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1
Myers, BA, DH Ashton, and JA Osborne. "The Ecology of the Mallee Outlier of Eucalyptus behriana F. Muell. Near Melton, Victoria." Australian Journal of Botany 34, no. 1 (1986): 15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9860015.
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An outlier of mallee vegetation occurs south of the Great Dividing Range in Victoria in a rain shadow region (annual rainfall approx. 500 mm) about 50 km west of Melbourne. A Eucalyptus behriana open-scrub with a sparse understorey of chenopods, mosses, lichens and some grasses occurs on solonetz soil on lateritized Tertiary sandy clays and on skeletal soils on Ordovician slates and sandstones. The dryness of the mallee site is probably exacerbated by the smaller rate of water infiltration and greater salinity of the solonetz soil under E. behriana compared with the solodic soil, in the moister area further north, under an open-forest of E. microcarpa. The multistemmed habit of E. behriana appears to be partly genetically fixed. Hollow lignotuberous rings, filled to a depth of about 15-25 cm with brown, nutrient-rich humus, are common. Pattern analysis of the distribution of stems of E. behriana indicated strong clumping at about 9 m², due to the multistemmed habit, and weaker clumping at about 600 m², which correlated with the size of groups of dense, spindly individuals of E. behriana, resulting from a past phase of gap regeneration.
2
Woinarski, JCZ. "The Vertebrate Fauna of Broombush Melaleuca-Uncinata Vegetation in Northwestern Victoria, With Reference to Effects of Broombush Harvesting." Wildlife Research 16, no. 2 (1989): 217. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9890217.
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The vertebrate fauna of broombush Melaleuca uncinata vegetation in north-western Victoria was assessed by censusing in marked quadrats, trapping and wide-ranging observations. Most species of vertebrates known to occur in mallee shrublands in Victoria we recorded in broombush (those recorded included four amphibian, 42 reptile, 126 bird and 18 mammal species). This high diversity resulted from a substantial variation in vertebrate (particularly reptile and bird) species composition between broombush of differing ages (0-80 years). Some floristic variation between broombush stands and the local presence within these stands of particular plant species (notably Triodia irritans and Banksia ornata) also added to vertebrate species diversity. Locally, broombush patches were characteristically simple in structure and of low floristic diversity. Bird species diversity and density were low (<3 individuals per ha). Broombush is being harvested at an accelerating rate in Victoria. The effects of this industry on vertebrates generally are minor. No vertebrate species is restricted to broombush, and most vertebrate species recorded in this survey were found in harvested areas. Nonetheless, broombush is an important habitat for several species (e.g. Ctenophorus pictus, Ctenotus uber, C. brooksi, Leipoa ocellata, Pachycephala rufogularis, Psophodes nigrogularis, Drymodes brunneopygia, Cercartetus lepidus and Notomys mitchelli). Information on the ecology of most species of vertebrates living in the mallee is very limited, and some species may be affected by broombush cutting through a decrease in area of habitat of suitable age.
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Ladiges, PY, and T. Whiffin. "Taxonomic Revision of Eucalyptus alpina s.l. and Recognition of Three New Species, E. victoriana, E. serraensis and E. verrucosa." Australian Systematic Botany 6, no. 4 (1993): 365. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sb9930365.
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Forms previously recognised within Eucalyptus alpina Lindl., an endemic of the Grampian Ranges, Victoria, are described as three new species. E. victoriana sp. nov. occurs in the Mt Thackeray area, Victoria Range; it is a tall tree with smooth upper branches and flaky bark on the lower trunk, adult leaves which are broad-lanceolate, buds which are slightly warty, and fruits which are compressed-hemispherical with a level to slightly ascending disc. E. serraensis sp. nov. is a small tree or mallee of the Wonderland Range and northern Serra Range; adult leaves are ovate, apiculate and coriaceous, buds are warty, and fruits have a broad, distinctly raised disc. E. verrucosa sp. nov. is a small tree or shrub of the southern Sena Range; adult leaves are orbicular, emarginate and coriaceous, buds are very warty, and fruits are large, with a level and folded disc. The type for E. alpina is from a probable hybrid tree with E. baxteri (Benth.) Maiden & Blakely ex Black and hence the name cannot be applied to any of the taxa recognised here.
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Grierson, PF, MA Adams, and PM Attiwill. "Estimates of Carbon Storage in the Aboveground Biomass of Victorias Forests." Australian Journal of Botany 40, no. 5 (1992): 631. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9920631.
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The pool of carbon in the world's forests is of similar magnitude to that in the atmosphere, yet little attention has been given to improving measures of carbon in terrestrial biomass. Much of the critical data for forest biomass on which models of global carbon cycling rely is, in fact, based on the accurate sampling of less than 100 ha of forest. Uncertainties in biomass estimation at the local and regional level may be responsible for much of the current speculation as to unidentified sinks for carbon. We have used a forest inventory (i.e. records of forest volume obtained for harvesting purposes) approach to quantify the biomass of forests in Victoria, Australia. Forests were analysed by type, age and region. Regression equations were developed for the accumulation of biomass with age across all productivity classes for each forest type. The mean carbon density for above-ground components of Victorian native forests is 157 tonnes ha-1 (t ha-1), although forest types range in mean carbon density from 250 to 18 t ha-1. Pinus radiata D. Don plantations in Victoria have a mean carbon density of 91 t ha-1 in the above-ground components. Total carbon stored in above-ground biomass is estimated to be 1.2 X 109 t. Rates of carbon fixation vary with forest age, species and site. Mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans F. Muell.) forests fix around 9 t of carbon ha-1 annually during the first few years of growth, decreasing to 6 t ha-1 by age 10. Rates of carbon accumulation by other forests are generally less than this and, at the lower end of the range, box-ironbark forests, mallee and woodlands accumulate between 0.5 and 2 t ha-1 year-1. P. radiata plantations in Victoria will accumulate around 7 t carbon ha-1 year-1.
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Nicolle, D. "A taxonomic revision and morphological variation within Eucalyptus series Subulatae subseries Decussatae and Decurrentes (Myrtaceae) of Australia." Australian Systematic Botany 18, no. 6 (2005): 473. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sb04039.
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Morphological variation within Eucalyptus series Subulatae subseries Decussatae and Decurrentes was assessed by adult and seedling characteristics for 321 individuals representing 91 populations from across the broad geographical distribution of both the subseries. All previously recognised taxa from the subseries are included. Based on examination of adult and seedling morphology and phenetic analyses of morphological variation, eleven taxa (eight species) are recognised within E. subser. Decussatae. Adult morphology is most important in distinguishing taxa in this subseries, although seedling characters are also useful discriminators of some taxa, most notably E. aspersa and E. yalatensis. The previously recognised E. eucentrica is weakly distinguished from E. socialis, and E. socialis s.l. (i.e. including E. eucentrica) forms four adjacent groups in ordination analyses based on adult characters and adult and seedling characters combined. Four subspecies of E. socialis are recognised. Eucalyptus socialis subsp. viridans Nicolle subsp. nov. is described to accommodate green-leaved populations of E. socialis from the Peninsulas and southern Murray Mallee regions in South Australia. Eucalyptus socialis subsp. victoriensis Nicolle subsp. nov. is described to accommodate coarse-leaved, budded and fruited populations of E. socialis from the Great Victoria Desert in Western Australia and South Australia. A new combination is also made [E. socialis subsp. eucentrica (L.A.S. Johnson & K.D. Hill) Nicolle comb. nov.]. Based on the examination of variation in adult and seedling morphology and phenetic analyses of morphological variation, 11 or 12 taxa within E. subser. Decurrentes are recognised. Eucalyptus transcontinentalis subsp. semivestita is considered to be synonymous with E. moderata and the circumscription of this species is greatly modified. A new taxonomy for both the subseries is presented, based on extensive field, seedling and herbarium examination of all taxa in the series and phenetic analyses. Descriptions and keys to the taxa within the subseries are presented.
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Krusel, N., D. Packham, and N. Tapper. "Wildfire Activity in the Mallee Shrubland of Victoria, Australia." International Journal of Wildland Fire 3, no. 4 (1993): 217. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wf9930217.
