by the native Coast Wattle Acacia sophorae. In an attempt to reverse these declines, heath dominated by Coast Wattle is being actively managed to encourage natural regeneration of diverse heaths. Monitoring of ant communities has documented this regeneration of the vegetation and has attempted to assess the effectiveness of two different management methods, burning and cutting. Results of pitfall trapping over two years have shown considerable difference in the ant communities of two different intact heath types (the similarity index was a low 0.34). Also clearly illustrated is the detrimental effect that dominance by Coast Wattle has on ant community diversity. The diversity index of intact heath was 0.93 compared to 0.61 and 0.50 for two sites dominated by Coast Wattle. Trapping has also shown improvement in the ant communities following burning or cutting of Coast Wattle. However, our results suggest that complete recovery will require a considerable time and that it is too early to determine the relative effectiveness of different management techniques.
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Celestina, C., P. W. G. Sale, J. R. Hunt, C. Tang, and A. E. Franks. "A single application of fertiliser or manure to a cropping field has limited long-term effects on soil microbial communities." Soil Research 57, no. 3 (2019): 228. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sr18215.
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A large-scale field experiment was used to investigate the long-term effects of a single application of manure or inorganic fertiliser on microbial communities in the topsoil and subsoil of a cropping field in south-west Victoria. Poultry litter (20 t ha–1) and fertiliser (with equivalent total nutrients to the manure) was either surface broadcast or deep ripped into the subsoil before sowing in 2014. Soil samples were collected from the 0–10 and 25–40cm horizons in each treatment immediately after harvest of the third successive crop in January 2017. Next-generation sequencing of the 16S and ITS rRNA genes was used to characterise the bacterial and fungal communities in the soil. Amendment type and method of placement had a limited effect on soil microbial community structure and diversity, three years after treatments were applied. Fungal communities exhibited weak responses to the poultry litter and fertiliser in comparison to a nil control, but none of the treatments had any detectable effect on bacterial communities. Differences in structure and diversity of microbial communities were overwhelmingly due to their vertical distribution in the soil profile, and not the application of different amendments to the soil by deep ripping or surface broadcasting. The strength and timing of the soil disturbance, plant selection effects and farm management history likely contributed to the lack of measurable response in the soil microbial community.
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Sandell, P. R. "Implications of rabbit haemorrhagic disease for the short-term recovery of semi-arid woodland communities in north-west Victoria." Wildlife Research 29, no. 6 (2002): 591. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr00089.
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As part of the National RHD Monitoring and Surveillance Program, an investigation was conducted into the implications of reduced rabbit abundance (as a consequence of rabbit haemorrhagic disease, RHD) for the recovery of degraded woodlands in the Hattah area of north-west Victoria. Both structural and floristic changes were assessed within woodland communities, which are at risk after 140 years of intensive grazing. General recovery in the pasture layer was demonstrated in terms of the improved status of 'decreaser' plant response groups — palatable species. 'Increasers' (weeds) were also found to have benefited in some circumstances but not to the same extent as the decreaser groups. Evidence of structural changes was restricted to increased persistence of sucker regrowth, particularly of cattle bush (Alectryon oleifolius subsp. canescens). No evidence was found of widespread germination of woody seedlings, which is not surprising given the episodic nature of such regeneration events. The interaction of grazers was also investigated by means of a network of grazing exclosures. Less floristic benefit was associated with relatively high kangaroo densities at one location and with stock grazing at another.
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Briggs, A., and J. W. Morgan. "Morphological diversity and abundance of biological soil crusts differ in relation to landscape setting and vegetation type." Australian Journal of Botany 56, no. 3 (2008): 246. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt07194.
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Biological soil crusts are common in many arid and semi-arid regions of the world, including Australia. Crusts alter soil factors including water availability, nutrient content and erosion susceptibility and are likely to both directly and indirectly affect vascular plants. Despite emerging recognition as important ecosystem components, these soil communities are understudied. We describe the morphological composition and distribution of lichens and bryophytes in soil crusts from the northern riverine plains, Victoria, in relation to landscape setting and vegetation type. Sampling was conducted across a geomorphological gradient in three different vegetation types (Callitris glaucophylla woodland, Eucalyptus woodland and red-soil native tussock grassland) with an annual rainfall of ~400 mm. Mean cover of biological soil crust for the study area was 18%, with mosses and crustose and foliose lichens the most conspicuous components. Total cover of biological soil crust increased as bare ground and vascular plant cover increased, and litter cover decreased. As a consequence, cover and morphological composition of biological soil crusts differed in the three vegetation types, with mosses responding differently from lichens and liverworts in relation to the cover of litter, bare ground and vascular plants. Hence, biological soil crusts were a conspicuous component in vegetation where they had not previously been described and may play an important role in regulating the structure and function of these plant communities.
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Williams, RJ, and DH Ashton. "Effects of Disturbance and Grazing by Cattle on the Dynamics of Heathland and Grassland Communities on the Bogong High Plains, Victoria." Australian Journal of Botany 35, no. 4 (1987): 413. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9870413.
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Within the high subalpine tract of the Bogong High Plains there has been a gradual increase in the cover of shrubs over the past 40 years, especially within open heathland and grassland communities. A field trial, using permanent 1 m2 plots, has confirmed that the establishment of shrub seedlings such as Asterolasia trymalioides, Grevillea australis, Phebalium squamulosum and Prostanthera cuneata occurs primarily upon bare ground, and is absent where the cover of vegetation or fixed Poa hiemata litter remains intact. The survival of Poa hiemata seedlings on bare ground is low, except where local shelter is afforded. Disturbances which cause bare ground, including domestic cattle activity, can create microsites suitable for the establishment of shrub seedlings. Shrub establishment and development may be inhibited by cattle trampling, and some palatable shrubs, e.g. Asterolasia and Grevillea, are especially affected. If cattle are removed from previously grazed grassland and heathland sites where shrubs such as Asterolasia and Grevillea have established, the encroachment of such shrubs will be more rapid than on similar sites subject to continued grazing. However, continued cattle activity is unlikely to inhibit the development of non-palatable, vegetatively reproducing shrubs such as Prostanthera cuneata and Phebalium squamulosum within closed heath communities.
