Tesi sul tema "Frogs – Western Australia – South-West"

[Truncated abstract] Southwestern Australia is a global biodiversity hotspot. The region contains a high number of endemic species, ranging from Gondwanan relicts to more recently evolved plant and animal species. Biogeographic models developed primarily for plants suggest a prominent role of Quaternary climatic fluctuations in the rampant speciation of endemic plants. Those models were not based on explicit spatial analysis of genetic structure, did not estimate divergence dates and may be a poor predictor of patterns in endemic vertebrates. Myobatrachid frogs have featured heavily in the limited investigations of the biogeography of the regions fauna. Myobatrachid frogs are diverse in southwestern Australia, and while we know they have speciated in situ, we know little about the temporal and spatial patterning of speciation events. In order to gain insight into the biogeographic history and potential speciation patterns of Myobatrachid frogs in the southwest I conducted a comparative phylogeography of four frog species spanning three life history strategies. I aimed to: 1) assess the biogeographic history of individual species, 2) determine where patterns of regional diversity exist using a comparative framework, 3) determine whether congruent patterns across species enable the development of explicit biogeographic hypotheses for frogs, and 4) compare patterns of diversity in plants with the models I developed for frogs. I conducted fine-scale intraspecific phylogeographies on four species. ... Geocrinia leai: deep divergences, coincident with late Miocene arid onset, divide this species into western and southeast coastal lineages, with a third only found within the Shannon-Gardner River catchments. Phylogeographic history within each lineage has been shaped by climatic fluctuations from the Pliocene through to the present. Arenophryne shows the first evidence of geological activity in speciation of a Shark Bay endemic. Divergence patterns between the High Rainfall and Southeast Coastal Provinces within C. georgiana are consistent with patterns between Litoria moorei and L. cyclorhynchus and plant biogeographic regions. Subdivision between drainage systems along the southern coast (in M. nichollsi, G. leai and the G. rosea species complex) reflect the relative importance of distinct catchments as refuges during arid maxima, similarly the northern Darling Escarpment is identified as a potential refugium (C. georgiana and G. leai). Divergences in Myobatrachid frogs are far older than those inferred for plants with the late Miocene apparently an important time for speciation of southwestern frogs. Speciation of Myobatrachids broadly relates to the onset of aridity in Australia in the late Miocene, with the exception of earlier/contemporaneous geological activity in Arenophryne. The origins of subsequent intraspecific phylogeographic structure are coincident with subsequent climatic fluctuations and correlated landscape evolution. Divergence within frogs in the forest system may be far older than the Pleistocene models developed for plants because of the heavy reliance on wet systems by relictual frog species persisting in the southwestern corner of Australia.

[Truncated abstract] The southwest of Western Australia is an intraplate area classified as a stable continental region. It comprises predominantly Archaean and Proterozoic geology and has generally subdued topography. The region currently experiences significant seismicity in the Southwest Seismic Zone (SWSZ), which is one of the most seismically active areas in Australia and is thought to represent the highest seismic hazard of the region. In recent years, numerous scarps, potentially related to large palaeoearthquakes have been recognised not only within the SWSZ, but also in a broader region of the southwest of Australia. Palaeoseismological investigations of two of these scarps, the Dumbleyung and the Lort River scarps, confirm their association with surface-rupturing palaeoearthquakes and indicate events with likely maximum magnitudes of ~Mw 7.0 on faults of low to medium slip rates. Two trenches across the Dumbleyung Fault scarp revealed a thrust fault in alluvial sediments with two associated earthquakes in the last ca 24-60 ka. A possible Holocene age was recognised for the last recorded earthquake event exposed in these trenches. Two trenches across the Lort River Scarp show that this feature results from thrust faulting in the weathered gneissic country rock. These trenches exposed evidence of two events in the last ca 35 ka, with a likely late Pleistocene age for the last earthquake. On both sites, the earthquakes are interpreted as associated with the last phase of fault activity, which was likely been preceded by a long period of quiescence. Assessment of the earthquake hazard associated with large earthquakes at the Dumbleyung and Lort River Faults resulted in calculated peak ground accelerations of up to 2 g in the near-fault fields. Such earthquakes would significantly affect nearby towns such as Dumbleyung, Wagin, Katanning, and Esperance, but they are unlikely to cause any significant damage in Perth. The palaeoseismological investigations show that the earthquake activity in the southwest of Western Australia is not only confined to the SWSZ, as it has been considered in previous assessments of the seismic hazard, but that there is also potential for strong earthquakes across much of the region. The seismicity in the southwest of Western Australia appears to be transient and migratory. This is suggested by the lack of local relief associated with places of current seismicity and fault scarps, the widespread distribution of the fault scarps across the region, the increase in seismicity in the SWSZ following strong recent events, and the apparent long periods of earthquake recurrence at fault sites. Accordingly, the current seismicity in the SWSZ is inferred to be transient and probably associated with stress changes produced by the recent earthquakes. '...' This uplift could be associated with dynamic topography effects resulting from processes along the plate margins. The uplift is probably enhanced by a flexural response of the lithosphere to local differential loads and density contrast along the southern margin, a mechanism that may also help explain the occurrence of some earthquake activity. The results from this study, complemented by additional palaeoseismological studies must be included in future probabilistic assessments of the seismic hazard of the southwest of Western Australia.

A field-based project was undertaken to develop and test a mechanism which would allow for the correlation of the health of vegetation surrounding playa lakes in south-west Australia with the natural variation in salinity and waterlogging that occurs spatially and temporally in natural systems. The study was designed to determine threshold ranges of vegetation communities using moderately extensive data over short temporal periods which will guide the design of potential engineering solutions that manipulate hydrological regimes to ultimately conserve and protect native vegetation. A pair of playa lake ecosystems, surrounded by primary production land, was modelled with hydro-geological data collected from March 2006 to March 2007. The data was used to determine the hydroperiods of vegetation communities fringing playa lakes and provide insight into the areas and species that are most affected by extreme rainfall events which are hypothesised to have a significant, rapid deleterious effect on the ecosystems. The methodology was multi-faceted and included; a detailed topographical survey; vegetation surveys; hydrological and hydro-geological monitoring over a 12 month period. 4 The hydro-geological data and vegetation data was linked with the topographical survey at a high resolution for spatial analysis in a Geographic Information System (GIS) to determine the degree of waterlogging experienced by vegetation communities over the monitoring period. The study has found that the spatial and temporal variability of hydroperiods has been reduced by rising groundwater levels, a result of extensive clearing of native vegetation. Consequently populations are becoming extinct locally resulting in a shift in community composition. Extreme summer rainfall events also have a significant impact on the health of vegetation communities by increasing the duration of waterlogging over an annual cycle and in some areas expanding the littoral zone. Vegetation is most degraded at lower positions in the landscape where communities are becoming less diverse and dominated by salt tolerant halophytic species as a result of altered hydrological regimes. Some species appear to be able to tolerate groundwater depths of less than 2.0 m from the surface, however there are thresholds related to the duration at which groundwater is maintained at this depth. Potential engineering solutions include groundwater pumping and diverting water through drains to maintain sustainable hydroperiods for vegetation in areas with conservation value. The effectiveness and efficiency of the engineering solutions can be maximised by quantifying thresholds for vegetation that include sustainable durations of waterlogging. The study has quantified tolerance ranges to salinity and waterlogging with data collected over 12 months but species may be experiencing a transition period where they have 5 sustained irreversible damage that will result in their eventual mortality. With long-term monitoring, the methodology developed and tested in the study can be used to quantify the long-term tolerance ranges that are important for the application of conservation approaches that include engineering solutions.