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McArthur's Fire Danger Indices were developed originally as empirical models to describe fire danger in dry sclerophyll forest and grasslands of Australia. These indices are now used widely in southeastern Australia for fire danger rating and as a guideline for the issue of fire weather warnings. Nine years of historical fire reports, fire danger indices and meteorological information have been analysed objectively to develop a model to predict days of high fire activity in the mallee shrubland of northwestern Victoria. Tested on two years of independent data it was found that the use of a simple model utilising standard meteorological observations rather than the McArthur Forest Fire Danger Index reduced the false alarm rate from 98.4% to 96.7%. Although apparently a small reduction in false alarm rate, over a two year period days of high fire activity predicted incorrectly were reduced dramatically by 345 days.
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Lumsden, IF, and AF Bennet. "Bats of a semi-arid environment in south-eastern Australia: biogeography, ecology and conservation." Wildlife Research 22, no. 2 (1995): 217. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9950217.
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A total of 2075 captures of 11 taxa of bats was recorded during an extensive survey of the vertebrate fauna of the semi-arid Mallee region of Victoria. A further two species, Pteropus scapulatus and Saccolaimus flaviventris, are known from previous records, thus bringing the total to 13 taxa known from the region. There was a marked seasonality in activity patterns and in reproduction. Activity, as revealed by trap captures, peaked over the spring to early autumn months when daytime temperatures are high and nights are mild. Births occurred from October to December, lactating females were recorded from November to February, and juveniles were trapped between December and late February, with minor variation in timing between species. Morphometric measurements revealed that females were generally larger and heavier than males. There was a high level of overlap of species between broad vegetation types. Woodland habitats, especially Riverine Woodland, tended to have a higher frequency of capture and a greater species richness of bats per trapping event than did Mallee Shrubland. The assemblage of bats in the Mallee region, Victoria, like those in other semi-arid regions of southern Australia, includes species that are widespread in Australia (e.g. Chalinolobus gouldii and Nyctophilus geoffroyi), together with species that primarily occur in semi-arid and arid environments (e.g. N. timoriensis, Scotorepens balstoni and Vespadelus baverstocki). This region, which includes mesic riverine habitats, also supports a group of species that are characteristic of temperate south-eastern Australia (e.g. C. morio, V. regulus and V. vulturnus). In comparison with assemblages from temperate and tropical environmental regions, those from the semi-arid region tend to have a lower species richness with fewer families represented, a higher level of insectivory, and a smaller modal body size. The conservation status of bats from the Mallee region, Victoria, is believed to be secure, although the status of N. timoriensis warrants further attention.
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Andersen, AN, and AY Yen. "Canopy Ant Communities in the Semiarid Mallee Region of North-Western Victoria." Australian Journal of Zoology 40, no. 2 (1992): 205. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo9920205.
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Ants were collected from the canopies of mallee eucalypts at Wyperfeld National Park in north-western Victoria by beating foliage on ten occasions from September 1979 to December 1980. The study was conducted at two adjacent sites: one that had been burnt by a wildfire during early 1977, and the other long unburnt. Both sites contained a mixture of three mallee eucalypt species: Eucalyptus dumosa, E. foecunda and E. incrassata. In contrast to the canopies of other eucalypt formations elsewhere in southern Australia, abundance and diversity of ants were very high. Ants represented 43-69% of all invertebrates, and a total of 44 ant species from 19 genera was collected. Iridomyrmex and Camponotus respectively contributed 10 and 11 species, and the most abundant ants were species of Iridomyrmex, Monomorium and Crematogaster. Ant composition was broadily similar at the two sites, and on different canopy species, although significant differences in abundance were apparent for some individual ant species. Except for tree-nesting Podomyrma adelaidae and Myrmecorhynchus sp. nr emeryi, the fauna was dominated by ground-nesting species, most of which appeared to forage on vegetation opportunistically. The unusually high abundance and diversity of the canopy ant fauna are attributed to the close proximity of the mallee canopy to the ground, coupled with an exceptionally rich ground ant fauna.
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Nuttall, J. G., G. J. O'Leary, N. Khimashia, S. Asseng, G. Fitzgerald, and R. Norton. "‘Haying-off' in wheat is predicted to increase under a future climate in south-eastern Australia." Crop and Pasture Science 63, no. 7 (2012): 593. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/cp12062.
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Under a future climate for south-eastern Australia there is the likelihood that the net effect of elevated CO2, (eCO2) lower growing-season rainfall and high temperature will increase haying-off thus limit production of rain-fed wheat crops. We used a modelling approach to assess the impact of an expected future climate on wheat growth across four cropping regions in Victoria. A wheat model, APSIM-Nwheat, was performance tested against three datasets: (i) a field experiment at Wagga Wagga, NSW; (ii) the Australian Grains Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment (AGFACE) experiment at Horsham, Victoria; and (iii) a broad-acre wheat crop survey in western Victoria. For down-scaled climate predictions for 2050, average rainfall during October, which coincides with crop flowering, decreased by 32, 29, 26, and 18% for the semiarid regions of the northern Mallee, the southern Mallee, Wimmera, and higher rainfall zone, (HRZ) in the Western District, respectively. Mean annual minimum and maximum temperature over the four regions increased by 1.9 and 2.2°C, respectively. A pair-wise comparison of the yield/anthesis biomass ratio across climate scenarios, used for assessing haying-off response, revealed that there was a 39, 49 and 47% increase in frequency of haying-off for the northern Mallee, southern Mallee and Wimmera, respectively, when crops were sown near the historically optimal time (1 June). This translated to a reduction in yield from 1.6 to 1.4 t/ha (northern Mallee), 2.5 to 2.2 t/ha (southern Mallee) and 3.7 to 3.6 t/ha (Wimmera) under a future climate. Sowing earlier (1 May) reduced the impact of a future climate on haying-off where decreases in yield/anthesis biomass ratio were 24, 28 and 23% for the respective regions. Heavy textured soils exacerbated the impact of a future climate on haying-off within the Wimmera. Within the HRZ of the Western District crops were not water limited during grain filling, so no evidence of haying-off existed where average crop yields increased by 5% under a future climate (6.4–6.7 t/ha). The simulated effect of eCO2 alone (FACE conditions) increased average yields from 18 to 38% for the semiarid regions but not in the HRZ and there was no evidence of haying-off. For a future climate, sowing earlier limited the impact of hotter, drier conditions by reducing pre-anthesis plant growth, grain set and resource depletion and shifted the grain-filling phase earlier, which reduced the impact of future drier conditions in spring. Overall, earlier sowing in a Mediterranean-type environment appears to be an important management strategy for maintaining wheat production in semiarid cropping regions into the future, although this has to be balanced with other agronomic considerations such as frost risk and weed control.
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Brown, Peter R., Grant R. Singleton, Brian Kearns, and John Griffiths. "Evaluation and Cost-effectiveness of Strychnine for Control of Populations of Wild House Mice (Mus domesticus) in Victoria." Wildlife Research 24, no. 2 (1997): 159. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr96018.
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The efficacy and cost-effectiveness of strychnine baiting was tested at sowing in May–June 1994 in two cereal-grain-growing regions of Victoria, when numbers of house mice (Mus domesticus) were high (up to 1000 mice ha-1 in the Mallee) and moderate (100–250 mice ha-1 in the Wimmera). In each region, there were four replicates of baited and unbaited sites. Strychnine was applied once by ground spreaders to 40% of each stubble paddock and to all fencelines at each treated site. Treatments did not significantly affect the demographics (size cohorts, breeding status or sex ratio) or abundance indices of mouse populations. The most pronounced reduction occurred in stubble paddocks (harvested five months earlier) in the Mallee region, where there was a 57% reduction in mean mouse density two days after baiting. This difference was not significant because of high variation between sites within treatments. Moreover, three weeks later the mean density of mice in treated stubble paddocks was approximately double that in the untreated sites. The Wimmera study indicated that strychnine had a minimal effect on mouse populations when ample other food was available. The application of strychnine was inexpensive: $A0.45 ha-1 in the Wimmera and $A0.61 ha-1 in the Mallee; however, mouse damage to crops after sowing was minor. Unfortunately, we could not accurately assess damage to crops because of compensation at an early stage of growth and problems with assessing damage caused by mice. Overall, our results suggest that although strychnine may be an effective palliative method of control when a mouse plague has occurred, its effectiveness as a strategic rodenticide for preventing plagues is questionable.