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Uddin, Md N., and Randall W. Robinson. "Changes associated with Phragmites australis invasion in plant community and soil properties: A study on three invaded communities in a wetland, Victoria, Australia." Limnologica 66 (September 2017): 24–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.limno.2017.07.006.
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Melick, DR. "Relative Drought Resistance of Tristaniopsis laurina and Acmena smithii From Riparian Warm Temperate Rainforest in Victoria." Australian Journal of Botany 38, no. 4 (1990): 361. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9900361.
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The drought tolerances of the warm temperate rainforest species Tristaniopsis laurina and Acmena smithii were examined. Using pressure bomb techniques the tissue water relations of hardened juvenile and adult material were measured. T. laurina showed relatively little physiological drought tolerance in either the juvenile or adult plants, whereas A. smithii showed an increase in physiological drought tolerance in adult plants. Direct observations of droughted hardened 9-month-old seedlings revealed a relatively high leaf conductance in T. laurina seedlings with wilting becoming generalised after 9 days of droughting. All T. laurina plants rehydrated after 15 days of drought survived albeit with significant leaf abscission, but only 2 of the 5 plants rehydrated after 20 days of drought recovered and these were defoliated. Stomatal resistances were higher in droughted A. smithii seedlings and wilting did not become generalised until after 14 days of droughting. All A. smithii plants recovered when rehydrated after 20 days of droughting with little or no sign of leaf abscission. Leaves of T. laurina and A. smithii became scorched when subjected to temperatures of 50°C and 60°C respectively. The extent to which these differences delimit the distribution of these species in the relatively dry warm temperate rainforest communities of Gippsland in Victoria is discussed.
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Jaime-Garcia, Ramon, and Peter J. Cotty. "Aspergillus flavus in Soils and Corncobs in South Texas: Implications for Management of Aflatoxins in Corn-Cotton Rotations." Plant Disease 88, no. 12 (December 2004): 1366–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/pdis.2004.88.12.1366.
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Aspergillus flavus causes aflatoxin contamination in both cottonseed and corn. Corn-cotton rotations are common in South Texas, where reduced tillage frequently results in long-term residence of corncobs on soil surfaces. Corncobs are colonized by A. flavus either prior to harvest or while in the soil. This study sought to determine the potential of corncobs as sources of inoculum for cotton and corn in South Texas. A. flavus communities in corncob and soil samples were collected during the planting seasons of 2001 to 2003 from 29 fields extending from Calhoun and Victoria Counties in the north to the Rio Grande Valley. In order to assess persistence of A. flavus in corncobs, A. flavus communities in corncobs and soil were contrasted every 2 to 3 months in four fields throughout the 3-year study. To assess seasonal variation, similar contrasts were performed in two fields on a biweekly basis. The results indicate that corncobs are major sources of A. flavus inoculum. Corncobs from the previous season contained, on average, over 190 times more A. flavus propagules than soil from the same field, and 2-year-old corncobs still retained 45 times more propagules than soil. There was no significant difference in the incidence of A. flavus strain S on corncobs and soil. The quantity of A. flavus in corncobs decreased with corncob age (r 2 = 0.54; P = 0.002).
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Wilson B, A., and J. Wolrige. "Assessment of the Diet of the Fox, Vulpes vulpes, in Habitats of the Eastern Otway Ranges, Victoria." Australian Mammalogy 21, no. 2 (1999): 201. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/am00201.
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The Eastern Otway Ranges, Victoria have highly diverse native mammal communities. Although the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) has been recorded in the area the extent of its distribution and effects on native mammals are unclear. The aims of this study were to analyse the diet of the Red Fox in the study area, to compare the diet between seasons and habitats (woodland, forest, heathland) and to assess the diet in the habitat of the New Holland Mouse (Pseudomys novaehollandiae) which is endangered in Victoria. Fox scats collected monthly in each habitat were analysed to determine the composition of the diet and small mammal trapping was carried out in each habitat to determine potential small mammal prey species. Overall, mammals (42%) constituted the highest proportion in the fox scats and sixteen species, including nine native species were recorded. Large-sized native mammals including Swamp Wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) and the Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) constituted 60% of the mammal diet category. The occurrence of plant material was significantly different between seasons, being more abundant in winter. There was a significant difference in the frequency of large introduced mammals in the diet between seasons, with consumption being higher in winter. The occurrence of large, native mammalian prey increased from 15% in winter to 47% in autumn. The frequency of occurrence of the major dietary categories (plant material, invertebrates, reptiles, birds, mammals) was similar across habitats. Large introduced mammals occurred in higher proportions in the diet from woodland habitat. Small mammals were more numerous in scats of heathland and scats from the forest contained the highest abundance of medium-sized mammals. There was no evidence of the endangered New Holland Mouse in scats collected from habitat where a population of the species was present.
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McCartney, Victoria A., Ewen Silvester, John W. Morgan, and Phillip J. Suter. "Physical and chemical drivers of vegetation in groundwater-source pools on the Bogong High Plains, Victoria." Australian Journal of Botany 61, no. 7 (2013): 566. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt13217.
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The wetland communities intimately associated with groundwater sources in the Australian alps are poorly documented compared with the broader (and more obvious) alpine peatlands. In the present work, we report on the vegetation observed immediately around such sources and the characteristics of the supplying groundwater so as to understand the likely factors controlling the observed vegetation assemblage. Thirty-two groundwater sources were identified across three catchments on the Bogong High Plains, Victoria (Australia), and the vegetation associated with these sources surveyed. Groundwater sources occurred across a range of altitudes (1667–1854 m), independent of aspect, and were hydrologically connected to (upstream of) peatlands. Localised mounding adjacent to the groundwater sources resulted in the formation of pools (‘groundwater source pools’). The vegetation within the pools was dominated by bryophytes, with the aquatic bryophyte Blindia robusta the most common species. The groundwater was deficient in major ions, and similar to rainwater apart from elevated concentrations of CO2 accumulated in the groundwater-recharge process. The high CO2 concentrations, combined with the near-constant temperature conditions provided by sustained groundwater flow, are thought to be likely drivers for the high abundance of B. robusta. Although the relative contributions of rain and snow to aquifer recharge are not fully understood for the Australian Alps, these ecosystems are likely to be vulnerable to the changes in precipitation regime that are predicted under climate-change scenarios.