[Truncated abstract] Land clearing is known to increase runoff, and in many dryland landscapes is also associated with rising saline watertables, causing increased stream salinity and degrading riparian vegetation. The limited understanding of how river morphology responds to these changes and the potential for vegetation-based strategies to offer river management options under these conditions, has prompted this research. In southwestern Australia the severity of salinity and recent nature of land clearing provides an appropriate setting to investigate river response. A data-based, multidisciplinary methodology was applied to determine how land clearing and landscape salinisation has altered landscape sensitivity through changes in erosive potential, system connectivity and material threshold mechanisms, and how these affect patterns of river response. The study investigated the responses of morphologically similar reaches across fifty two study sites in the Kent River and Dalyup River catchments, in the south coastal rivers region of Western Australia. Land clearing was found to have significantly altered the hydrologic regime and erosive potential in both frequency and magnitude, with flow becoming more perennial, and increased annual discharge, flood peaks and bankfull flow frequency. While sediment transport rates have also increased since land clearing, they remain low on a global scale. Human response to a reduced rainfall regime and related water security pressures has caused large hillslope areas to be decoupled from the main channels by bank and farm dam construction, and have reduced downstream transmission of change. ... By contrast, steeper-sloped mid-catchment areas with minimal vegetation degradation caused by salinity are associated with higher erosive potential. A more erosive response is observed in these reaches where floodplains have been cleared for agricultural purposes. A conceptual model of vegetation growth across the salinity gradient observed in the study catchments was developed, and applied to selected river styles to assess the potential that vegetation-based strategies offer for river management. This work identifies the unsuitability of river restoration strategies, but the potential for river restoration or remediation in a saline landscape. Hydraulic modelling demonstrated that river rehabilitation strategies such as improving the vegetation condition of the riparian buffer using native or commercial species on areas elevated above saline flow can stabilise reaches. For river styles in wide and flat valleys, there is limited potential for vegetation-based river rehabilitation under the current salinity gradient. Field observation and modelling suggest that river remediation may offer geomorphic management options in salt-affected reaches through channelisation to lower watertables, and further research on this is warranted. This work found a consistent response for river styles across the two study catchments. Based on the understanding of river response and the potential for vegetation-based river management for each style, this research offers a regional-scale tool for river management in a saline landscape.

Alternative grazing systems and pasture types for wool production in the south west of Western Australia were analysed using bio-economic modelling techniques in order to determine their relative productivity and profitability. After reviewing the experimental and modelling literature on perennial pastures and grazing systems, seven case studies of farmers were conducted in order to investigate the practical application of innovative grazing systems and use of perennial pastures. Together these case studies provided information for identifying relevant variables and for calibrating the modelling work which followed. The core of the work lies in a bio-economic model for investigating the comparative value of the three grazing systems and two pasture families mentioned above. A baseline scenario using currently available and reliable scientific data provides baseline results, after which a number of sensitivity analyses provide further insights using variations of four key parameters: persistence, heterogeneity, water soluble carbohydrates, and increased losses. Results show that perennial pastures are in the studied region more profitable than annual pastures. Under current baseline conditions, continuous grazing with perennial pastures is the most profitable enterprise, but this superiority is not robust under parameter variations defined by other scenarios. The more robust solution in terms of enterprise profitability is cell grazing with perennial pastures. The results indicate that intensive grazing systems such as cell grazing have the potential to substantially increase the profitability of grazing operations on perennial pasture. This result is an encouraging one in light of its implications for water uptake and salinity control. It means that economics and land care can go hand in hand, rather than be competitive. It is to be noted that it is the choice of the grazing system in combination with the pasture species, rather then the pasture species itself, that allows for such complementarity between economics and sustainable land use. This research shows that if farmers adopt practices such as cell grazing they may be able to increase the area that they can profitably plant to perennial pasture thus reducing the impacts of dryland salinity. This finding is consistent with the findings of the case studies where the farmers perceived that, provided grazing was planned, increasing the intensity of their grazing management and the perenniallity of their pastures would result in an increase in the profitability of their grazing operation. As a result this research helps to bridge a gap which has existed in this area of research, between the results of scientific research and those reported in practice.

[Truncated abstract] Currently, Alcoa World Alumina Australia (Alcoa) mines and undertakes procedures to rehabilitate approximately 550 ha of jarrah forest each year at two open-cut bauxite mines in South-West Western Australia. Alcoa aims to establish a self-sustaining jarrah forest ecosystem that maintains the functions of the landscape prior to mining, including biodiversity, on areas that have been mined for bauxite. Indigenous terrestrial orchids form a significant proportion of the indigenous geophytic plant species that either fail to colonise rehabilitated areas or do so very slowly. Terrestrial orchids are considered to be particularly sensitive to competition from weeds and disturbance, which combined with the obligate nature of the orchid-mycorrhizal fungus association suggests that orchids would colonise rehabilitation areas only when both microhabitat sites and soil microflora have established. Occurrence of certain orchids may therefore be expected to be useful as indicators of ecosystem health, the success of vegetation establishment and the recovery of edaphic conditions suitable for orchid mycorrhizal fungi. Vegetation surveys were undertaken to compare orchid species richness and population size of a chrono-sequence of rehabilitation areas with adjacent unmined forest. ... Orchid taxa present in each vegetation assemblage were generally not exclusive to these assemblages, with the following broad exclusions: D. bracteata was found only in species assemblages associated with rehabilitation areas; and Eriochilus sp. and T. crinita were found only in species assemblages associated with unmined forest. No single orchid species appears to be an indicator of ecosystem recovery. However, the presence of populations of C. flava, P. sp. crinkled leaf (G.J.Keighery 13426) or P. recurva in combination with the absence of the disturbance opportunist orchid taxa D. bracteata and M. media appears to be a measure of the maturity of the rehabilitation vegetation. Orchid species richness and clonal orchid population size were correlated with changes in vegetation structure, but apart from the absence of orchids in 1 year old rehabilitation areas, these orchid population characteristics did not show any direct relationship with rehabilitation age or vegetation maturity. Only two orchid taxa appeared to have potential as indicators of vegetation characteristics: T. crinita as an indicator of undisturbed jarrah forest; and D. bracteata as an indicator of disturbed ecosystems. The results of this study suggest that most jarrah forest orchid taxa will readily colonise the post bauxite mining landscape, but that the unassisted colonisation by recalcitrant orchid taxa may be a prolonged process. It is recommended that field-based transplantation and/or seeding trials be undertaken with these recalcitrant taxa to determine if these procedures will enhance recruitment. The results of this work have applications not only in the management of post-mining landscapes but also in vegetation monitoring and conservation work in Western Australia and elsewhere.

Bauxite mining is a major activity in the jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata Donn ex Sm.) forest of south-western Australia. After mining, poor tree growth can occur in some areas. This thesis aimed to determine whether soil constraints, including reduced depth and compaction, were responsible for poor tree growth at low-quality restored bauxite mines. In particular, this study determined the response of jarrah root morphology, leaf-scale physiology and growth/development to soil constraints at two contrasting (low-quality and high-quality) restored bauxite-mine sites. Jarrah root excavations at a low-quality restored site revealed that deep-ripping equipment failed to penetrate the cemented lateritic subsoil, causing coarse roots to be restricted to the top 0.5 m of the soil profile, resulting in fewer and smaller jarrah trees. An adjacent area within the same mine pit (high-quality site) had a kaolinitic clay subsoil, which coarse roots were able to penetrate to the average ripping depth of 1.5 m. Impenetrable subsoil prevented development of taproots at the low-quality site, with trees instead producing multiple lateral and sinker roots. Trees in riplines, made by deep-ripping, at the high-quality site accessed the subsoil via a major taproot, while those on crests developed large lateral and sinker roots. Bauxite mining is a major activity in the jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata Donn ex Sm.) forest of south-western Australia. After mining, poor tree growth can occur in some areas. This thesis aimed to determine whether soil constraints, including reduced depth and compaction, were responsible for poor tree growth at low-quality restored bauxite mines. In particular, this study determined the response of jarrah root morphology, leaf-scale physiology and growth/development to soil constraints at two contrasting (low-quality and high-quality) restored bauxite-mine sites. Jarrah root excavations at a low-quality restored site revealed that deep-ripping equipment failed to penetrate the cemented lateritic subsoil, causing coarse roots to be restricted to the top 0.5 m of the soil profile, resulting in fewer and smaller jarrah trees. An adjacent area within the same mine pit (high-quality site) had a kaolinitic clay subsoil, which coarse roots were able to penetrate to the average ripping depth of 1.5 m. Impenetrable subsoil prevented development of taproots at the low-quality site, with trees instead producing multiple lateral and sinker roots. Trees in riplines, made by deep-ripping, at the high-quality site accessed the subsoil via a major taproot, while those on crests developed large lateral and sinker roots.