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Clarke, Michael F., Sarah C. Avitabile, Lauren Brown, Kate E. Callister, Angie Haslem, Greg J. Holland, Luke T. Kelly, et al. "Ageing mallee eucalypt vegetation after fire: insights for successional trajectories in semi-arid mallee ecosystems." Australian Journal of Botany 58, no. 5 (2010): 363. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt10051.
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A critical requirement in the ecological management of fire is knowledge of the age-class distribution of the vegetation. Such knowledge is important because it underpins the distribution of ecological features important to plants and animals including retreat sites, food sources and foraging microhabitats. However, in many regions, knowledge of the age-class distribution of vegetation is severely constrained by the limited data available on fire history. Much fire-history mapping is restricted to post-1972 fires, following satellite imagery becoming widely available. To investigate fire history in the semi-arid Murray Mallee region in southern Australia, we developed regression models for six species of mallee eucalypt (Eucalyptus oleosa F.Muell. ex. Miq. subsp. oleosa, E. leptophylla F.Muell. ex. Miq., E. dumosa J. Oxley, E. costata subsp. murrayana L. A. S. Johnson & K. D. Hill, E. gracilis F.Muell. and E. socialis F.Muell. ex. Miq.) to quantify the relationship between mean stem diameter and stem age (indicated by fire-year) at sites of known time since fire. We then used these models to predict mean stem age, and thus infer fire-year, for sites where the time since fire was not known. Validation of the models with independent data revealed a highly significant correlation between the actual and predicted time since fire (r = 0.71, P < 0.001, n = 88), confirming the utility of this method for ageing stands of mallee eucalypt vegetation. Validation data suggest the models provide a conservative estimate of the age of a site (i.e. they may under-estimate the minimum age of sites >35 years since fire). Nevertheless, this approach enables examination of post-fire chronosequences in semi-arid mallee ecosystems to be extended from 35 years post-fire to over 100 years. The predicted ages identified for mallee stands imply a need for redefining what is meant by ‘old-growth’ mallee, and challenges current perceptions of an over-abundance of ‘long-unburnt’ mallee vegetation. Given the strong influence of fire on semi-arid mallee vegetation, this approach offers the potential for a better understanding of long-term successional dynamics and the status of biota in an ecosystem that encompasses more than 250 000 km2 of southern Australia.
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MOEZEL, PAUL G., and DAVID T. BELL. "Plant species richness in the mallee region of Western Australia." Austral Ecology 14, no. 2 (June 1989): 221–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.1989.tb01429.x.
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ANDERSEN, ALAN N., and ALAN L. YEN. "Immediate effects of Ore on ants in the semi-arid mallee region of north-western Victoria." Austral Ecology 10, no. 1 (March 1985): 25–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.1985.tb00860.x.
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Nuttall, J. G., S. L. Davies, R. A. Armstrong, and M. B. Peoples. "Testing the primer-plant concept: wheat yields can be increased on alkaline sodic soils when an effective primer phase is used." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 59, no. 4 (2008): 331. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar07287.
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The primer-plant concept was tested for wheat (Triticum aestivum) grown on an alkaline sodic soil taken from the southern Mallee of Victoria. This concept relates to use of species of plants with high natural adaptation to hostile subsoils, being able to modify the soil environment and leave biopores for the benefit of subsequent annual crops. For the experiment reported here, wheat was sown into large (0.3 m diam. by 1.0 m length) intact soil cores (collected from a cropping paddock near Birchip in the southern Mallee region of Victoria, Australia) following either birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), canola (Brassica napus), chicory (Cichorium intybus), lucerne (Medicago sativa), safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), sulla (Hedysarum coronarium), or tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum ponticum). At the conclusion of the priming phase [270 days after sowing (DAS)], all the different crops extracted c. 145 mm of stored water, the exception being canola (120 mm). Lucerne and birdsfoot trefoil produced the least above-ground biomass (26 g/pot), and safflower the most (115 g/pot). Greater early vigour and water extraction (49 mm) occurred for subsequent wheat crops after birdsfoot trefoil than with wheat after all other species (39 mm). This translated to a 15% yield advantage for wheat after birdsfoot trefoil compared with lucerne. Wheat after sulla yielded 12% more due to increased grain number and kernel size compared with wheat after lucerne. It was proposed that the difference in yield related to the root systems of species tested. Birdsfoot trefoil and sulla were characterised by intensive branching, which potentially produced a fine mosaic of residual biopores. Lucerne, in contrast, which was assumed to have similar break-crop effects, had a large taproot with fewer branches leaving fewer, larger residual root channels than either of the other legumes. It is believed that the fine biopores allowed more rapid and thorough exploration of the bulk soil by the crop roots.
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Bradstock, RA, and AM Gill. "Fire in Semiarid, Mallee Shrublands - Size of Flames From Discrete Fuel Arrays and Their Role in the Spread of Fire." International Journal of Wildland Fire 3, no. 1 (1993): 3. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wf9930003.
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Aspects of flammability of the major fuel arrays in a mallee shrubland community, and the basis for fire-spread in these discrete fuels, are examined and discussed. Relationships between plant size and weight of litter (shrubs and mallee eucalypts) or grass hummocks (Triodia irritans) were studied. Hummock mass was a function of hummock diameter and height. On ignition, maximum flame length was related to hummock height and diameter. For mallee eucalypts the mass of litter beneath individual plants was related to the diameter of the litter bed. Flame length was also related to litter bed diameter. In other species of shrubs, fires were not sustained independently. We hypothesize that T. irritans will play a major role in fire spread in communities because flames from hummocks will have the greatest ability to bridge gaps between fuel arrays (flames longer than in eucalypts). Size of hummocks will have an important bearing on propagation of fire across fuel-gaps. By contrast, the main role of eucalypts in fire-spread may be as a source of burning brands which initiate spot fires. There is scope to understand fire-spread in these communities on the basis of flame lengths (in conjunction with plant size) in relation to wind.
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Brown, Geoff W., Peter Robertson, and Ben G. Fanson. "Digging in: a review of the ecology and management of a threatened reptile with a small disjunct distribution – the heath skink, Liopholis multiscutata, in Victoria, south-eastern Australia." Pacific Conservation Biology 25, no. 3 (2019): 222. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc17057.
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The central issue for species that are highly localised habitat specialists and occur in relatively small numbers is vulnerability to extinction processes. The heath skink, Liopholis multiscutata, is considered Critically Endangered in Victoria, in part because it is restricted to essentially four small and highly disjunct populations in semiarid mallee dunefields. It provides an example of a rare and cryptic species that is especially vulnerable to decline and consequently provides management challenges. Here, we crystallise available information on the ecology and life history of this threatened lizard, and review monitoring data to evaluate population status, primary threats and management imperatives. There has been a substantial decrease across the known range of the lizard in Victoria, most likely due to predation and fire. Recent monitoring of the four potentially viable populations revealed a general trend of decline. Recommendations for research and management priorities for the lizard in Victoria are provided; generally, these include further exploration of the lizard’s phylogeny and ecology, and ongoing monitoring of the trajectory of the lizard’s population status, threats to the lizard’s persistence and the effectiveness of management actions employed to ameliorate extinction threats.
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Bradstock, R. A., and J. S. Cohn. "Demographic characteristics of mallee pine (Callitris verrucosa) in fire-prone mallee communities of central New South Wales." Australian Journal of Botany 50, no. 5 (2002): 653. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt02019.