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Muggia, Lucia, Claudia Coleine, Roberto De Carolis, Agnese Cometto, and Laura Selbmann. "Antarctolichenia onofrii gen. nov. sp. nov. from Antarctic Endolithic Communities Untangles the Evolution of Rock-Inhabiting and Lichenized Fungi in Arthoniomycetes." Journal of Fungi 7, no. 11 (November 3, 2021): 935. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jof7110935.
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Microbial endolithic communities are the main and most widespread life forms in the coldest and hyper-arid desert of the McMurdo Dry Valleys and other ice-free areas across Victoria Land, Antarctica. There, the lichen-dominated communities are complex and self-supporting assemblages of phototrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms, including bacteria, chlorophytes, and both free-living and lichen-forming fungi living at the edge of their physiological adaptability. In particular, among the free-living fungi, microcolonial, melanized, and anamorphic species are highly recurrent, while a few species were sometimes found to be associated with algae. One of these fungi is of paramount importance for its peculiar traits, i.e., a yeast-like habitus, co-growing with algae and being difficult to propagate in pure culture. In the present study, this taxon is herein described as the new genus Antarctolichenia and its type species is A. onofrii, which represents a transitional group between the free-living and symbiotic lifestyle in Arthoniomycetes. The phylogenetic placement of Antarctolichenia was studied using three rDNA molecular markers and morphological characters were described. In this study, we also reappraise the evolution and the connections linking the lichen-forming and rock-inhabiting lifestyles in the basal lineages of Arthoniomycetes (i.e., Lichenostigmatales) and Dothideomycetes.
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Canini, Fabiana, József Geml, Luigi Paolo D'Acqui, Laura Selbmann, Silvano Onofri, Stefano Ventura, and Laura Zucconi. "Exchangeable cations and pH drive diversity and functionality of fungal communities in biological soil crusts from coastal sites of Victoria Land, Antarctica." Fungal Ecology 45 (June 2020): 100923. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.funeco.2020.100923.
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Henry, Leonia, and Florence Alex Mamboya. "Distribution of Metals along Simiyu Wetland of Lake Victoria Basin and its Impact on Agriculture." Journal of Wetlands Ecology 6 (November 2, 2012): 31–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jowe.v6i0.5967.
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More than 70% of communities living along Simiyu wetland area are agriculturalists and pastoralists. Physical land degradation and poor nutrient mobility within the soil-plant system have shown a notable impact on agricultural production. Cycling of selected and their impact on agriculture were investigated along Simiyu wetland. Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) of the soil was studied with respect to soluble cations and selected trace metals. To study the longitudinal and spatial distribution of the selected metals along Simiyu wetland, samples (water, sediments and soil) were taken in three stations along the river namely Bariadi Bridge, Simiyu Bridge and the Simiyu River mouth. Sampling of soil was done at different distances from the river so as to study the flow pattern of the metals and hence to explain the direction of cycling. Sampling was done both inn wet and dry seasons to study the seasonal variation of the metals. Geographical Position System was used to locate the sampling points for soil and water/sediment. Metals Chromium (Cr), Lead (Pb), Zinc (Zn), Coper (Cu), Cadmium (Cd) and Manganese (Mn) analyses were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). High levels of Manganese and Zinc were detected in most samples with different distribution behavior between water and sediments that may reflect difference in solubility of metals in water or possible complex formation of the metals resulting to potentially less solubility of metals, hence retarding their bioavailability to plants low cation exchange capacity. Retarded nutrient mobility in clay soils was observed facilitated by the formation of hard pans resulting to less availability of the nutrients to plants. The study suggests some ways in which farmers can improve soil cation exchange capacity and hence improve agricultural productivity. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jowe.v6i0.5967 J Wet Eco 2012 (6): 31-43
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Williams, Richard J., Carl-Henrik Wahren, James M. Shannon, Warwick A. Papst, Dean A. Heinze, and James S. Camac. "Fire regimes and biodiversity in Victoria’s alpine ecosystems." Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 124, no. 1 (2012): 101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rs12101.
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Landscape-scale fires occur in Australian alpine ecosystems once or twice per century, primarily when ignition, regional drought and severe fire weather coincide. When alpine vegetation does burn, there is considerable variation in landscape flammability and fire severity. Regeneration following extensive fires of 2003 and 2006-07 across the Bogong High Plains is occurring in all plant communities (heathlands, grasslands, herbfields and wetlands). In heathland and grassland, vegetation composition has converged towards the long-unburnt state (> 50 years) eight years post fire. There was little effect of variation in fire severity on patterns of regeneration in heathland. In burnt wetlands, Sphagnum cristatum and other dominant species are regenerating; the cover of obligate seeding ericaceous shrubs two years post-fire was positively related to the cover of Sphagnum. The endangered mammal Burramys parvus is also capable of persisting in the alpine landscape after individual large, landscape fires. We conclude that there is no scientific evidence that these fires necessarily had ‘disastrous’ biodiversity consequences. After extensive landscape fires, the primary management objective should be to allow burnt alpine ecosystems to regenerate with minimal subsequent disturbance. Monitoring ecological change in the coming century will be essential for effective management of both fire and biodiversity in alpine ecosystems in Victoria and elsewhere in Australia.
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Overton, I. C., I. D. Jolly, P. G. Slavich, M. M. Lewis, and G. R. Walker. "Modelling vegetation health from the interaction of saline groundwater and flooding on the Chowilla floodplain, South Australia." Australian Journal of Botany 54, no. 2 (2006): 207. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt05020.