Fewer than 200 fish species are found in freshwater habitats in Australia, of which 144 are confined exclusively to freshwater. At least 22 species of exotic freshwater fish have been introduced into Australia, and 19 of these have established self-sustaining populations. However, the parasite fauna of both native and exotic freshwater fishes in Australia is poorly known. This is particularly the case in the south-west of Western Australia, where there have been no previous comprehensive studies of the parasites of 14 native species and nine or more exotic species of fish found in freshwater habitats. This study represents a survey of the parasites of freshwater fishes in the South West Coast Drainage Division and reports 44 putative species of parasites in 1429 individual fishes of 18 different species (12 native and six exotic) from 29 locations. Parasites were found in 327 (22.88%) fishes, and of the infected fishes, 200 (61.16%) were infected with only one species of parasite and 127 (38.84%) were infected with two or more species of parasites. For helminth and arthropod parasites, which were more comprehensively surveyed than protozoan and myxozoans, I found 37 species compared to 77 species found in a recent study of fishes from the East Coast Drainage Division. The present study demonstrated that parasitic infection was significantly more common in native fish species (mean prevalence of infection with any species of parasite = 0.36 ± 0.09) than in exotic fish species (0.01 ± 0.12). Parasites were found in all native fish species, but in only two exotic fish species that were examined. Parasite regional and component community diversity were estimated by species richness (the number of species, S) and by an index of taxonomic diversity (HT). Both parasite species richness and parasite taxonomic diversity were significantly greater in native fish species (mean S = 10.5 ± 2.3; mean HT = 1.19 ± 0.14) than in exotic fish species (mean S = 1.6 ± 3.3; mean HT = 0.27 ± 0.20). These relationships were consistent over all geographic locations that were sampled. The reduced parasite load of exotic species compared to native species has been previous reported across a wide range of taxa. It is thought to arise partly because founding populations of hosts have a low probability of harbouring the species’ total parasite fauna, and partly because parasites that infect introduced exotic species may not be able to maintain their life cycle in the new environment. It has been suggested that a reduced parasite load increases the competitive ability of exotic species compared to native species (the parasite release hypothesis) and this may partly explain the abundance and apparent competitive success of exotic over native species of freshwater fish in the South West Coast Drainage Division. For native species of fish, there were major differences among species in both prevalence of parasitic infection and parasite community diversity, but this variation was not related to fish size, whether the fish were primarily freshwater or primarily estuarine, or whether they were primarily demersal or pelagic. In this study, I report two new parasites in south western Australian waters. Both are copepod parasites; Lernaea cyprinacea and a new species of Dermoergasilus. The Dermoergasilus appears to be native to the south-west of Western Australia and has been described as Dermoergasilus westernensis. It differs from previously described species in the genus principally by the armature of the legs. This new species was found on the gills of freshwater cobbler, Tandanus bostocki and western minnow, Galaxias occidentalis in two different river systems. Lernaea cyprinacea is an introduced parasitic copepod found on the skin and gills of freshwater fishes in many areas of the world. The parasite has not previously been reported in Western Australia. We found infestations of L. cyprinacea on four native fish species (G. occidentalis; Edelia vittata; Bostockia porosa; T. bostocki) and three introduced fish species (Carassius auratus; Gambusia holbrooki; Phalloceros caudimaculatus) at two localities in the Canning River, in the south-west of Western Australia. The parasite has the potential to have serious pathogenic effects on native fish species, although it appears to be currently localised to a small section of the Canning River. Over all localities from which fishes were sampled in the present study, the proportion of native freshwater fishes with parasitic infections and the component community diversity of the parasite fauna of native fishes were both negatively related to habitat disturbance, in particular to a suite of factors (river regulation, loss of riparian vegetation, eutrophication and presence of exotic fish species) that indicate increased human usage of the river and surrounding environment. The reduced parasite load and diversity in native fishes from south-west rivers with greater human usage was due principally to the loss of a number of species of trematode, cestode and nematode endoparasites which use fishes as intermediate hosts. Other studies have also found that endoparasites with complex life cycles are most likely to be adversely affected by environmental changes, presumably because any environmental changes which impact on either free-living parasite stages or on any of the hosts in the complex train of parasite transmission will reduce parasite population size and may cause local extinction of the parasite species. The most heavily infected species of native freshwater fish in the South West Coast Drainage Division was T. bostocki with 96% of all individuals containing at least one species of parasite. As with most freshwater fishes of south-west Australia, T. bostocki is limited in its distribution to waterways with relatively low salinity. The degree of parasitism and histopathology of internal and external organs in T. bostocki from the Blackwood River was examined over a period of rapid, seasonal changes in water salinity. As salinity increased, the infracommunity richness and prevalence of ectoparasites on the skin of fishes decreased, while the infracommunity richness and prevalence of endoparasites increased. This was associated with a decrease in histopathological lesion scores in the skin and an increase in histopathological lesion scores in internal organs, particularly the intestine. I hypothesise that the seasonal spike in salinity had two contrasting effects on parasitic infections of T. bostocki. Firstly, it increased the mortality rate of parasites directly exposed to water, leading to a decrease in ectoparasitic infection and associated pathology. Secondly, it suppressed immune function in fish, leading to a decreased mortality rate of parasites not directly exposed to water and a more severe pathological response to endoparasitism.

Fewer than 200 fish species are found in freshwater habitats in Australia, of which 144 are confined exclusively to freshwater. At least 22 species of exotic freshwater fish have been introduced into Australia, and 19 of these have established self-sustaining populations. However, the parasite fauna of both native and exotic freshwater fishes in Australia is poorly known. This is particularly the case in the south-west of Western Australia, where there have been no previous comprehensive studies of the parasites of 14 native species and nine or more exotic species of fish found in freshwater habitats. This study represents a survey of the parasites of freshwater fishes in the South West Coast Drainage Division and reports 44 putative species of parasites in 1429 individual fishes of 18 different species (12 native and six exotic) from 29 locations. Parasites were found in 327 (22.88%) fishes, and of the infected fishes, 200 (61.16%) were infected with only one species of parasite and 127 (38.84%) were infected with two or more species of parasites. For helminth and arthropod parasites, which were more comprehensively surveyed than protozoan and myxozoans, I found 37 species compared to 77 species found in a recent study of fishes from the East Coast Drainage Division. The present study demonstrated that parasitic infection was significantly more common in native fish species (mean prevalence of infection with any species of parasite = 0.36 ± 0.09) than in exotic fish species (0.01 ± 0.12). Parasites were found in all native fish species, but in only two exotic fish species that were examined. Parasite regional and component community diversity were estimated by species richness (the number of species, S) and by an index of taxonomic diversity (HT). Both parasite species richness and parasite taxonomic diversity were significantly greater in native fish species (mean S = 10.5 ± 2.3; mean HT = 1.19 ± 0.14) than in exotic fish species (mean S = 1.6 ± 3.3; mean HT = 0.27 ± 0.20). These relationships were consistent over all geographic locations that were sampled. The reduced parasite load of exotic species compared to native species has been previous reported across a wide range of taxa. It is thought to arise partly because founding populations of hosts have a low probability of harbouring the species’ total parasite fauna, and partly because parasites that infect introduced exotic species may not be able to maintain their life cycle in the new environment. It has been suggested that a reduced parasite load increases the competitive ability of exotic species compared to native species (the parasite release hypothesis) and this may partly explain the abundance and apparent competitive success of exotic over native species of freshwater fish in the South West Coast Drainage Division. For native species of fish, there were major differences among species in both prevalence of parasitic infection and parasite community diversity, but this variation was not related to fish size, whether the fish were primarily freshwater or primarily estuarine, or whether they were primarily demersal or pelagic. In this study, I report two new parasites in south western Australian waters. Both are copepod parasites; Lernaea cyprinacea and a new species of Dermoergasilus. The Dermoergasilus appears to be native to the south-west of Western Australia and has been described as Dermoergasilus westernensis. It differs from previously described species in the genus principally by the armature of the legs. This new species was found on the gills of freshwater cobbler, Tandanus bostocki and western minnow, Galaxias occidentalis in two different river systems. Lernaea cyprinacea is an introduced parasitic copepod found on the skin and gills of freshwater fishes in many areas of the world. The parasite has not previously been reported in Western Australia. We found infestations of L. cyprinacea on four native fish species (G. occidentalis; Edelia vittata; Bostockia porosa; T. bostocki) and three introduced fish species (Carassius auratus; Gambusia holbrooki; Phalloceros caudimaculatus) at two localities in the Canning River, in the south-west of Western Australia. The parasite has the potential to have serious pathogenic effects on native fish species, although it appears to be currently localised to a small section of the Canning River. Over all localities from which fishes were sampled in the present study, the proportion of native freshwater fishes with parasitic infections and the component community diversity of the parasite fauna of native fishes were both negatively related to habitat disturbance, in particular to a suite of factors (river regulation, loss of riparian vegetation, eutrophication and presence of exotic fish species) that indicate increased human usage of the river and surrounding environment. The reduced parasite load and diversity in native fishes from south-west rivers with greater human usage was due principally to the loss of a number of species of trematode, cestode and nematode endoparasites which use fishes as intermediate hosts. Other studies have also found that endoparasites with complex life cycles are most likely to be adversely affected by environmental changes, presumably because any environmental changes which impact on either free-living parasite stages or on any of the hosts in the complex train of parasite transmission will reduce parasite population size and may cause local extinction of the parasite species. The most heavily infected species of native freshwater fish in the South West Coast Drainage Division was T. bostocki with 96% of all individuals containing at least one species of parasite. As with most freshwater fishes of south-west Australia, T. bostocki is limited in its distribution to waterways with relatively low salinity. The degree of parasitism and histopathology of internal and external organs in T. bostocki from the Blackwood River was examined over a period of rapid, seasonal changes in water salinity. As salinity increased, the infracommunity richness and prevalence of ectoparasites on the skin of fishes decreased, while the infracommunity richness and prevalence of endoparasites increased. This was associated with a decrease in histopathological lesion scores in the skin and an increase in histopathological lesion scores in internal organs, particularly the intestine. I hypothesise that the seasonal spike in salinity had two contrasting effects on parasitic infections of T. bostocki. Firstly, it increased the mortality rate of parasites directly exposed to water, leading to a decrease in ectoparasitic infection and associated pathology. Secondly, it suppressed immune function in fish, leading to a decreased mortality rate of parasites not directly exposed to water and a more severe pathological response to endoparasitism.