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Aspects of the demography of Callitris preissii subsp. verrucosa (Cunn. ex. Endl.) J.Garden populations were studied in semi-arid mallee communities situated on sandy soils in central New South Wales. Rates of survival and fecundity were estimated in a range of populations of differing age (year of origin or last fire: 1920, 1957, 1972, 1974 and 1985) that were monitored between 1987 and 1997. Rates of survival of juveniles and adults were high (>0.99 p.a.), although juveniles less than 5 years of age survived at lower rates. Estimated seedbank at the time of first tagging (no. of closed cones per plant) followed an increasing trend with plant age. Density, overstorey, topography and within-age-class site factors had significant effects on stored seedbanks in particular age-classes. There was high interannual variation (1989 v. 1990) in the size of crops of new cones. Trends in seedbank with plant age and seed release rates from tagged cones indicated that the species exhibits strong serotiny. Measurements of litter weight and depth beneath plants from 1920 and 1957 age-classes, indicated relatively low fuel loadings (about 0.2�kg m–2). Bark was sufficiently thick in c. 60-year-old plants to render stems resistant to low-intensity fires. Thus, it is predicted that the probability of propagation of fire in populations >50 years old may decline and that survival of fire in this age range may increase. Given patterns of survivorship, fecundity and seedbank accumulation, populations may decline when fires are relatively frequent (<15-year interval). At longer intervals there is potential for population densities to remain stable or increase, although the nature of variability in sizes of individual seed crops may have a predominant influence on dynamics. The combination of strong serotiny and negative feedback effects of plant populations on their flammability is a paradox, given the likelihood that seedling establishment is tightly keyed to fire.
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Noble, JC, and RG Vines. "Fire Studies in Mallee (Eucalyptus Spp.) Communities of Western New South Wales: Grass Fuel Dynamics and Associated Weather Patterns." Rangeland Journal 15, no. 2 (1993): 270. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj9930270.
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The probability of wildfires, or prescribed fires, occurring in mallee rangelands, is strongly dependent on availability of adequate grass fuel loads. Grass fuels comprise two major elements, a perennial component dominated by the hummock species Triodia scariosa (porcupine grass) and an ephemeral component dominated by the annual/biemial tussock species Stipa nitida (speargrass). Population dynamics and abundance of both fuel elements are, in turn, strongly influenced by rainfall regime, particularly during the seedling recruitment phase. This paper records data on the spatial distributions of different fuels, plant architecture and post-fire seedling recruitment and survivorship of T. scariosa, obtained during field studies on contrasting mallee sites in western New South Wales. In addition, rainfall data extending over c. 100 years were used in a water balance study at one mallee site (Pooncarie); while similar rainfall data were analysed for three mallee sites (Pooncarie, Ivanhoe and Mount Hope) using a filter technique to examine quasi- periodicities of rainfall and potential correlations with known wildfire seasons in the past. Precipitation records from the Meteorological Districts of western New South Wales, and from various towns in the area, were analysed as well. All data sets exhibited strong coherence and the resulting filter curves resembled each other closely, with peaks reflecting 'above-average rainfall' and troughs 'below-average rainfall or drought'- the latter often being associated with El NiiiolSouthern Oscillation events. The management implications of these phenomena, particularly as they relate to major drought events, are discussed in the context of vegetation manipulation based on prescribed fire.
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Tann, CR, GR Singleton, and BJ Coman. "Diet of the House Mouse, Mus domesticus, in the Mallee Wheatlands of North-Western Victoria." Wildlife Research 18, no. 1 (1991): 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9910001.
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The quality and/or quantity of food available to mice at key times may be important in generating plagues. This study examined the diet and breeding performance of mice over two years in the mallee wheatlands of Victoria. Mice were trapped approximately every 6th week and their stomach contents examined for seven categories of food. Indices of occurrence and estimates of percentage volumes of each category indicated that cereal seeds were the staple food of mice. They bred earlier in the second year, but in both years there was a pulse of invertebrates and fresh grass seeds in the diet before the onset of breeding. These pulses occurred when seed reserves ['mature' (>3 months) cereal and dicotyledon seeds] were low. Mice, however, were highly responsive to changes in the availability of different food classes throughout the study. Thus the relative influences of nutritional factors (food quality) and availability of food (food quantity) on the onset of breeding were difficult to determine. The annual peak in female breeding coincided with the availability of fresh cereal grain. Breeding ceased in autumn each year despite the presence of ample 'mature' cereal seeds. Investigations of the effect of climatic factors on timing and abundance of nutrients in the environment is essential for an understanding of their influence on the population dynamics of mice.
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Korte, Chris J., Patrick Wilson, Brian Kearns, Glenn J. Fitzgerald, Joe F. Panozzo, Cassandra K. Walker, Brendan Christy, et al. "Potential impact of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide and climate change on Victorian wheat marketing grades and value." Crop and Pasture Science 70, no. 11 (2019): 926. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/cp19155.
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The potential impact of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) and future climate predicted for 2050 on wheat marketing grades and grain value was evaluated for Victoria, Australia. This evaluation was based on measured grain yield and quality from the Australian Grains FACE program and commercial grain delivery data from Victoria for five seasons (2009–13). Extrapolation of relationships derived from field experimentation under elevated [CO2] to the Victorian wheat crop indicated that 34% of grain would be downgraded by one marketing grade (range 1–62% depending on season and region) because of reduced protein concentration; and that proportions of high-protein wheat grades would reduce and proportions of lower protein grades would increase, with the largest increase in the Australian Standard White (ASW1) grade. Simulation modelling with predicted 2050 [CO2] and future climate indicated reduced wheat yields compared with 2009–13 but higher and lower grain quality depending on region. The Mallee Region was most negatively affected by climate change, with a predicted 43% yield reduction and 43% of grain downgraded by one marketing grade. Using 2016 prices, the value of Victorian wheat grain was influenced mainly by production in the different scenarios, with quality changes in different scenarios having minimal impact on grain value.
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Hopper, Stephen D., and Nathan K. McQuoid. "Two new rare species and a new hybrid in Eucalyptus series Tetrapterae (Myrtaceae) from southern coastal Western Australia." Australian Systematic Botany 22, no. 3 (2009): 180. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sb06034.
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Three new rare taxa allied to the conspicuous, common four-winged mallee (Eucalyptus tetraptera Turcz.) are described. E. sweedmaniana is a large-leaved and prostrate coastal mallee known only from Mount Arid, Western Australia. E. brandiana, a non-lignotuberous mallet, occupies spongolite hilltops and escarpments near the Fitzgerald River Inlet in Fitzgerald River National Park, Western Australia. A single hybrid mallet, E. arborella × brandiana, is described from the type locality of E. brandiana. Both new species and the new hybrid show potential for horticultural use, given their compact habit, large leaves and conspicuous red floral hypanthia and fruits. E. arborella × brandiana and E. brandiana are particularly at risk, being highly localised endemics that are killed by fire.
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Tann, CR, GR Singleton, and BJ Coman. "Corrigendum to : Diet of the house mouse, Mus domesticus, in the Mallee wheatlands of north-western Victoria." Wildlife Research 18, no. 3 (1991): 375. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9910375.
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Bell, Stephen, and Dean Nicolle. "Glen Gallic Mallee (Eucalyptus dealbata subsp. aperticola, Myrtaceae), a new taxon from the sandstone escarpment of the Hunter Valley, New South Wales." Telopea 23 (2020): 141–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.7751/telopea14543.
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Eucalyptus dealbata subsp. aperticola S.A.J.Bell & D.Nicolle, a new mallee red gum from Triassic aged sandstone benches in the northern part of Wollemi National Park north-west of Sydney, is described and illustrated, and notes on affinities, distribution, ecology and conservation status provided.
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Singleton, GR. "Population Dynamics of Mus Musculus and Its Parasites in Mallee Wheatlands in Victoria During and After a Drought." Wildlife Research 12, no. 3 (1985): 437. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9850437.