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The native riparian vegetation communities on the Chowilla floodplain in the lower River Murray in South Australia are suffering severe declines in health, particularly the Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. (red gum) and Eucalyptus largiflorens F.Muell. (black box) communities. The primary cause of the decline is salinisation of the floodplain soils caused by increased rates of groundwater discharge and hence increased movement of salt up into the plant root zone. The salinity is driven by a lack of flooding and rising saline groundwater tables. Rises in the naturally saline groundwater levels are due to the effects of river regulation from Lock 6 and high inflows from regional groundwater levels increased by Lake Victoria to the east. River regulation has also led to reduced frequency and duration of the floods that leach salt from the plant root zone and supply fresh water for transpiration. The frequency of medium-sized floods occurring on Chowilla has been reduced by a factor of three since locking and water extractions were commenced in the 1920s to provide reliable water for urban and agricultural use. The soil salinisation on the floodplain was modelled by using a spatial and temporal model of salt accumulation from groundwater depth, groundwater salinity, soil type and flooding frequency. The derived soil water availability index (WINDS) is used to infer vegetation health and was calibrated against current extent of vegetation health as assessed from fieldwork and satellite image analysis. The modelling work has shown that there is a severe risk to the floodplain vegetation from current flow regimes. This paper estimates that 65% (5658 ha) of the 8600 ha of floodplain trees are affected by soil salinisation matching a field survey of vegetation health in 2003 (Department of Environment and Heritage 2005a), compared with 40% in 1993 (Taylor et al. 1996). Model results show that the best management option for Chowilla is lowering the groundwater down to 2 m below current levels, which predicts an improvement in the health of the floodplain tree species from 35 to 42%.
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Laidlaw, W. Scott, and Barbara A. Wilson. "Habitat utilisation by small mammals in a coastal heathland exhibiting symptoms of Phytophthora cinnamomi infestation." Wildlife Research 33, no. 8 (2006): 639. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr05080.
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Phytophthora cinnamomi is a soil-inhabiting ‘water mould’ that is pathogenic to many native plant species in Australia, and has been shown to alter plant species abundance and richness, as well as the structure of vegetation in sclerophyllous vegetation. This study investigated the effects of P. cinnamomi-induced vegetation disturbance and habitat degradation on microhabitat associations of small mammals in a coastal heathland in southern Australia. Seven small mammal species were trapped in a P. cinnamomi-infested heathland community over four years. Trap stations were classified into three disease classes (non-diseased, active disease and post-disease) and structural and floristic aspects of the vegetation were recorded at each station. The mean number of species captured was greatest in non-diseased areas and least in post-disease areas. The total capture frequency of small mammals was lower in post-disease areas except where they were covered by thick stands of tall tea-tree (Leptospermum sp.). Combined small mammal captures were associated with thick vegetation and floristic factors. Captures of Antechinus agilis, Rattus fuscipes, Rattus lutreolus and Sminthopsis leucopus were greatest in non-diseased vegetation and were less frequent in areas of diseased vegetation. A. agilis and R. fuscipes captures were correlated with a floristic factor associated with non-diseased vegetation, while R. lutreolus was associated with structural factors, preferring thick vegetation. The impact on Cercartetus nanus and Isoodon obesulus could not be assessed owing to low captures of these species. Modification of vegetation structure and floristics associated with P. cinnamomi infestation is having a significant impact on the habitat utilised by the small mammal communities in the area. This impact highlights the need to identify and protect those areas that remain free of P. cinnamomi infestation. Continued spread of the pathogen will reduce the area of suitable small-mammal habitat able to support the diverse communities of the eastern Otway Ranges, Victoria, Australia.
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Morgan, John W., Paulius A. Kviecinskas, and Martine Maron. "Effect of proximity of buloke (Allocasuarina luehmannii) trees on buloke early sapling survival in a semiarid environment." Australian Journal of Botany 61, no. 4 (2013): 302. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt13002.
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Agricultural intensification has led to the dramatic decline of buloke (Allocasuarina luehmannii) and the plant communities it dominates in southern Australia. Conservation of remnant buloke woodlands and revegetation of agricultural land are both required for the persistence and improved ecological function of this threatened community. We examined the effect of proximity of mature buloke trees on early sapling survival, to provide guidelines for revegetation aimed at enhancing degraded remnants. We planted buloke saplings at different distances from the base of remnant mature trees at a site in western Wimmera, Victoria, with and without herbaceous competition. Mature buloke trees altered most soil nutrients (positively), soil water content (negatively) and soil conductivity (positively) at different gradients from the tree base, depending on the factor measured. Mature buloke trees had a strong negative effect on conspecific sapling survival in the first summer after planting in both the presence and absence of an herbaceous understorey, possibly because of the strong effect of trees on soil moisture. Competition from mature buloke was high nearest to the trees (up to 9 m from tree base), but competition from the native understorey also appeared important for saplings in the tree gaps, as evidenced by their improved survival when the understorey was removed. We suggest that to establish buloke saplings in areas where mature trees already occur (i.e. enhancement plantings around isolated paddock trees), planting tubestock outside the canopy of mature buloke is necessary to enhance establishment success.
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Williams, Richard J., Carl-Henrik Wahren, Arn D. Tolsma, Glenn M. Sanecki, Warwick A. Papst, Bronwyn A. Myers, Keith L. McDougall, Dean A. Heinze, and Ken Green. "Large fires in Australian alpine landscapes: their part in the historical fire regime and their impacts on alpine biodiversity." International Journal of Wildland Fire 17, no. 6 (2008): 793. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wf07154.
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The fires of summer 2003 in south-eastern Australia burnt tens of thousands of hectares of treeless alpine landscape. Here, we examine the environmental impact of these fires, using data from the Bogong High Plains area of Victoria, and the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales. Historical and biophysical evidence suggests that in Australian alpine environments, extensive fires occur only in periods of extended regional drought, and when severe local fire weather coincides with multiple ignitions in the surrounding montane forests. Dendrochronological evidence indicates that large fires have occurred approximately every 50–100 years over the past 400 years. Post-fire monitoring of vegetation in grasslands and heathlands indicates that most alpine species regenerate rapidly after fire, with >90% of species present 1 year after fire. Some keystone species in some plant communities, however, had not regenerated after 3 years. The responses of alpine fauna to the 2003 fires were variable. The core habitat (closed heathland) of several vulnerable small mammals was extensively burnt. Some mammals experienced substantial falls in populations, others experienced substantial increases. Unburnt patches of vegetation are critical to faunal recovery from fire. There was, however, no evidence of local extinction. We conclude that infrequent extensive fires are a feature of alpine Australia. For both the flora and fauna, there is no quantitative evidence that the 2003 fires were an ecological disaster, and we conclude that the flora and fauna of alpine Australia are highly resilient to infrequent, large, intense fires.