Rhizanthella gardneri (Rogers) is a critically endangered orchid restricted to two isolated regions of south-western Australia. Rhizanthella gardneri is an entirely subterranean mycoheterotrophic species that purportedly forms a tripartite relationship with a mycorrhizal fungus (Ceratobasidiales) that links with an autotrophic shrub of the Melaleuca uncinata complex to acquire nutrients. Whether the rarity of R. gardneri is intrinsic is overshadowed by the recent effect of extrinsic factors that means R. gardneri requires some form of conservation and may also be a viable candidate for restoration. To create an integrated conservation strategy for R. gardneri, reasons for its decline and knowledge of its biological and ecological functioning must be elucidated. This thesis focuses on three key questions; 1) what are the habitat requirements and limitations to R. gardneri survival; 2) what is the identity and specificity of the fungus R. gardneri forms mycorrhizas with; and 3) does R. gardneri form a nutrient-sharing tripartite relationship with a mycorrhizal fungus and autotrophic shrub. Key climate, soil and vegetation characteristics of known R. gardneri habitats were quantified to provide baseline data for monitoring known R. gardneri populations, to better understand how R. gardneri interacts with its habitat, and to identify possible new sites for R. gardneri introduction. Habitats of the two known R. gardneri populations differed considerably in soil chemistry, Melaleuca structure and Melaleuca productivity. Individual sites within populations were relatively similar in all attributes measured while overall Northern and Southern habitats were distinct from each other. These results suggest that R. gardneri can tolerate a range of conditions and may be more widespread than previously thought, given that there are extensive areas of Melaleuca thickets with similar habitat characteristics across south-western Australia. The fungus forming mycorrhizas with R. gardneri was identified, using nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences, as a Rhizoctonia-type fungus within the Ceratobasidiales. All fungi isolated from R. gardneri individuals representative of its currently known distribution were genetically similar, suggesting R. gardneri is highly dependent on this specific fungal species. Given that R. gardneri appears to exclusively associate with a specific fungal species, species-specific molecular primers were designed and used to analyse the fungi’s presence in known and potential R. gardneri habitats. These results 6 suggest that the fungus exists beyond the known R. gardneri habitats and gives hope to finding new populations.

[Truncated abstract] Spatial structuring of genetic variation is commonly observed in plant species due to limited dispersal and local adaptation. Intraspecific genetic variation has significant implications for ecological restoration because the source of seed or plants influences patterns of gene flow, and may affect performance if there is adaptive divergence among source populations. This study assessed quantitative trait variation, local adaptation and molecular variation within three common, widespread, long-lived forest tree species from south-western Australia to understand the distribution of intraspecific genetic variation and predict the consequences of seed transfer for restoration. The geographic distribution of quantitative trait variation of jarrah Eucalyptus marginata was assessed through measurement of 15-year-old trees grown in a provenance trial. Survival of trees from the northern jarrah forest was significantly higher than that of trees from southern jarrah forest provenances, where mean annual rainfall is much higher, but stem diameter at breast height (d.b.h.) of southern jarrah forest trees was greater, implying faster growth. D.b.h. of trees from within the northern jarrah forest also exhibited a positive relationship with mean annual rainfall, with maximum d.b.h. observed in trees from provenances in the high rainfall zone. These patterns may reflect selection for faster growth under high rainfall conditions or environmentally-induced parental effects. The percentage of trees bearing buds and flowers varied among latitudinal divisions. ... Neither genetic variation within nor among populations of any species could explain variation of emergence and establishment in reciprocal transplant trials. Collectively, the findings of this study suggest structuring of genetic variation in these species at a broad, rather than a very local, scale. This is expected for widespread, long-lived species, where extensive gene flow and temporal variation are likely to favour high within, relative to among, population genetic variation. However, there is evidence that the source of seed may have a significant influence on the success of restoration of these species, whether as a result of genetic variation among populations or due to other factors affecting seed quality. These results highlight the importance of integrating studies of molecular and adaptive trait variation when seeking to understand the causes and consequences of genetic variation within plant species and contribute to the development of seed sourcing practices for improved restoration success.

Field measurements and numerical modelling of the shallow coastal waters offshore in south-western Australia were used to describe changes in the water column's vertical structure and the biological response on temporal scales of the order of hours and days. A cycle of chlorophyll a concentration, primary production, and photosystem II function on a diel timescale, which was related to changes in the solar irradiance and thermal structure, was identified. The diel cycle included (1) vertically well-mixed (or weakly linear) conditions in density and chlorophyll a early in the morning, resulting from vertical mixing through penetrative overnight convection; (2) depleted chlorophyll a concentration in the surface layer during the middle of the day due to photoinhibition; (3) an increased chlorophyll a concentration in the bottom layer by late afternoon due to optimum light conditions; and (4) the formation of a chlorophyll a break point (CBP) at the thermocline, which migrated downwards with the deepening surface mixed layer. On a longer timescale (days), moored acoustic instruments were used to derive echo level (EL), which approximated suspended particulate matter (SPM). Wind events ultimately controlled SPM, a conclusion based on (1) elevated EL during high windgenerated turbulence and bed shear stress, (2) positive time-lagged correlations between wind speed and EL at three field sites with different exposures to wave action, and (3) significant negative correlations between wind speed and depth-differentiated echo level (d(EL)/dz) at all sites. Sea breezes produced a similar response in EL through the water column to a small storm event, and wind-driven SPM resuspension resulted in a reduction in the sub-surface light climate (kd). Near-bed dissolved oxygen concentrations varied in accord with elevated wind speeds, EL and kd, highlighting a possible suppression of photosynthesis. One-dimensional modelling revealed that wind stirring was most often the dominant process in these waters. It was found that for a brief period during thermal stratification there was shear production of turbulent instabilities that migrated from the thermocline to the surface and the seabed. Convective cooling was not able to mix the water column entirely overnight without the addition of wind, and minimum wind speeds were determined for this complete vertical mixing. Bottom-generated turbulence was limited to a small region above the bed, and was deemed insignificant compared with mixing generated at the surface. Minimum wind speeds required for de-stratification and prevention of stratification were determined for summer, autumn and winter. A hypothetical desalination outfall was simulated for all seasons and it was concluded that positioning of the discharge at middepth was preferable compared to at the seabed. The results of this thesis advance the current knowledge of coastal biophysical oceanography and provide new insights into the temporal dynamics of the coastal water column of south-western Australia.