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The population dynamics and cestodes, nematodes, ticks and fleas of wild mice in mallee wheatlands in Victoria, Australia, were monitored every 6th week from November 1982 to November 1983. Presence of Acarina and Nosopsyllus spp. in a total of 355 mice from farm buildings, crops and near permanent water was independent of that of Hymenolepis fraterna, Taenia taeniaeformis, Aspiculuris tetraptera, Syphacia obvelata and Muspicea borreli. S. obvelata was recorded in every habitat throughout all seasons (although its prevalence was significantly higher in winter near permanent water) and was the most prevalent helminth (67.0%). Overall prevalences of H. fraterna, T. taeniaeformis, A. tetraptera and M. borreli were 7.0, 5.3, 6.2 and 1.7% resp. The overall prevalence of the ticks Radfordia affinis and Myobia murismusculi was 93.9% and that of Nosopsyllus spp. was 36.7%. Other ticks were found on 39.8% of mice. The number of parasite species and prevalence of infection were lowest during severe drought in summer. After the drought parasite prevalence increased significantly . Prevalence of some species differed with habitat, both within and between seasons, but the reasons for the differences were unclear. Prevalence and intensity of parasitism was independent of mouse population density. Muspicea borreli is recorded from Australia for the first time. ADDITIONAL ABSTRACT: The population dynamics and parasite fauna of wild Mus musculus were monitored every 6th week from November 1982 to November 1983 in the mallee wheatlands of northwest Victoria. Endo- and ectoparasites were examined in 355 mice sampled from farm buildings, crops and around permanent water. The presence of ectoparasites (myobiid mites and fleas of the genus Nosopsyllus) was independent of that of endoparasites (nasal mites, cestodes and nematodes). The number of parasite species and prevalence of infection were lowest in summer, a period of severe drought. After the drought, seasonal differences in the number of parasite species were not significant but the prevalence of parasite infection increased significantly. The prevalence and mean intensity of infection varied for each parasite species. The prevalence of many species differed with habitat, both within and between seasons. Generally, reasons for these differences were not clear. The prevalence and intensity of parasitism was independent of mouse population density.
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Caughley, G., B. Brown, and J. Noble. "Movement of Kangaroos After a Fire in Mallee Woodland." Wildlife Research 12, no. 3 (1985): 349. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9850349.
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Experimental burning of mallee (Eucalyptus spp.) and shrub vegetation has been done in New South Wales to stimulate plant growth for grazing sheep and cattle. In March 1984 fires were started by an aerial ignition technique in a 'paddock' of 116 km2 and a study was made, by aerial surveys, of movements of kangaroos (Macropus rufus and M. fuliginosus) into the area. Such movements would detract from the benefit to grazing stock. It was found that on this occasion the burned area did not attract kangaroos, apparently because good winter rains gave adequate food for them elsewhere. It is suggested that burning for grazing is likely to be most beneficial where winter rains are most predictable, i.e. inside the mallee zone.
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Mcgee, P. "Mycorrhizal Associations of Plant-Species in a Semiarid Community." Australian Journal of Botany 34, no. 5 (1986): 585. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9860585.
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Of 93 species in 37 families occurring in a semiarid open mallee community near Murray Bridge, South Australia, 85 species were mycorrhizal. Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizas (VAM) were more common than other types of mycorrhizas observed. Genera not previously known to form ectomycorrhizas include Astroloma (Epacridaceae), Comesperma (Polygalaceae), Thysanotus (Asphodelaceae: Liliflorae), Baeckea and Calytrix (Myrtaceae), Dampiera (Goodeniaceae), Podotheca and Toxanthes (Inulae: Asteraceae). Many species were found with both ectomycorrhizas and VAM, with annuals having both VAM and ectomycorrhizas for the whole growing season and perennials usually exhibiting either a predominantly VAM or ectomycorrhizal association. Vesicles were present in plant species not commonly thought of as mycorrhizal hosts.
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Cunningham, Saul A. "Effects of Habitat Fragmentation on the Reproductive Ecology of Four Plant Species in Mallee Woodland." Conservation Biology 14, no. 3 (June 2000): 758–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.2000.98609.x.
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Hunt, J. R., C. Browne, T. M. McBeath, K. Verburg, S. Craig, and A. M. Whitbread. "Summer fallow weed control and residue management impacts on winter crop yield though soil water and N accumulation in a winter-dominant, low rainfall region of southern Australia." Crop and Pasture Science 64, no. 9 (2013): 922. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/cp13237.
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The majority of rain used by winter grain crops in the Mallee region of Victoria, Australia, falls during the cooler months of the year (April–October). However, rain falling during the summer fallow period (November–March) and stored as soil moisture contributes to grain yield. Strategies to better capture and store summer fallow rain include (i) retention of crop residues on the soil surface to improve water infiltration and evaporation; and (ii) chemical or mechanical control of summer fallow weeds to reduce transpiration. Despite the widespread adoption of no-till farming systems in the region, few published studies have considered the benefits of residue management during the summer fallow relative to weed control, and none quantify the impacts or identify the mechanisms by which summer fallow weeds influence subsequent crop yield. Over 3 years (2009–11), identical experiments on adjacent sand and clay soil types at Hopetoun in the southern Mallee were conducted to quantify the effect of residue management (standing, removed, or slashed) and summer fallow weed control (± chemical control) compared with cultivation on soil water and nitrogen (N) accumulation and subsequent crop yield. The presence of residue (2.4–5.8 t/ha) had no effect on soil water accumulation and a small negative effect on grain yield on the clay soil in 2011. Controlling summer weeds (Heliotropium europaeum and volunteer crop species) increased soil water accumulation (mean 45 mm) and mineral N (mean 45 kg/ha) before sowing on both soil types in 2 years of the experiment with significant amounts of summer fallow rain (2010 and 2011). Control of summer weeds increased grain yield of canola by 0.6 t/ha in 2010 and wheat by 1.4 t/ha in 2011. Using the data from these experiments to parameterise the APSIM model, simulation of selected treatments using historical climate data (1958–2011) showed that an extra 40 mm of stored soil water resulted in an average additional 0.4 t/ha yield, most of which was achieved in dry growing seasons. An additional 40 kg/ha N increased yield only in wetter growing seasons (mean 0.4 t/ha on both soil types). The combination of extra water and N that was found experimentally to result from control of summer fallow weeds increased subsequent crop yield in all season types (mean 0.7 t/ha on sand, 0.9 t/ha on clay). The co-limitation of yield by water and N in the Mallee environment means that yield increases due to summer weed control (and thus returns on investment) are very reliable.
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Tyson, M., R. E. Vaillancourt, and J. B. Reid. "Determination of Clone Size and Age in a Mallee Eucalypt Using RAPDs." Australian Journal of Botany 46, no. 2 (1998): 161. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt97003.
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Fragmentation of lignotubers and the consequent problems in genotype identification make demographic studies of mallee eucalypts unreliable. DNA fingerprinting using Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers was employed to determine if a hybrid copse between Eucalyptus risdonii and E. amygdalina was clonal. Based on lignotuber morphology this copse appeared to be composed of approximately 20 separate individuals. No variation in RAPD genotype was observed for 67 bands scored from nine primers among the 20 individuals. In contrast, variation was observed between individuals sampled from outside the copse (average 28.6 band differences between any two individuals) and within full sibling families (average 12.9 band differences between individuals). On this basis the copse was considered to be clonal (one genet), originating from lignotuber fragmentation, and measured 5.5 × 3.5 m. The rate of radial expansion in 15-year-old seedling and lignotuber cohorts was measured and used to estimate the age of the hybrid copse. The hybrid genet appeared to be at least 900 years old. While such estimates must be viewed with caution they strongly support the suggestion that mallee eucalypts may attain ages far in excess of single-stemmed eucalypts.
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Davies, SJ, and PJ Myerscough. "Postfire Demography of the Wet-Mallee Eucalyptus luehmanniana F Muell (Myrtaceae)." Australian Journal of Botany 39, no. 5 (1991): 459. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9910459.