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Weste, Gretna, and Jill Kennedy. "Regeneration of Susceptible Native Species Following a Decline of Phytophthora cinnamomi over a Period of 20 Years on Defined Plots in the Grampians, Western Victoria." Australian Journal of Botany 45, no. 1 (1997): 167. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt96048.
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Regeneration of susceptible species following a major decline in the population and distribution of the pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands is reported from a reassessment of infested plots in open forest, woodland and heathland of the Grampians. The distribution of P. cinnamomi and changes in the vegetation were measured on quadrats set up in 1976 and 1977 and checked biennially until 1984. In 1995, P. cinnamomi was detected in only 15.6% of the 345 soil and root samples tested and was present in only 28.6% of the infested quadrats compared with 100% of the samples and infested quadrats in all previous assessments. Both the restricted distribution and the isolation of P. cinnamomi from susceptible species without symptoms were evidence of changes in the disease which may have been associated with factors such as a reduced supply of susceptible host roots or an alteration in pathogenicity or in the environment. Changes were recorded in structure and species composition of infested plant communities compared with those that remained pathogen-free, but few recent deaths or dieback symptoms were observed in 1995. On the infested plots, several mature stringybark eucalypts such as Eucalyptus baxteri and E. obliqua had died, and the survivors had reduced crown density and dieback of the major branches. However, regeneration in the form of 8-year-old saplings and young seedlings showed few or no symptoms despite the isolation of P. cinnamomi from the roots. The understorey of infested plots comprised a dense growth of field-resistant plants such as Leptospermum spp. and sedges entwined with dodder laurel, whereas the uninfested plots contained a species-rich heath flora of which 54% were known to be susceptible to P. cinnamomi. Regeneration and continuing survival of 24 susceptible species from 11 different families were recorded as small plants on various infested quadrats. However, 12 susceptible species from 7 different families had failed to regenerate. Pathogen populations may increase with the renewed supply of susceptible roots, but independent of pathogen potential, the emerging susceptible species may not be able to compete effectively against the dense field-resistant understorey in infested plots in order to re-establish the original diverse heathland understorey.
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Sluiter, Ian R. K., David T. Blackburn, and Guy R. Holdgate. "Fire and Late Oligocene to Mid-Miocene peat mega-swamps of south-eastern Australia: a floristic and palaeoclimatic interpretation." Australian Journal of Botany 64, no. 8 (2016): 609. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt16165.
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The Late Oligocene to Mid-Miocene (25–13 million years ago) brown coals of the Gippsland Basin in southern Victoria, Australia, were deposited in peat mega-swamps, unlike any in the world at the present day. The swamps preserve a rich botanical suite of macro- and microfossils, many of which can be identified with plant genera and families present today in Australia, New Caledonia, New Zealand and New Guinea. The peat-forming environments also preserve evidence of past burning in the form of micro-charcoal as well as macro-charcoal, the latter being evident as regional lenses or layers of fusinite, generally in coals of the darkest colour termed dark lithotypes. The presence of micro-charcoal in dark and some other lighter lithotypes indicated that fires also burnt locally, although they may have been extinguished before regional-scale burning occurred. It is also feasible that some peat mega-swamp plant communities dominated by rainforest angiosperm plants may have been fire excluders and prevented widespread fires from developing. Pollen and macrofossil evidence is presented of a distinctive southern conifer and angiosperm flora with an open canopy, primarily associated with the darkest coals that formed in the wettest parts of the peat-forming environment. Elsewhere, swamp forests with a large rainforest component grew on swamps raised appreciably above the regional groundwater table in a structural context akin to the ombrogenous peats of tropical coastal Sumatra and Sarawak. These vegetation types were not fire prone, but may have occasionally burnt at a local scale or at forest margins. Evidence is presented for the existence of seasonal climatic conditions that would appear to have facilitated a drying-out of the peat swamps in the warmest months of the year. A mesothermal climate was invoked where mean annual precipitation was at least 1500 mm, and possibly as much as 2000 mm, and mean annual temperatures were ~19°C.
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Cahill, David M., James E. Rookes, Barbara A. Wilson, Lesley Gibson, and Keith L. McDougall. "Phytophthora cinnamomi and Australia's biodiversity: impacts, predictions and progress towards control." Australian Journal of Botany 56, no. 4 (2008): 279. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt07159.
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Phytophthora cinnamomi continues to cause devastating disease in Australian native vegetation and consequently the disease is listed by the Federal Government as a process that is threatening Australia’s biodiversity. Although several advances have been made in our understanding of how this soil-borne pathogen interacts with plants and of how we may tackle it in natural systems, our ability to control the disease is limited. The pathogen occurs widely across Australia but the severity of its impact is most evident within ecological communities of the south-west and south-east of the country. A regional impact summary for all states and territories shows the pathogen to be the cause of serious disease in numerous species, a significant number of which are rare and threatened. Many genera of endemic taxa have a high proportion of susceptible species including the iconic genera Banksia, Epacris and Xanthorrhoea. Long-term studies in Victoria have shown limited but probably unsustainable recovery of susceptible vegetation, given current management practices. Management of the disease in conservation reserves is reliant on hygiene, the use of chemicals and restriction of access, and has had only limited effectiveness and not provided complete control. The deleterious impacts of the disease on faunal habitat are reasonably well documented and demonstrate loss of individual animal species and changes in population structure and species abundance. Few plant species are known to be resistant to P. cinnamomi; however, investigations over several years have discovered the mechanisms by which some plants are able to survive infection, including the activation of defence-related genes and signalling pathways, the reinforcement of cell walls and accumulation of toxic metabolites. Manipulation of resistance and resistance-related mechanisms may provide avenues for protection against disease in otherwise susceptible species. Despite the advances made in Phytophthora research in Australia during the past 40 years, there is still much to be done to give land managers the resources to combat this disease. Recent State and Federal initiatives offer the prospect of a growing and broader awareness of the disease and its associated impacts. However, awareness must be translated into action as time is running out for the large number of susceptible, and potentially susceptible, species within vulnerable Australian ecological communities.