Generalist herbivores profoundly influence the biomass and species composition of macroalgae assemblages. In subtidal ecosystems of temperate latitudes, large invertebrates are usually the most influential herbivores. I tested the prediction that exclusion of invertebrate herbivores would lead to changes in the biomass and species composition of the macroalgae assemblages that are a prominent feature of the reefs in south-western Australia. The most abundant invertebrate herbivores were sea urchins (Heliocidaris erythrogramma, Phyllacanthus irregularis and Centrostephanus tenuispinus), and these occupied different trophic positions. Heliocidaris was present at virtually all reefs surveyed, and was particularly abundant in the Fremantle region. Analyses of stable isotopes and direct observations of gut contents revealed that it was almost exclusively herbivorous, and that it mainly ate foliose brown algae. In contrast, Phyllacanthus and Centrostephanus were omnivorous; while they consumed large proportions of algae, a substantial proportion of the diet of both species was animal tissue. Because Heliocidaris is a generalist herbivore that occurs at high densities, it could exert a large influence on the macroalgae assemblage. This prediction was tested by a series of press experiments. Contrary to the prediction, Heliocidaris exerted a very minor influence on the biomass, and no detectable influence on the species composition, of attached macroalgae. However, it exerted a major influence on the retention of drift macroalgae and seagrass by trapping and feeding on drift. It exerted a particularly strong influence on retention of the kelp Ecklonia radiata. This kelp was not abundant in the attached algae assemblage (when all plots were pooled it ranked 35th in biomass), but was abundant as drift (ranking 1st). Most of the drift Ecklonia was retained by sea urchins, rather than freely drifting.Herbivorous fish may also influence macroalgae assemblages. To compare the effects of sea urchins versus fish on recruiting and adult macroalgae a 13-month exclusion experiment was conducted. There were no detectable effects of sea urchins (mainly Heliocidaris) on either recruiting or adult macroalgae. There were some patterns in the biomass of recruiting algae consistent with an influence by herbivorous fish; however, these patterns were also consistent with the presence of artefacts (shading and reduced water flow) by fish exclusion devices. I began with the prediction that large invertebrate herbivores were a major influence on the macroalgae assemblages of subtidal reefs in south-western Australia. Overall, there was little evidence to support this prediction: within spatial extents of tens of square metres and over periods of 1-2 years, only minor effects were detected. However, it remains plausible that herbivores exert an influence over long time periods across large spatial extents in south-western Australia. I propose that trophic subsidies support the comparatively high densities of Heliocidaris that exist at some reefs. I further propose that these subsidies mediate the effects of sea urchins on the attached macroalgae assemblage, and that they might play an important role in energy and nutrient cycling in these nearshore ecosystems.

[Truncated abstract] The role of marine microzooplankton in aquatic food webs has been studied in most regions of the world’s oceans, with the exception of the subtropical/temperate eastern Indian Ocean. This thesis addresses this gap in knowledge by investigating microzooplankton from five stations on a cross continental shelf transect and in two mesoscale features ∼300 km offshore of south west Western Australia. My primary focus was to measure and evaluate microzooplankton community change over space and time and their impact on phytoplankton on a cross shelf transect, sampling five stations from February 2002 December 2004 as part of a large multidisciplinary investigation into the pelagic ecosystem on the shelf (Chapter 2). This transect was named the Two Rocks transect. I also investigated an eddy pair (Chapter 5), which had originated from water in the vicinity of the Two Rocks transect, also undertaken as part of a larger study, investigating biophysical coupling within mesoscale eddies off south west Western Australia . . . The distribution of mixotrophic cells differed across the transect. Those mixotrophs that use photosynthesis as their primarily energy source exploited nutrient limited conditions inshore consuming particles, while mixotrophs that are primarily heterotrophic survived low prey conditions offshore by photosynthesizing. In the eddies, the grazing behaviour of microzooplankton was dependent on the specific phytoplankton assemblage in each eddy. The warm core eddy had a resident population of diatoms that were consumed by heterotrophic dinoflagellates present in high numbers. The cold core eddy had a warm cap which prevented upwelled water reaching the surface, resulting in stratification and a very active microbial food web, particularly in the surface.

While it is now well established that many Europeans were delighted with the landscapes they encountered in colonial Australia, the pioneer narrative that portrays colonists as threatened and alienated by a harsh environment and constantly engaged in battles with the land is still powerful in both scholarly and popular writing. This thesis challenges this dominant narrative and demonstrates that in a remarkably short period of time some colonists developed strong connections with, and even affection for, their 'new' place in Western Australia. Using archival materials for twenty-one colonists who settled in five regions across southern Western Australia from the 1830s to the early 1900s, here this complex process of belonging is unravelled and several key questions are posed: what lenses did the colonists utilise to view the land? How did they use and manage the land? How were issues of class, domesticity and gender roles negotiated in their 'new' environment? What connections did they make with the land? And ultimately, to what extent did they feel a sense of belonging in the Colony? I argue that although utilitarian approaches to the land are evident, this was not the only way colonists viewed the land; for example, they often used the picturesque to express delight and charm. Gender roles and ideas of class were modified as men, as well as women, worked in the home and planted flower gardens, and both men and women carried out tasks that in their households in England and Ireland, would have been done by servants. Thus, the demarcation of activities that were traditionally for men, women and servants became less distinct and amplified their connection to place. Boundaries between the colonists' domestic space and the wider environments also became more permeable as women ventured beyond their houses and gardens to explore and journey through the landscapes. The selected colonists had romantic ideas of nature and wilderness, that in the British middle and upper-middle class were associated with being removed from the land, but in colonial Western Australia many of them were intimately engaged with it. Through their interactions with the land and connections they made with their social networks, most of these colonists developed an attachment for their 'new' place and called it home; they belonged there.

This thesis sets out to test the hypothesis that the vegetational patterns in the forested region of south western Australia are primarily determined by the interaction of climate and landform. The region is an area of 4.25 million hectares subject to recent agreement between the Commonwealth of '4ustralia and the state of Western Australia regarding long-term protection and management of forest (Regional Forest Agreement). The climate of the South Western forest region is warm temperate and summer dry, matching Koeppen's category Cs, usually described as mediterranean. The dominant geological features of South Western Australia are crystalline and sedimentary plateaus and coastal plains. They are subject to a complex process of weathering, denudation and re-deposition, which is the key determinant of landforms and soil patterns. Deep but infertile soils are prevalent. The dominant vegetation formation of the region is open forest, which reduces to woodland in the drier north and east and increases to tall open forest in the moister south. Floristically the vegetation is very rich, comprising over 3000 vascular plant species. The richness resides in the forest and woodland understorey and in the shrublands, heathlands and sedgelands of edaphically extreme sites. By comparison, the forest overstorey is very simple, only one or two species being often dominant over extensive areas. The validation of the hypothesis that climate and landforms determine the vegetation patterns in South Western Australia is carried out in the following stages: 1) review of past studies of vegetation patterns in relation to the underlying environmental factors, relating them to one another in terms of floristics, 2) conversion of landform and climate maps for the region into vegetation maps by means of toposequences, that is gradients of topography, soils and vegetation within individual landform/climate combinations, 3) production of two sets of vegetation maps, namely six maps of vegetation complexes (1:250,000) and one map of vegetation systems (1:500,000), 4) testing the predictive capability of the resulting maps by comparing the occurrences of individual species of trees, shrubs and herbs predicted by map legends, with their records in FloraBase, the geographic information system of the Western Australian Herbarium, and 5) using the outcomes of the above studies to assess the validity of the hypothesis. Because the above hypothesis is so broad, it will be considered under seven headings: a) nature of the vegetation patterns (continuum or discrete categories), b) regional effect of climate and local effect of landform, c) effect of landforms on soil depth, texture and fertility, d) joint effect of slope, soil depth and texture on water balance, e) interactive effect of landform and climate on vegetation patterns, f) response of individual species to climate and landform, and g) effect of other factors of environment, such as fire, on vegetation patterns. The subsidiary hypotheses are defined in Chapter 5. It is concluded that the vegetation of the region forms a lumpy continuum from the wet south west to the dry north east. Within that broad continuum there are localised continua from waterlogged sites in depressions to drought-prone sites on steep stony slopes. However, the dominant vegetation of the region is open forest on plateau uplands with deep infertile soils. Although climate and landforms have a strong effect on vegetation patterns, they do not determine all vegetation patterns directly. Some tree species have ranges of occurrence that are too broad for that, and others have ranges that are too restricted. A more probable explanation is that climate and landforms, together with fire, set the stage on which the interplay of species takes place and determines the structure and composition of the vegetation. An attempt is made to predict the likely effect of climatic changes on vegetation patterns. The applicability of the methodology developed to the mapping of other regions, especially the adjacent ones, is examined. A review is made of how the products of the study, in particular the maps, are currently being used, and suggestions are made how they could be used in the future.