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The post-fire demography of Eucalyptus luehmanniana, a wet-mallee eucalypt restricted to the Sydney region, was studied by descriptive and experimental methods. Patterns of growth and reproduction were related to time since the last fire for 15 populations burned from 2 to 24 years previously. After fire, mature individuals (clumps) resprout from subterranean lignotuberous buds producing numerous narrow stems. Resprouted clumps flower within 2-4 years and fruit within 5-6 years of the last fire. Fruits accumulate in the canopy with increasing time, up to at least 24 years since fire. Measurements from one reproductively mature population showed that there is a low level of seed-fall below the canopy (0.98 seeds m-2 day-1) in the absence of fire. Recruitment without fire appears unlikely due to a combination of factors: low seed viability (34.9%, s.e. = 5.3), low levels of field emergence, no soil-stored seed, and a high proportion (86.9%, s.e. = 3.4) of seed failing enclosed in capsules. Canopy-stored seed is released en masse following fire. Three factors potentially influencing the recruitment of E. luehmanniana seedlings, fire-related effects, water availability and protection of developing seedlings from animals, were investigated experimentally in the field. Seedling emergence was uniformly low (2.2-2.6%), and not significantly increased on burned plots, caged plots, or water-added plots alone. In one experiment, plots both burned and caged had significantly higher emergence. Mortality in all experimental plots was 100% within 6 months. Seedling recruitment of E. luehmanniana will not occur following all fires, and will depend on the coincidence of fire with suitable post-fire conditions.
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Vines, R. G. "Australian rainfall patterns and the southern oscillation. 2. A regional perspective in relation to Luni-solar (Mn) and Solar-cycle (Sc) signals." Rangeland Journal 30, no. 3 (2008): 349. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj07025.
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This investigation is an extension of earlier work on rainfall patterns in eastern Australia. Using district averages rather than rainfall data for individual cities or towns, further evidence is provided for cyclic variations in precipitation with periods of 18–19, 10–11 and 6–7 years. Results from various regional areas in western Queensland and western New South Wales differ from those found further south in Victoria, and connections are suggested between El Niño/southern oscillation events and the incidence of drought in these two separate areas. Such findings are consistent with ecological aspects of the quasi-periodic occurrence of bushfire seasons as observed in both Victorian eucalypt forests after prolonged drought, or after intermittent widespread rains in the semi-arid Mallee rangelands of western New South Wales. The ~19-year cycles may be at least partly a reflection of solar and lunar tidal components and the ~11-year cycles (connected with the Sunspot cycle) could be the result of absorption of short wavelength solar emissions in the stratosphere and resultant photochemical events magnified to produce sea surface temperature changes. The ~19-year cycles are apparently associated with either increased or decreased rainfall, and such connections appear to reverse in parts of Australia about every 100 years. These reversals have been associated with major droughts at the end of the 19th and 20th centuries.
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Coulson, G. "Use of heterogeneous habitat by the western grey kangaroo, Macropus fuliginosus." Wildlife Research 20, no. 2 (1993): 137. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9930137.
Full textAbstract:
The western grey kangaroo, Macropus fuliginosus, typically occurs at highest population densities in areas of greatest habitat heterogeneity. Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, in semiarid north-western Victoria, supports a relatively high density of this species, and has a mosaic of four major vegetation associations: mallee, woodland, lake bed and grassland. The patterns of habitat use by western grey kangaroos at Hattah-Kulkyne were examined from March 1983 until May 1985 using line-transect surveys to estimate population density in each habitat, and radio-tracking to estimate home range. The population was not dispersed randomly, but generally exhibited either positive or negative preferences for each of the four habitats in early morning and at midday, and on different bimonthly surveys. These preferences often reversed between times of day and between surveys. Home ranges of individuals ranged from 221 to 459 ha (asymptotic MAP[O.95] estimates), each encompassing three or four habitat types, and there was extensive spatial and temporal overlap between individuals. Kangaroos at Hattah-Kulkyne thus alternated between adjacent habitats that offered a range of forage conditions and shelter.
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Noble, James C., and Peter J. Diggle. "Population biology of coppicing plants: survival of mallee (Eucalyptus spp.) populations exposed to contrasting fire and cutting regimes." Australian Journal of Botany 61, no. 7 (2013): 552. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt13141.
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We examined data obtained from two experiments running concurrently over an 8-year period, designed to investigate the survival of mallee eucalypts exposed to various decapitation treatments applied by either fire or axe at contrasting frequencies. Annual autumn decapitation, with or without combined spring decapitation, gave the most rapid rates of depletion. The estimated half-life, i.e. time to 50% mortality, ranged from 278 days when both autumn and spring fires were applied annually, up to 3366 days when plants were cut by axe every fourth autumn. These were followed in turn by autumn decapitation every second year, then spring annually and autumn every third year and finally autumn decapitation imposed every fourth year. With the marginal exception of one treatment (burnt every third autumn), the estimated rates of depletion were greater for the burning treatments than for their cutting counterparts. The ranking of the six treatments by estimated rates of depletion was the same in both the fire and cutting trials. Prescribed fire is a powerful and cost-effective management tool for manipulating semiarid woodlands in temperate Australia. In addition to reducing grass and litter fuel, prescribed fire has the potential to promote herbage production for domestic livestock. We provide clear evidence based on field experiments that a management strategy based on relatively frequent fires applied in the autumn will significantly reduce mallee density, thereby promoting herbage productivity.
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Tozer, M. G., and R. A. Bradstock. "Factors Influencing the Establishment of Seedlings of the Mallee, Eucalyptus luehmanniana (Myrtaceae)." Australian Journal of Botany 45, no. 6 (1997): 997. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt96111.
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Factors influencing the survival of seedlings of the wet mallee-eucalypt Eucalyptus luehmanniana F.Muell. were examined using seedlings germinated in the laboratory and planted into the field. The effects of time since fire (0, 13 and 26 years), predation and position relative to adult canopy on seedling survival and growth in the first year after establishment were tested experimentally. Drought, predation by invertebrates and burial in leaf litter were identified as factors causing seedling mortality. Seedlings were most susceptible to predation at unburnt sites. Seedlings planted at burnt sites were more susceptible to drought, although a small percentage were killed by invertebrate predators. Burial of seedlings in leaf litter was most common under eucalypt canopies. After 200 days, seedlings in burnt sites were significantly more advanced in height, leaf area and leaf number than those in unburnt sites. It is predicted that E. luehmanniana seedlings are unlikely to achieve fire tolerance before fire occurs (assuming a fire interval of 10–20 years) unless they establish immediately after fire. The results suggest that mass establishment cued by fire allows seedlings to avoid predation, however mortality due to drought was greater at burnt sites than mortality due to predation at unburnt sites.
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James, Elizabeth A., and Keith L. McDougall. "Extent of clonality, genetic diversity and decline in the endangered mallee Eucalyptus imlayensis." Australian Journal of Botany 55, no. 5 (2007): 548. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt06168.
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Eucalyptus imlayensis Crisp & Brooker is a rare mallee known from one location in south-eastern Australia. Discovered in 1977, the population has declined in number and health of stems since 1998. Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were used to assess genetic variation and clonality. Only five multilocus genotypes were distinguished from 27 samples and the proximity of like genotypes within the population is consistent with the population being largely clonal. This means that the species has a much lower number of genetic individuals than is suggested from a census of the number of stems present. The implications of this finding for ex situ conservation of the species are discussed.
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Sampson, JF, SD Hopper, and SH James. "The Mating System and Genetic Diversity of the Australian Arid Zone Mallee, Eucalyptus rameliana." Australian Journal of Botany 43, no. 5 (1995): 461. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9950461.
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Estimates of parameters of the mixed mating model were made for three populations of the bird-pollinated arid zone eucalypt, Eucalyptus rameliana F. Muell. Levels of outcrossing ((t) over cap) varied significantly between populations from mixed mating with substantial selfing ((t) over cap = 0.54) to almost completely outcrossed ((t) over cap = 0.95). Comparison of single-locus and multilocus estimates suggested that the drop in outcrossing was due to increased self-pollination. The lowest outcrossing rate was attributed to the reduced ability of a population with low numbers of buds to attract bird pollinators. Outcrossing rates in E. rameliana are proposed to be a more direct reflection of pollination than estimates made for mass flowering, i.e. small-fruited eucalypts. The distribution of allozyme diversity in E. rameliana also appeared to reflect the impact of bird pollinators in promoting gene flow as well as the species capacity for outcrossing and introgression. Levels of diversity were comparable with other eucalypts, but the proportion of diversity between populations (GST = 9.2%) was only about half the mean for other eucalypts. Genetic distances between populations were low, but there was same significant differentiation of populations which was attributed to non-random bird migrations. The importance of bird pollination in the mating system and the distribution of genetic diversity in E. rameliana emphasises that enough habitat to support nomadic birds should be preserved in order to conserve this eucalypt species.