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Mathieson, W. E., and T. A. Winters. "COMMUNITY CONSULTATION IN DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS." APPEA Journal 38, no. 2 (1998): 145. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/aj97086.
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The management of community consultation is a critical step in achieving timely Government approval for projects and laying the foundation for sound long-term relationships between local communities and project developers. The benefits of good relationships with local communities will flow on to Government support for the project, employee relations, service from local suppliers, and supportive neighbours. Both Government and project proponents are increasingly recognising the value of public participation in the environmental assessment of projects-it makes good business sense.The Queensland Government guidelines state that an appropriate public participation program is essential to the full conduct of the impact assessment (Department of Family, Youth and Community Care). This paper considers the issues involved in developing an appropriate community consultation program and looks specifically at the program adopted by BHP for the assessment of a proposed ammonium nitrate plant near Moura in Central Queensland. The BHP program was commended by the Department of Family, Youth and Community Care as a best practise example for other similar industrial projects.There is, however, community consultation and community consultation. The ammonium nitrate project was near a town which had suffered serious population decline and associated loss of services and infrastructure standards over the last decade. The town had also recently experienced major trauma as a result of the Moura underground mine tragedy in 1994.The social environment was in marked contrast to the environment of other projects which BHP had recently been involved in, such as the Minerva gas development project near Port Campbell in Victoria. Where the major focus of Minerva community consultation had been to address community concern about the environmental effects of the project and the impact of industrial development on the inherent lifestyle values of the area; the Moura community consultation program focussed on direct impacts on immediate neighbours and water resources, while the broader community debate was about employment opportunity, rebuilding the resources of the local community, and what can we do to make sure this project goes ahead?Whether the community supports industrial development or otherwise, community consultation is still an essential element of project planning. The issues will vary enormously from community to community-the focus will not always be on green issues. The key is to listen generously to the community and respond in a manner that genuinely recognises and addresses its particular issues.
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Maher, Michelle, and Emer Campbell. "Demonstrating environmental water needs in a climate of change." Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 122, no. 2 (2010): 70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rs10016.
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Efficient and accountable management of water resources in Northern Victoria has become a critical issue for the future of irrigation, communities and the environment, both north and south of the Great Dividing Range. To increase efficiencies and enhance accountability for water resource use, the Victorian Government is investing $1 billion through the Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project (NVIRP) to upgrade ageing irrigation infrastructure across the Goulburn-Murray Irrigation District. The upgrade is expected to generate an additional 225 GL of water that will be distributed equally between irrigators, the environment and Melbourne. Whilst there are significant potential benefits for the environment as a whole from the water savings initiatives, there may also be adverse impacts from altering the hydrology of the diverse array of wetlands and rivers which are directly linked to the irrigation delivery network. The NVIRP Environmental Referrals process has investigated these potential impacts and identified ten wetlands and four rivers of high environmental value that require the development of environmental watering plans. These plans are the primary means by which the NVIRP commitment to ‘no net environmental loss’ will be achieved and assets of high environmental value will be protected. Three Environmental Watering Plans (EWPs) were completed prior to the operation of NVIRP works in the 2009-2010 irrigation season. These are for Johnson Swamp, Lake Elizabeth and Lake Murphy. The paper will describe the development of the Lake Elizabeth EWPs by the North Central Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA), within the context of uncertain climatic conditions, the recent long drought and the need to demonstrate accountability and efficiency in the use of a scarce and finite resource.
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Olsen, Christine S., and Emily Sharp. "Building community–agency trust in fire-affected communities in Australia and the United States." International Journal of Wildland Fire 22, no. 6 (2013): 822. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wf12086.
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As a result of the increasing environmental and social costs of wildfire, fire management agencies face ever-growing complexity in their management decisions and interactions with the public. The success of these interactions with community members may be facilitated through building community–agency trust in the process of providing public input opportunities and community engagement and education activities. Without trust, the public may become frustrated in their interactions with the agency and withhold support for management decisions. This study takes a comparative case approach using interview data from communities near the King Valley fires in Victoria, Australia, and the Bear & Booth Complex fires in Oregon, USA. Several themes emerge that are common to both sites, including components of trustworthiness and actions or activities that contribute to a trusting relationship or environment. Key findings suggest trust and trustworthiness can be addressed interpersonally and institutionally and that flexible policies are important for implementation of locally appropriate outreach and management plans.
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Minas, I. H., G. W. Stuart, and S. Klimidis. "Language, Culture and Psychiatric Services: A Survey of Victorian Clinical Staff." Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 28, no. 2 (June 1994): 250–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00048679409075636.
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In planning psychiatric services for non-English speaking immigrant communities it is essential to know what resources are available for the implementation of service plans. A survey of 991 professionals from a variety of disciplines working in Victorian state operated inpatient and community psychiatric services demonstrates that, although there is a substantial number of bilingual clinicians working in the system, there is a poor match between languages spoken by patient groups and clinicians, infrequent contact between bilingual clinicians and patients speaking the same language, and inadequate availability of interpreting services. Clinicians' knowledge of cultural issues relevant to assessment and treatment is inadequate, and there is some enthusiasm among clinical staff for remedying this deficiency. Clinicians express the opinions that services to non-English speaking patients are inferior, and clinical outcome is worse than for the Australian-born. There appears to be general support for changes which would seek to more adequately meet the psychiatric service needs of immigrants.
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Suter, Stephanie G., Gavin N. Rees, Garth O. Watson, Phillip J. Suter, and Ewen Silvester. "Decomposition of native leaf litter by aquatic hyphomycetes in an alpine stream." Marine and Freshwater Research 62, no. 7 (2011): 841. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf10268.