[Truncated abstract] Kelp beds of South-Western Australia have high alpha (within habitat) diversity, through high species turnover at small spatial scales. The E. radiata canopy has a strong negative influence on the diversity of the understorey through intense interspecific competition for light. Literature suggests that when the competitively dominant species such as E. radiata are physically removed, diversity will increase, as less competitive species become more abundant. Apart from disturbance, evidence suggests that reef topography at the 1-10 m vertical scale also has an influence on the structure of the kelp beds, particularly in reference to relative abundance of canopy algae and species richness of the assemblage. In this thesis, I explore the role of algal assemblage recovery from physical disturbance to maintain high diversity. I also investigate the influence of reef structure (in terms of topography at the 1-10 m vertical scale) on assemblage recovery. This thesis provides a valuable functional explanation for the high diversity observed in South-Western algal assemblages. In addition, it explores the influence of reef topography which has received little attention to date . . . Overall, this thesis argues that the high alpha diversity in algal assemblages of South-Western Australia is due to local scale processes including disturbance and assemblage recovery which generate diversity by the creation of species rich gap states and by phase-shifts during the recovery process, creating a mosaic of different patch types. Assemblage recovery is composed of several processes, including survival of juvenile kelp sporophytes and canopy shading, added to macroalgal diversity through spatial and temporal variation in their outcomes. Reef topography contributed to algal diversity by influencing the processes associated with assemblage recovery through alteration of key physical variables including light levels and water motion.

Salsola australis is an introduced weed of crop and pasture systems in the Western Australian broad acre cropping and pasture region (wheat-belt). This thesis investigated the classification, biology and ecology of the genus Salsola in southwest Australia, as well as modelling the effectiveness of possible weed control practices. Prior to this research, S. tragus was the only recognised species of the Salsola genus within Australia. However, genetic analysis revealed that four genetically distinct putative taxa of the genus Salsola were found in southwest Australia, none of which were S. tragus. The taxa that is the most prevalent agricultural weed was classified as S. australis, but the other three putative taxa could not be matched to recognised species. All four taxa were diploid (2n = 18), as opposed to tetraploid (2n = 36) S. tragus. Within the agricultural system of southwest Australia, S. australis plants established throughout the year, although the majority of seed production occurred in late summer and autumn. Total seed production (138-7734 seeds per plant) and seed viability (7.6-62.8%) of S. australis were lower than that reported for other agricultural weed species of the Salsola genus. Seed dispersal occurred when the senesced plants broke free of their root system to become mobile. Wind driven plants travelled and shed seed over distances of 1.6 to 1247.2 m. Movement of approximately half the plants was restricted to less than 100 m by entanglement with other S. australis plants within the stand. Some seed was retained on the senesced plants, but the germinability of this seed fell to less than 2% in the two month period following plant senescence (i.e. a decline of 79%). Once seed shed into the soil seed bank, anywhere from 32.3 to 80.7% of the viable seeds germinated in the year following seed production, with the rest remaining dormant or degrading. A model of the life cycle of S. australis based on the population ecology data indicated that the dormant seed bank had very little effect on annual seedling recruitment, but seed dispersal from neighbouring populations had a large impact on population growth rate. Therefore, the most successful weed control measures were those that restricted seed dispersal from neighbouring populations, or those that were applied to all populations in the region rather than to a single population. Weed control techniques applied to a single population, without reducing seed dispersal, could not reduce population size.

[Truncated abstract] In an era of emerging and resurging infectious diseases, understanding the ecological processes that influence pathogen activity and the influences of anthropogenic change to those are critical. Ross River virus (RRV, Togoviridae: Alphavirus) is a mosquito-borne zoonosis occurring in Australia with a significant human disease burden. In the southwest of Western Australia (WA) RRV is principally vectored by Aedes camptorhynchus Thomson (Diptera: Culicidae), which is halophilic. The inland southwest, the Wheatbelt region, of WA is substantially affected by an anthropogenic salinisation of agricultural land called dryland salinity, which threatens to influence transmission of this arbovirus. This study assessed the ecological impacts of dryland salinity on mosquitoes, mammalian hosts and their interactions to influence the potential for RRV transmission. Many aquatic insect taxa colonise ephemeral water bodies directly as adults or by oviposition. Using a manipulative experiment and sampling from ephemeral water bodies in the Wheatbelt, I demonstrated that salinity of water bodies can modify colonisation behaviour and the distribution of some organisms across the landscape. Halosensitive fauna selected less saline mesocosms for oviposition and colonisation. In particular, Culex australicus Dobrotworksy and Drummond and Anopheles annulipes Giles (Diptera: Culicidae), potential competitors with Ae. camptorhynchus, avoided ovipostion in saline mesocosms and water bodies in the field. This finding suggests salinity influences behaviour and may reduce interspecific interactions between these taxa and Ae. camptorhynchus at higher salinities. Using extensive field surveys of ephemeral water bodies in the Wheatbelt I found mosquitoes frequently colonised ephemeral water bodies, responded positively to rainfall, and populated smaller water bodies more densely than larger water bodies. The habitat characteristics of ephemeral water bodies changed in association with salinity. Consequently there were both direct and indirect associations between salinity and colonising mosquitoes. Ultimately the structure of mosquito assemblages changed with increasing salinity, favouring an increased regional distribution and abundance of Ae. camptorhynchus. The direct implication of this result is secondary salinisation has enhanced the vectorial potential for RRV transmission in the WA Wheatbelt. ... This thesis contributes to an emerging body of research aimed at delineating important ecological processes which determine transmission of infections disease. Collectively the findings in this study suggest dryland salinity enhances the potential for RRV activity in the Wheatbelt. Currently, human RRV notifications in the Wheatbelt do not reflect the salinity-RRV transmission potential in that area, but appear to be associated with dispersal of RRV from the enzootic coastal zone of southwest WA. I speculate dryland salinity is a determinant of potential for RRV transmission, but not activity. Dryland salinity is predicted to undergo a two to four fold expansion by 2050, which will increase the regional potential for RRV activity. Preservation and restoration of freshwater ecosystems may ameliorate the potential for transmission of RRV and, possibly, human disease incidence.

[Truncated abstract] One of the standard ways of assessing time since death is from the stages of decomposition of the body. It is well known that the rate of decomposition is affected by environmental factors such as temperature and humidity. Another factor that can affect decompositional rates is the presence of breaches in the protective barrier of the skin, whether arising from antemortem injury or postmortem damage, including that occurring from animal necrophagy. Scavengers have the potential to affect decomposition by breaching the skin allowing access to associated insect material, feeding on the maggot masses, or by consumption of the carcass itself. Each locality will have its own set of features determining the rate of decomposition of the body, and variation may occur within localities based on the seasons. Such variation implies the need for local calibration of time since death against degree of decomposition and to establish the magnitude of interseasonal variation. When the localities are outdoors, the influence of potential scavengers, and the factors affecting their activity need also to be taken into account. This study investigates the interaction of environmental factors and animal scavenging on the rate of decomposition of pig (Sus scrofa) carcasses at four south-west Western Australia sites; Jandakot, Shenton Park, Perup Forest, and Watheroo National Park. Jandakot and Shenton Park are both close to the Perth metropolitan area and the western coast while Perup Forest is southern and inland and Watheroo is northern and inland. ... The most common insectivore feeding in relation to the carcasses was the Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) which was associated with the carcasses in all seasons and all locations except for Perup Forest. The breeding cycle appeared to have a marked influence on the intensity of scavenging by several species. The effect of season on decompositional rates was greatly reduced in carcasses that were exposed to scavenging. It took no additional time for carcasses to achieve skeletonization in winter than in the other seasons in the presence of scavenging. Scavenging had no significant impact on the rate of breakdown of carcasses in summer, when decompositional rates were greatest and scavenging at a minimum. v In Western Australia, it is not uncommon for bodies to remain undiscovered in bush environments for lengthy periods of time due to the low human population density. This study shows conclusively that it is not sufficient simply to consider the accumulated degree day (ADD) when estimating time since death by the degree of decomposition of the body. Attention must also be given to local wildlife assemblages and variations in their activities with the seasons. The implications of this research are in the determination of time of death. If the effects of scavengers accelerate decomposition this must be taken into account when any calculation since time of death is determined. The marked variations between sites in the rates of decomposition of carcasses exposed to natural animal scavenging in this study highlights the need for local calibration of time since death to decompositional stages for all locales. The techniques devised in this study are straight forward and easily conducted yet are informative and essential in determining time since death for bodies which have been exposed to animal scavenging.