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Nicolle, D., M. Byrne, and M. Whalen. "A taxonomic revision and morphological variation within Eucalyptus series Subulatae subseries Oleaginae (Myrtaceae), including the oil mallee complex, of south-western Australia." Australian Systematic Botany 18, no. 6 (2005): 525. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sb04038.
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Morphological variation within Eucalyptus series Subulatae subseries Oleaginae, a group of mallee taxa distributed in south-western Australia, was assessed by adult and seedling characteristics. A total of 36 adult morphological characters and 20 seedling characters was included in phenetic analyses of 82 individuals representing 29 populations covering all the taxa and the broad geographical distribution of the series. The phenetic analyses indicate relatively weak separation of all previously recognised taxa within E. subser. Oleaginae, except for E. longissima (previously referred to as E. grasbyi), which is distinctive in its seedling morphology, and to a lesser degree, E. ultima, which is also most easily distinguished by seedling morphology. E. eremicola, E. peeneri and E. sublucida are not well differentiated from one another, differing significantly only in adult leaf colour and gloss. The three previously recognised species of the oil mallee complex (E. kochii, E. plenissima and E. ‘horistes’) are also only weakly differentiated from one another. Two variants within E. kochii were observed to differ from each other in several adult vegetative and floral characteristics and are recognised at the subspecific level. A new taxonomy for E. subser. Oleaginae is presented, based on phenetic analyses combined with extensive field, glasshouse and herbarium examination of all taxa in the subseries. A new species is described (E. longissima Nicolle sp. nov.) to accommodate populations of mallees previously erroneously referred to E. grasbyi. New combinations are made for E. peeneri [E. eremicola subsp. peeneri (Blakely) Nicolle comb. nov.] and E. oleosa var. borealis [E. kochii subsp. borealis (C. Gardner) Nicolle comb. nov.] and two new subspecies of E. kochii are described (subspp. amaryssia Nicolle and yellowdinensis Nicolle). Eucalyptus sublucida is considered to be synonymous with E. eremicola subsp. peeneri. Keys to the taxa within the subseries are presented.
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Gosper, Carl R., Suzanne M. Prober, and Colin J. Yates. "Repeated disturbance through chaining and burning differentially affects recruitment among plant functional types in fire-prone heathlands." International Journal of Wildland Fire 19, no. 1 (2010): 52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wf08200.
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Managing fire regimes is increasingly recognised as important for biodiversity conservation in fragmented agricultural landscapes in fire-prone regions. In the global biodiversity hotspot of south-west Western Australia, chaining and burning is a novel technique for facilitating fire management. Vegetation is first dislodged using a chain, then after a period of curing, burnt. The effects on plant communities are largely unstudied, despite the potential consequences of combining two disturbance events. We hypothesised that outcomes would vary depending on plant functional types defined by disturbance response. We compared plant community composition and recruitment and resprouting of plant functional types in mallee-heath subject to chaining and burning, burning only and neither of these. The effects of chaining and burning did not differ from only burning at the community level. Importantly, however, we recorded 90% fewer recruits of serotinous, obligate seeders in chained and burnt compared with only burnt plots, and a 44% decrease in their species richness. By contrast, recruits of obligate seeding shrubs and fire-ephemeral herbs with persistent soil-stored seed banks increased by 166% in chained and burnt plots. Sprouters showed little difference. We conclude that chaining and burning is likely to significantly alter vegetation composition, and potentially poses a significant threat to serotinous, obligate seeders. These impacts require consideration in fire management planning.
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Green, P. S., N. G. Walsh, and T. J. Entwisle. "Flora of Victoria, Vol. 2." Kew Bulletin 50, no. 4 (1995): 836. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/4110256.
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Iglesias, Azucena Elizabeth, Giselle Fuentes, Giulia Mitton, Facundo Ramos, Constanza Brasesco, Rosa Manzo, Dalila Orallo, et al. "Hydrolats from Humulus lupulus and Their Potential Activity as an Organic Control for Varroa destructor." Plants 11, no. 23 (December 1, 2022): 3329. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/plants11233329.
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Varroa destructor is a parasitic mite, which is considered a severe pest for honey bees causing serious losses to beekeeping. Residual hydrolats from steam extraction of hop essential oils, generally considered as a waste product, were tested for their potential use as acaricides on V. destructor. Four hop varieties, namely Cascade, Spalt, Victoria, and Mapuche, showed an interesting performance as feasible products to be used in the beekeeping industry. Some volatile oxidized terpenoids were found in the hydrolats, mainly β-caryophyllene oxide, β-linalool, and isogeraniol. These compounds, together with the presence of polyphenols, flavonoids, and saponins, were probably responsible for the promissory LC50 values obtained for mites after hydrolat exposition. Victoria hydrolat was the most toxic for mites (LC50: 16.1 µL/mL), followed by Mapuche (LC50 value equal to 30.1 µL/mL), Spalt (LC50 value equal to 114.3 µL/mL), and finally Cascade (LC50: 117.9 µL/mL). Likewise, Spalt had the highest larval survival, followed by Victoria and Mapuche. Cascade was the variety with the highest larval mortality. In addition, none of the extracts showed mortality higher than 20% in adult bees. The Victoria hydrolat presented the best results, which makes it a good compound with the prospect of an acaricide treatment against V. destructor.
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Officer, S. J., R. D. Armstrong, and R. M. Norton. "Plant availability of phosphorus from fluid fertiliser is maintained under soil moisture deficit in non-calcareous soils of south-eastern Australia." Soil Research 47, no. 1 (2009): 103. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sr08090.
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Low soil moisture and phosphorus (P) deficiencies restrict grain production in south-eastern Australia. The effect of the soil moisture regime on the plant availability of P from fluid mono-ammonium phosphate (MAP) fertiliser was examined during vegetative growth of wheat and canola in P-responsive soils from the Wimmera, Mallee, and high rainfall zone (Glenelg) regions of Victoria. Three plant growth experiments were performed. In Experiment 1, wheat growth and P uptake increased synergistically as soil moisture increased above permanent wilting point (PWP) and as P rate increased. In Experiment 2, the uptake of P from MAP fertiliser of wheat growing under a soil moisture deficit was examined using radioactive (32P) labelling. A factorial design compared uptake from intact soil cores of 3 soil types (Vertosol, Sodosol, Chromosol), 2 depths of fertiliser placement (40 and 80 mm), and either 0 or 25 kg P/ha. Results showed distinct plant responses to both the presence and depth of MAP fertiliser. Banding MAP close to the seed was most efficient in terms of recovery of the fertiliser P, regardless of the soil moisture conditions. Soil moisture regime affected the plant uptake of soil P, rather than fertiliser P, with more soil P taken up by the plants when soil moisture increased. The plant availability of the residual MAP fertiliser in the soil was subsequently examined in Experiment 3. The availability of the residual MAP to canola seedlings was equivalent to 8 kg P/ha of freshly applied MAP. Following both crops (9 months), Colwell P values indicated no further residual MAP availability in soil that had been under the wet regime, and only a small residual value in soil from the dry regime. Banded application of fluid MAP close to the seed and into soil that is above PWP is recommended, even when a relatively dry season is expected, although the residual value to following crops may be limited.
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Parsons, R. F., and Stephen D. Hopper. "Monocotyledonous geophytes: comparison of south-western Australia with other areas of mediterranean climate." Australian Journal of Botany 51, no. 2 (2003): 129. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt02067.