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Despite the recognised significance of hyphomycetes in the degradation of leaf litter in streams, few studies have been carried out in alpine environments and none in Australian alpine streams. We hypothesised that the fungal communities responsible for leaf decomposition would change over immersion time, and would respond differently at different sites and on different types of vegetation. Leaf bags containing Epacris glacialis (F. Muell.), Eucalyptus pauciflora (Sieber ex. Spreng) and Eucalyptus delegatensis (R.T. Baker) were deployed at different sites in a stream in the Victorian Alpine National Park, south-eastern Australia. Leaf colonisation was delayed for 2 weeks and decay constants for E. pauciflora and E. delegatensis were 0.004–0.005 and 0.006 respectively. Maximum fungal biomass on leaves was similar to that in previous published studies, whereas sporulation rates were two or three orders of magnitude lower, indicating a reduced reproductive effort. Sporulation and DNA-based studies combined showed that fungal communities on the decomposing leaf material changed over time and exhibited significant preferences for leaf type and study site. We have shown that aquatic hyphomycetes can degrade physically tough leaves of Australian alpine plant species, potentially contributing to pathways for particulate carbon to enter alpine-stream food webs.
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Ramsay, Rosalind. "150 years on: recycling the old asylums." Psychiatric Bulletin 15, no. 7 (July 1991): 434–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/pb.15.7.434.
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The relocation of chronic psychiatric patients in the community may be of unexpected benefit to town planners. Many Victorian mental hospitals, largely redundant in terms of medical use, are high quality buildings – some are listed or otherwise of architectural merit – and they are often set in mature landscaped grounds. Architect John Burrell has developed the idea of using former psychiatric hospital sites on the edges of cities as a basis for establishing a new urban core to outer suburban areas. His plans for the Woodford Green site won him the top prize in a national competition ‘Tomorrow's New Communities’, which was organised earlier this year by the Town and Country Planning Association and the Joseph Rowntree Trust, with the backing of the Prince of Wales.
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Yen, Alan L., and Amanda J. Kobelt. "The composition and seasonal changes in the beetle (Coleoptera) fauna of the western Victorian basalt plains native grasslands." Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 121, no. 2 (2009): 228. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rs09228.
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The western Victorian basalt plains native grasslands are recognised as one of the most endangered plant communities in Australia. Since European settlement, they have been cleared, grazed, and fragmented and are now found as small scattered remnants. No general invertebrate surveys were undertaken in these grasslands until the 1990s, and this paper reports on the beetles associated with 12 native grassland sites that were sampled seasonally between 1992 and 1993. A total of 114 beetle morphospecies from 26 families were collected, dominated by members of four families (Carabidae, Staphylinidae, Scarabaeidae and Tenebrionidae). The beetle fauna comprised a small number of widespread species and over 63% of species were found at only one or two sites. In terms of relative abundances, a small number of beetle species dominated the fauna; the 10 most common species comprised nearly 64% of the total number of individuals collected.
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Broadhurst, Linda M., Brian G. Murray, Robert Forrester, and Andrew G. Young. "Cryptic genetic variability in Swainsona sericea (A. Lee) H. Eichler (Fabaceae): lessons for restoration." Australian Journal of Botany 60, no. 5 (2012): 429. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt12026.
Full textAbstract:
Grassland communities worldwide have been extensively modified or lost following broadscale agricultural expansion. In south-eastern Australia few natural grasslands remain, with most now being small, isolated and degraded. Conservation and restoration of grassland communities requires an understanding of the impacts of fragmentation on genetic and demographic processes. Swainsona sericea is a perennial grassland herb with conservation listing in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Reproductive output, progeny fitness and genetic diversity were assessed in nine S. sericea populations occupying fragmented grasslands across the southern tablelands of New South Wales. Unexpectedly, four chromosome classes were observed among the populations (2n = 4x = 32, 2n = 10x = 80, 2n = 14x = 112, 2n = 16x = 128), suggesting a more complex taxonomy than is currently recognised. There was no association between reproductive output and population size or ploidy level whereas population size influenced the number of alleles and percentage of polymorphic loci while ploidy influenced effective alleles and expected heterozygosity. Restricted maximum likelihood analyses of progeny growth indicated that ploidy had a significant influence on height, shoot weight, shoot to root ratio and days to germination. The cytological complexity in S. sericea requires clarification, including delineating the cytological boundaries to enable land managers to include this in their conservation and management plans.
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Jones, Judith A., Terri A. Meehan-Andrews, Karly B. Smith, John S. Humphreys, Lynn Griffin, and Beth Wilson. ""There's no point in complaining, nothing changes": rural disaffection with complaints as an improvement method." Australian Health Review 30, no. 3 (2006): 322. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah060322.
Full textAbstract:
Objective: To validate earlier findings that lack of access to health services is the most likely issue of complaint by rural consumers, and that lack of knowledge about how to make effective complaints and scepticism that responses to complaints bring about service improvement account for the under-representation of complaints from rural consumers. Design: Unaddressed reply-paid mail survey to 100% of households in small communities, and 50%, 20% or 10% in progressively larger communities. Setting: Eight communities in the Loddon-Mallee region of Victoria. Participants: 983 householders most responsible for the health care of household members, responding to a mailed questionnaire. Main outcome measures: Issues of complaints actually made; issues of unsatisfactory situations when a complaint was not made; reasons for not complaining; to whom complaints are made; and plans for dealing with any future complaint. Results: Earlier findings were confirmed. Lack of access to health services was the most important issue, indicated by 54.8% of those who had made a complaint, and 72% of those who wanted to but did not. The most common reason given for not complaining was that it was futile to do so. Lack of knowledge of how to make effective complaints which might contribute to the quality assurance cycle was evident. Conclusions: Rural consumers? disaffection with health complaints as a means to quality improvement poses a significant barrier to consumer engagement in quality assurance processes. Provider practices may need to change to regain community confidence in quality improvement processes. CONSUMER VIEWS ABOUT the quality of health services provide a valuable source of information to those concerned with accountability and quality assurance in service provision.1,2 When such views are expressed as complaints which are responded to in ways which focus on quality improvement rather than allocation of blame, opportunities may arise to improve the quality of health services for all consumers.3,4
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Serong, Merrilyn, and Alan Lill. "The timing and nature of floristic and structural changes during secondary succession in wet forests." Australian Journal of Botany 56, no. 3 (2008): 220. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt06148.