Increased groundwater usage, rainfall decline and activities such as mining have resulted in the acidification of certain wetlands in the south-west of Western Australia. This study investigated the influence of pH, the factor most commonly associated with acidification, on the invertebrate and diatom community structure of 20 wetlands in the south-west region of Western Australia. Few studies in Western Australia have investigated both biotic groups, particularly in relation to pH. Consequently, this study examined the comparative sensitivity of the two biotic groups to pH in order to identify the most effective biotic tool for assessing the ecological impacts of pH decrease. The wetlands included in this study displayed a wide range of pH from acidic (pH < 6.5) to alkaline (pH > 7.5). Other environmental parameters were also variable. Separation of the wetlands into three pH groups; Group 1 – acidic, Group 2 – circumneutral and Group 3 – alkaline, demonstrated that the acidic Group 1 wetlands generally had higher electrical conductivity than the remaining groups. This was probably due to the association of many Group 1 sites with mining and acid sulphate soils. Seasonal trends in environmental variables across the three pH groups were mostly unclear although some trends were evident within the individual pH groups. The study showed that invertebrate community structure differed in response to pH. However, the results also demonstrated that invertebrate distribution patterns were influenced by other factors.
Potential indicator species identified from the study included Macrothrix indistincta and Tanytarsus fuscithorax/semibarbitarsus which were abundant in acidic waters and Alona quadrangularis which was common in circumneutral sites. Taxa such as Calamoecia tasmanica subattenuata were common over a wider range of pH (acidic to circumneutral) but may still have potential to act as indicators of pH decline. Diatom community structure was also shown to be influenced by pH, with the variable identified as a major determinant of diatom distribution patterns. Nitzschia paleaeformis and Navicula aff. cari were generally recorded from acidic wetlands and are potentially useful as indicators of low pH conditions. Brachysira brebissonii and Frustulia magaliesmontana were also identified as species with the potential to indicate pH decline. In contrast, taxa including Gomphonema parvulum, Staurosira construens var. venter and Nitzschia palea were generally associated with moderate to high pH levels. A comparative study of the two biotic groups using multivariate analyses revealed that diatoms were more sensitive to pH than invertebrates. Further investigation with a larger number of environmental variables would be necessary to ascertain the other factors primarily influencing invertebrate community structure. Nonetheless, the findings imply that diatoms and invertebrates differ in their responsiveness to various environmental factors and may provide complementary information on the integrity of a system. Multivariate analyses on an expanded data-set of 40 sites found that pH accounted for the greatest amount of variation in the data and was conducive to the development of a diatom-based pH inference model.
The strongest model was produced using weighted averaging (WA) with classical deshrinking. While the model displayed a high correlation coefficient, the prediction error was also relatively high, probably as a result of the comparatively small and heterogeneous data-set. Incorporation of the data into a larger training set would be likely to improve the predictive ability. Applications for the model include pH reconstructions or use in monitoring programs. The current study has shown that pH is an important variable influencing both invertebrate and diatom community structure in wetlands in the south-west of Western Australia. However, the greater sensitivity of diatoms to pH suggests that they would be the most effective tool for the biological monitoring of pH in wetlands threatened or impacted by acidification. An integrated monitoring program including both diatoms and invertebrates may provide additional information on the impacts of pH decline and the overall integrity of the systems and should be investigated further.

[Truncated abstract] A functional ecosystem is increasingly being recognised as a requirement for health and well being of resident human populations. Clearing of native vegetation for agriculture has left 1.047 million hectares of south-west Western Australia affected by a severe form of environmental degradation, dryland salinity, characterised by secondary soil salinisation and waterlogging. This area may expand by a further 1.7-3.4 million hectares if current trends continue. Ecosystems in saline affected regions display many of the classic characteristics of Ecosystem Distress Syndrome (EDS). One outcome of EDS that has not yet been investigated in relation to dryland salinity is adverse human health implications. This thesis focuses on one such potential adverse health outcome: increased incidence of Ross River virus (RRV), the most common mosquito-borne disease in Australia. Spatial analysis of RRV notifications did not reveal a significant association with dryland salinity. To overcome inherent limitations with notification data, serological RRV antibody prevalence was also investigated, and again no significant association with dryland salinity was detected. However, the spatial scale imposed limited the sensitivity of both studies. ... This thesis represents the first attempt to prospectively investigate the influence of secondary soil salinity on mosquito-borne disease by combining entomological, environmental and epidemiological data. The evidence collected indicates that RRV disease incidence is not currently a significant population health priority in areas affected by dryland salinity despite the dominant presence of Ae. camptorhynchus. Potential limiting factors include; local climatic impact on the seasonal mosquito population dynamics; vertebrate host distribution and feeding behaviour of Ae. camptorhynchus; and the scarce and uneven human population distribution across the region. However, the potential for increased disease risk in dryland salinity affected areas to become apparent in the future cannot be discounted, particularly in light of the increasing extent predicted to develop over coming decades before any benefits of amelioration strategies are observed. Finally, it is important to note that both dryland salinity and salinity induced by irrigation are important forms of environmental degradation in arid and semi-arid worldwide, with a total population of over 400 million people. Potential health risks will of course vary widely across different regions depending on a range of factors specific to the local region and the complex interactions between them. It is therefore not possible to make broad generalisations. The need is highlighted for similar research in other regions and it is contended that an ecosystem health framework provides the necessary basis for such investigations.

This study adapted and developed methods of assessing and modelling biodiversity of butterflies and day-flying moths in habitat fragments, and determined those factors affecting their presence, abundance and species richness in a sample of 46 isolated urban remnants in south-west Western Australia. The specific objectives were to: (i) assess the effectiveness of transect–based sampling to quantify the species richness of habitat fragments; (ii) examine patterns of species richness in habitat fragments and quantify the detectability of each species recorded; (iii) review and rationalize the methods used to fit species–area–habitat models; and (iv) model species incidence, abundance and total richness of butterflies in urban habitat fragments and determine implications and priorities for their conservation.
These objectives were achieved and the principal findings of the research are: (i) The transect method provides an accurate assessment of butterfly species richness in isolates provided that the level of sampling (proportion of area surveyed) is adequate, that sufficient surveys are conducted during the flight season to ensure high levels of detectability, and that surveys are conducted at appropriate times and during suitable weather conditions. Although randomly placed transects are preferable, logistic constraints often dictate the use of existing pathways, roadsides or management tracks – which requires the use of longer transects but is more practical in urban remnants.
(i) The transect method provides an accurate assessment of butterfly species richness in isolates provided that the level of sampling (proportion of area surveyed) is adequate, that sufficient surveys are conducted during the flight season to ensure high levels of detectability, and that surveys are conducted at appropriate times and during suitable weather conditions. Although randomly placed transects are preferable, logistic constraints often dictate the use of existing pathways, roadsides or management tracks – which requires the use of longer transects but is more practical in urban remnants.
(iii) Almost a century of fitting species–area curves has failed to produce agreement on which function is the best model of the relationship. Many of the proposed functions are identical, special cases of others or have arisen from transcription errors. Empirical comparison of these functions requires methods suited to the distribution of species number such as the generalized linear model, method of maximum likelihood and the information-theoretic approach, and proper attention to covariates and their interactions.
(iv) Site area and vegetation condition were the dominant determinants of the presence, abundance and total species richness of resident butterflies and day-active moths in 46 urban habitat fragments in south-west Western Australia. Larger sites with more high quality (undisturbed) vegetation favoured 16 of 20 native species and only one benefited from disturbance. A further nine species not sufficiently widespread or abundant to enable individual analysis were collectively more prevalent in larger sites. Resource quality and quantity dominated the patterns of site occupancy, and increased site connectivity did not favour any species – results consistent with habitat resources, not metapopulation effects, determining current distribution patterns. As expected, the presence of non-resident species was unaffected by site area. The total number of resident species at each site reflected the collective responses of the individual species: increasing with area and declining with vegetation disturbance. The effects of area and vegetation quality were not simply additive: disturbance had a far greater impact on small remnants. This interaction is inconsistent with the area per se hypothesis: in the absence of disturbance there was no evidence of a species–area effect.
This study is the first comprehensive, quantitative assessment of the distribution and ecology of butterflies and day-flying moths in Australian urban habitat fragments and provides a baseline against which future changes in species distributions may be measured. The results have important implications for the conservation of butterflies and day-flying moths in the region. Maintenance of vegetation quality is of paramount importance and is vital in smaller remnants. Large remnants, being less susceptible to local extinctions, will be essential for the persistence of many species. Many functions have been proposed to model the species–area relationship but empirical comparisons have been hindered by methodological problems – this study conducted a re-examination of the relationship and presents an appropriate framework to compare functions. This study is also one of few to demonstrate and quantify the importance of interactions in explaining patterns of species richness and should stimulate future research into the importance of these effects.