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Recent data on monocotyledonous geophytes from south-western Australia are compiled and compared with those from other areas of mainly mediterranean climate, especially California, Chile and Victoria, Australia. South-western Australia has a high monocot geophyte diversity of 496 species (7% of an estimated native flora of 7100 vascular species), like Victoria (12%) and the Cape region (14%). As in Victoria, orchids are by far the most important group, with c. 400 species, including those likely to be described once ongoing taxonomic research is completed. South-western Australia has higher geophyte numbers than Victoria in all families considered, but a lower geophyte percentage because of a much higher vascular species total. Among south-western Australian non-orchid geophytes, as in Victoria, the most common storage organ is tuberous roots, followed by corms then bulbs and rhizomes, whereas in California bulbs are by far the most common. The presence of microgeophytes with seed-like storage organs is a special feature seen in several phylogenetically unrelated lineages in the south-western Australian and Victorian geophytic flora, especially on granite outcrops. Divergent phylogenetic history is undoubtedly a major factor underlying striking differences between the monocot geophytes of mediterranean Australia, California, Chile, South Africa and Mediterranean countries. Further studies, particularly on the last two regions, will enable better elucidation of these patterns.
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SCHNEIDER, EDWARD L., and SHERWIN CARLQUIST. "Vessel origins in Nymphaeaceae: Euryale and Victoria." Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 119, no. 3 (November 1995): 185–93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.1995.tb00734.x.
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Krassilov, V. A., D. L. Dilcher, and J. G. Douglas. "New ephedroid plant from the Lower Cretaceous Koonwarra Fossil Bed, Victoria, Australia." Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology 22, no. 2 (January 1998): 123–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03115519808619195.
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Abensperg-Traun, Max, Dion Steven, and Lyn Atkins. "The influence of plant diversity on the resilience of harvester termites to fire." Pacific Conservation Biology 2, no. 3 (1995): 279. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc960279.
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The harvester termites in floristically rich mallee-heath of southern Western Australia appear resilient to high-intensity fire. This contrasts with the temporary extinction of harvesters occupying a narrow food niche in floristically simple, intensely burnt spinifex Triodia angusta grassland in tropical Western Australia. The present study examines the effects of high-intensity fire on harvester termites Drepanotermes tamminensis in vegetation of intermediate floristic diversity and compares its findings with these earlier studies. We sampled 20 mounds (termitaria) in both an unburnt and (adjacent) burnt stand of Allocasuarina campestris shrubland. Although partially regenerated three years after the fire, 40% of mounds in the burnt area were abandoned, contrasting with 10% in the unburnt stand. No harvested chaff was found in any of the abandoned mounds. The extent of mound occupation by D. tamminensis was considerably lower, and ant invasion higher, in the burnt stand. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that high floristic diversity enhances the resilience of harvester termites to fire. The most likely mechanism is the availability of a range of plant (food) species with different regenerative responses to high-intensity fire. The death of spinifex and the associated harvester termites after fire may be atypical. We argue, however, that temporary extinction of harvester populations in arid Australia may not be exceptional, particularly where fire coincides with drought and high livestock grazing pressure. Rigorous experimental studies are necessary to enhance our understanding of the long-term effects of fire on harvester termite populations in different vegetation types and climatic zones.
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Drinnan, AN, and TC Chambers. "A reassessment of Taeniopteris daintreei from the Victorian Early Cretaceous: a member of the Pentoxylales and a significant Gondwanaland plant." Australian Journal of Botany 33, no. 1 (1985): 89. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9850089.
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Plant remains from the Early Cretaceous of Victoria are described. These are leaves referred to Taeniopteris daintreei, female fructifications referred to Carnoconites cranwellii and microsporangiate structures herein described as Sahnia laxiphora sp. nov. These are considered to belong to the extinct group, the Pentoxylales, originally described from localities variously dated as Jurassic or Early Cretaceous in the Rajmahal Hills of India. It is suggested that the Pentoxylales, long regarded as an obscure group, are in fact a major and important part of the mid Mesozoic Gondwana flora in Victoria.
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Coulson, G. "The Influence of population density and habitat on grouping in the western grey kangaroo, Macropus fuliginosus." Wildlife Research 20, no. 2 (1993): 151. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9930151.
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Population density and habitat structure have been identified as influencing grouping patterns in kangaroos, but the separate contributions of each factor have rarely been distinguished. Grouping was examined in the western grey kangaroo, Macropus fuliginosus, at Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, north-western Victoria, where the population exhibits marked changes in density throughout habitats that provide a range of cover. Group size and population density in each habitat were surveyed at two times of day and at roughly 2-monthly intervals from March 1983 until December 1985. Of the four major habitats, mallee and woodland offered moderate cover, whereas grassland and lake bed gave sparse cover. Visibility of kangaroo groups was highest in the sparse habitats, and was positively related to the size of the group, at least in the lower range of group sizes. At densities up to 40km-2, groups that formed in the sparse habitats were larger than the groups in the two habitats that offered moderate cover. Three habitats (lake bed, grassland and woodland) had more smaller and more larger groups than expected if group formation was a random process. Large males were seen alone more often than expected by chance in lake bed, and less often in moderate cover; females with young-atfoot were over-represented as singletons in all four habitats. The size and composition of groups recorded in this study suggest that the basic components of the social organisation of kangaroos are best discerned in habitats that carry a low population density, but that also provide the most cover.
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Whiffin, T., and PY Ladiges. "Patterns of variation and relationships in the Eucalyptus Alpina–E. baxteri complex (Myrtaceae) based on leaf volatile oils." Australian Systematic Botany 5, no. 6 (1992): 695. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sb9920695.
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In the stringybark eucalypts, the baxteri clade consists of E. arenacea, from South Australia and northwestern Victoria, E. baxteri, mainly from the Great Dividing Range of Victoria, and E. alpina, an endemic taxon from the Grampian Ranges of Victoria. Populations of these taxa were sampled from across their geographic and morphological ranges. Phenetic and phylogenetic analyses were undertaken of the leaf volatile oil composition of the sampled plants. On the basis of these analyses, E. arenacea emerges as a cohesive, monophyletic species, while E. baxteri is a variable and probably paraphyletic species. Populations on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, are variable and intermediate, and may represent recent intergradation between the two species. Populations of E. baxteri from the Grampians are distinctive chemically, but not morphologically, within the species. Recent hybridisation between this form of E. baxteri and E. alpina was shown to be occuning within the Grampians. E. alpina is a highly variable taxon, and probably polyphyletic as currently recognised. Three distinct forms were recognised within E. alpina. The first, and most distinctive, is from the southern Serra Range; the second is from the northern Serra Range and Wonderland Range; the third, and most similar to E. baxteri, is from the Victoria Range.
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Keiluhu, Henderina J., Margaretha Z. Pangau-Adam, Hendra K. Maury, and Matthias Waltert. "Effects of anthropogenic disturbance on a Victoria crowned pigeon Goura victoria population in northern Papua, Indonesia." Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity 12, no. 4 (December 2019): 493–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2019.07.007.
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Burgman, MA. "Cladistics, Phenetics and Biogeography of Populations of Boronia inornata Turcz. (Rutaceae) and the Eucalyptus diptera Andrews (Myrtaceae) Species Complex in Western Australia." Australian Journal of Botany 33, no. 4 (1985): 419. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9850419.
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Numerical cladistic and phenetic analyses were undertaken on morphometric data from 22 Western Australian populations of the southern Australian shrub Boronia inornata and from the southern Western Australian tree Eucalyptus diptera and its unnamed allies. The E. diptera species complex includes four taxa, three of which are at present unnamed. These species are largely allopatric, although in one location the ranges of two species overlap. Two subspecies of Boronia inornata are described and one of them, subsp. leptophylla, contains three informal variants. Subsp. inornata and two of the variants of subsp. leptophylla are restricted to Western Australia. One variant of subsp. leptophylla is sympatric with subsp. inornata in Western Australia and also occurs in southern South Australia. The events which gave rise to the four species of the E. diptera complex and to the subspecies and variants of B. inornata occurred within the semiarid mallee zone of Western Australia, probably during the Quaternary. Speciation has occurred in a replacement pattern across the southern transitional rainfall zone, which is reflected in at least one other, unrelated taxon.