Full textAbstract:
The timing and nature of floristic and structural changes to vegetation were documented during secondary succession in wet forests in the Victorian Central Highlands from 3 to > 100 years after severe disturbance by timber-harvesting or wildfire. A chronosequence of five forest age-classes was employed. Vegetation surveys were conducted in two 15 × 50 m sampling quadrats in each of 12 replicate sites in each forest age-class between April 2000 and June 2001. Frequencies of occurrence of 67 floristic variables (plant taxa, other vegetation elements and litter components) were used to distinguish among plant communities in the different forest age-classes. Structural comparisons were made among the age-classes using species richness, floristic variability (i.e. spatial heterogeneity), trunk diameter and stem density of Mountain Ash Eucalyptus regnans F.Muell. and heights of forest strata. Most patterns of change showed a clear unidirectional trend from the youngest to the oldest age-class. Much of the floristic change occurred within a few decades of disturbance, but some of the structural changes continued throughout succession. Vegetation changes were generally attributable to natural succession, but a few differences between young forests that regenerated after timber-harvesting and older forests that originated after wildfire were likely to be due to the different disturbance histories. The pattern of vegetation change during secondary succession in forests after severe disturbance can influence the pattern of forest use by birds. The findings of this study thus formed the foundation of an examination of the community and behavioural responses of diurnal birds to secondary succession.
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Spennemann, Dirk H. R. "“No Entry into New South Wales”: COVID-19 and the Historic and Contemporary Trajectories of the Effects of Border Closures on an Australian Cross-Border Community." Land 10, no. 6 (June 7, 2021): 610. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land10060610.
Full textAbstract:
Given its intensity, rapid spread, geographic reach and multiple waves of infections, the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020/21 became a major global disruptor with a truly cross-sectoral impact, surpassing even the 1918/19 influenza epidemic. Public health measures designed to contain the spread of the disease saw the cessation of international travel as well as the establishment of border closures between and within countries. The social and economic impact was considerable. This paper examines the effects of the public health measures of “ring-fencing” and of prolonged closures of the state border between New South Wales and Victoria (Australia), placing the events of 2020/21 into the context of the historic and contemporary trajectories of the border between the two states. It shows that while border closures as public-health measures had occurred in the past, their social and economic impact had been comparatively negligible due to low cross-border community integration. Concerted efforts since the mid-1970s have led to effective and close integration of employment and services, with over a quarter of the resident population of the two border towns commuting daily across the state lines. As a result, border closures and state-based lockdown directives caused significant social disruption and considerable economic cost to families and the community as a whole. One of the lessons of the 2020/21 pandemic will be to either re-evaluate the wisdom of a close social and economic integration of border communities, which would be a backwards step, or to future-proof these communities by developing strategies, effectively public health management plans, to avoid a repeat when the next pandemic strikes.
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Turner, Lucas, and David Prismall. "Developing an in-depth understanding of PFAS to deliver an effective remediation strategy." APPEA Journal 62, no. 2 (May 13, 2022): S81—S86. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/aj21103.
Full textAbstract:
Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd and BHP Petroleum (Bass Strait) Pty Ltd own a range of offshore and onshore hydrocarbon production facilities, which have been operated by Esso Australia Pty Ltd (Esso) for over 50 years. The Longford Fire Training Ground (FTG) is located adjacent to the Longford Plants and has been utilised by Esso for many years to train personnel in practical hydrocarbon firefighting skills, including applying firefighting foams to extinguish liquid hydrocarbon pool fires. In line with historical standard oil-field practices, per and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) containing firefighting foams were used at the Longford FTG. In response to the reported use of these foams and the potential for contamination associated with historical site operations, the Longford premises were the subject of recent environmental audit and clean-up plans with oversight by an EPA Victoria auditor. Esso engaged a broad range of experts to complete the environmental investigation and develop a remediation action plan that complied with the PFAS National Environmental Management Plan. Key aspects of this project included: understanding the location and setting, with respect to geological conditions and groundwater impacts; development of remediation objectives and strategy; identification of practical remediation methods including short-term and longer-term measures to mitigate priority PFAS sources within the FTG; and a planning framework for future management of the premises. This paper shares how a responsible operator applies a disciplined and scientifically based environmental approach to further the state of knowledge on practical PFAS remediation methods and achieve a sustainable environmental outcome in the communities that they operate in.
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Wahren, CHA, WA Papst, and RJ Williams. "Long-Term Vegetation Change in Relation to Cattle Grazing in Sub-Alpine Grassland and Heathland on the Bogong High-Plains: an Analysis of Vegetation Records From 1945 to 1994." Australian Journal of Botany 42, no. 6 (1994): 607. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9940607.
Full textAbstract:
Changes in vegetation composition and structure are described for grassland and heathland communities on the Bogong High Plains, in the Victorian Alpine National Park. The data are based on long-term records collected from permanent reference plots over the period 1945 to 1994 from plots established in 1945, 1946 and 1979. In the Pretty Valley grassland plots, established in 1946, cattle grazing has prevented the large-scale regeneration of a number of tall, palatable forbs and short, palatable shrubs, while in the absence of grazing, the cover of these Life forms increased substantially. The amount of bare ground and loose litter was significantly greater on the grazed compared with the ungrazed plot. Between 1979 and 1994, there was little or no identifiable trend in the cover of Vegetation or bare ground at either the Pretty Valley grazed site, or two additional grazed grassland sites established nearby in 1979. The current condition of grazed grassland on the Bogong High Plains is interpreted as stable, yet degraded. Improvement in condition will occur in the absence of grazing. In the Rocky Valley open heathland plots, established in 1945, increases in shrub cover over the study period were due to growth of shrubs following the 1939 bushfires that burnt much of the Bogong High Plains. From 1945-1979 shorter-lived shrubs increased in cover; since 1979, these shrubs have senesced, and are being replaced mainly by grasses. On the grazed plot longer lived, taller shrubs have continued to increase in cover and are not senescing. Between 1979 and 1989, total shrub cover declined on the ungrazed plot, but increased on the grazed plot. There was no evidence that grazing has reduced shrub cover, and therefore potential fire risk, in open heathland. These findings have significant management implications for the Alpine National Park and are consistent with those from other regions in the Australian alps.