[Truncated abstract] Eleven sites, each with the trio of land uses: Eucalyptus globulus plantation, pasture and natural vegetation, representing from the Mediterranean climate, high rainfall region (<550 mm annually) of south-western Australia were investigated to assess medium-term changes in the P-supplying capacity of soils in eucalypt plantations growing on agricultural land. The natural vegetation soils were a benchmark for comparing soil P change since land clearing and development for agriculture. The experimental framework provided an ideal basis for studying changes in P forms since land clearing and fertilization for agriculture and the ensuing conversion to plantations (on an average 9 years ago). Conventional soil P indices measure plant available P that is more relevant to short duration annual crops and pastures. To predict medium-term P availability, P forms were determined using Hedley et al.’s (1982) fractionation scheme and fractions were grouped using the Guo and Youst (1998) criteria into readily, moderately and sparingly available P. The P species were also determined by 31P NMR spectroscopy of 0.5M NaOH-0.1M EDTA extracts. Hedley et al.’s (1982) inorganic P extracted by anion exchange resin and by NaHCO3 are widely considered to be approximations to the actual plant available P. The availability to plants of other P fractions is less certain and this is examined in an experiment to compare the plant availability of various P fractions in soils from fertilized and unfertilized land uses following exhaustive cropping in the glasshouse. The soil texture for the sites studied included coarse sand, loamy sand, clayey sand, and sandy loam. Surface soils (0-10 cm) have pH(CaCl2) in the acidic range (mean 4.4) and there is no significant difference due to differences in land use (P<0.05). The soils are of low EC (1:5 H2O) - 6 mS m-1. There is an almost 5-fold variation in organic C among sites (from 1.4% to 8%) but organic C values did not show any significant effect (P<0.05) of changes in land use. To evaluate the degree of similarity of soils within each triplet set at a site principal component analysis was carried out on those soil chemical⁄mineralogical characteristics that were least likely to be affected by changes in land use practices. This analysis showed good matching of the triplet of sub-sites on the whole, especially for the duo of pasture and plantation land uses. This degree of matching of the trio of land uses was considered while interpreting the effects of land use on the forms and behaviour of soil P, and variations due to various extents of mismatch were mostly addressed using statistical techniques including regression analysis to interpret sub-site difference

The distribution pattern of diatoms from lakes and streams of varying salinity in the south-west of Western Australia was investigated. A total of 95 water bodies were sampled and separated into freshwater (<3 ppt), hyposaline (3-20 ppt), mesosaline (20-50 ppt) and hypersaline (>50 ppt). The south-west and specifically the inland wheatbelt region has been severely influenced by secondary salinisation, due to clearing of native vegetation for agriculture. There has been little research on diatom communities from salt-affected systems, with this data providing the basis for the development of an inference model based on species optima and tolerance limits to salinity. Physico-chemical variables measured from the study sites were collated and assessed. Salinity ranged from freshwater (0.04) to hypersaline (156.80 ppt), and pH ranged from acidic (2.90) to alkaline (10.51). Dissolved oxygen levels were recorded from 1.11 to 18.67 mgL-1, water temperature from 6.30 to 28.10 °C and peripheral vegetation scores from 1 (little or no cover) to 5 (dense cover). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that salinities were significantly higher in standing waters located further inland, compared to flowing waters in high rainfall areas. Hypersaline wetlands displayed significantly lower dissolved oxygen levels, higher water temperatures and reduced peripheral vegetation, compared to freshwaters. The pH of hypersaline sites was also significantly lower, associated with surrounding land use or underlying geology. The data collected provides important baseline information, with implications for aquatic biota.
The community structure of diatoms in relation to varying salinity concentration was explored. An artificial substrate collector (JJ periphytometer) was used to standardise sampling and ensure diatom assemblages were representative of ambient water quality. A total of 217 taxa were identified with the highest diversity observed in freshwater sites (up to 33 species), and limited to less than 15 in hypersaline waters. According to BIOENV, salinity was the key factor influencing diatom community structure. SIMPER analysis found a number of discriminating taxa between salinity ranges, specifically between assemblages from freshwater and hypersaline sites. Taxa such as Achnanthidium minutissimum and Gomphonema parvulum were indicative of freshwaters. In comparison, Amphora coffeaeformis and Nitzschia ovalis were associated with hypersaline water bodies. Diatom community structure was also examined from 20 hypersaline wetlands in the wheatbelt region with varying pH. Characteristic taxa including Amphora coffeaeformis, Hantzschia sp. aff. baltica and Nitzschia ovalis showed a wide tolerance to salinity and pH, or hypersaline acidic conditions. BIOENV analysis found there were no observable differences between diatom assemblages in relation to salinities above 50 ppt and that pH was highly correlated to species composition. The increasing occurrence of acid saline lakes is of concern and is most likely attributable to deep drainage practices and continued use of fertilisers in agricultural areas.
A diatom-based transfer function was developed from the south-west dataset, to document species optima and tolerance limits to salinity. CCA analysis showed that salinity accounted for a significant and independent amount of variation in the diatom data enabling an inference model to be derived. The most successful model was generated using tolerance-downweighted weighted averaging, with a high coefficient of determination and low prediction errors that remained high after jackknifing. The optima of freshwater diatoms were similar to those reported from other regions of the world, although the optima of hypersaline species tended to be higher. Comparatively, the model performed very well, with the potential to be applied in future paleolimnological studies. In conclusion, this study has shown diatoms to be effective biomonitoring tools, providing the basis for future sampling strategies that assess the biodiversity of salt-affected water bodies in Western Australia. Potential indicator species from different salinity ranges were identified and the sensitivity of diatoms allowed for the development of a statistically robust inference model for the south-west. The reported optima and tolerance limits of important taxa may be further explored to evaluate the success of remediation measures implemented for secondary salinised systems in this region.

Following over 100 years of agriculture and continuous phosphorus (P) fertilizer application in the south west of Western Australia, there is a growing risk of P transport from cropping and pasture land to streams. However, soil and landscape factors affecting the likelihood of P losses and of stream water contamination have not yet been assessed for the South coast region of Western Australia. The present investigation was conducted in the Fitzgerald River catchment located ~ 400 km south east of Perth, to identify risk of P losses from agricultural land to streams, through an understanding of how P is retained within complex landscapes and released via surface and subsurface flow paths. The 104,000 ha catchment is in a moderately dissected landscape (average annual rainfall 450 mm) and discharges into the World Heritage listed Fitzgerald Biosphere. The main use of cleared land in the catchment is broad-scale agriculture, primarily winter grain cropping and pasture for livestock. The aim of an initial study was to identify the areas with high soil P concentrations and their relationship to factors such as soil type, topography, management (e.g. fertilizer and manure inputs, and uptake by crops or forage) and how variations in soil P concentrations were related to soil physico-chemical properties, P fertilizer management and landscape position. A wide variation in P concentrations was observed across the catchment, but few of the samples exceeded Colwell extractable P levels of 30 mg/kg in the 0-10 cm layer which is regarded as a critical level for crop and pasture productivity. The western area of the catchment, which was cleared earlier (before 1966) than the eastern area had a greater prevalence of loam soils, and higher Colwell-extractable P concentrations (average)22 mg/kg vs. 13 mg P/kg) due to soil type effects and higher P accumulation over time. Risk of P loss from the east and west of the catchment is expected to vary due to textural and topographic differences and P history (P fertilizer input and uptake by crops). The CaCl2-extractable P in the catchment was negatively correlated with oxalate extractable Fe (Feox) in soils. This suggests that P may be transported as particulate P (PP) on loam and clay soils due to sorption of P on oxides surfaces, while on sand soil leaching losses may be more likely. On loam and clay soils, higher sodicity and the dispersive nature of subsoils may increase the risk of both dissolved P (DP) and PP loss due to the effects on hydraulic conductivity of the profile. Hedley's fractionation scheme was used to quantify P fractions in the order of decreasing lability, viz: resin-P > NaOH-Pi > NaOH-Po > acid-P (H2SO4-P) > residual-P. Surface soil had higher resin and NaOH-Pi, which are regarded as water-soluble and readily exchangeable P forms, respectively and expected to contribute to DP in the runoff losses. The residual P was the largest fraction followed by the hydroxide extractable organic-P fraction (NaOH-Po): the former was positively correlated (r) with clay content, organic carbon (OC) and pyrophosphate extractable Fe and Al (0.48**, 0.61**, 0.69** and 0.58**, P < 0.01). A relatively higher value of NaOH-Po in the subsurface layer and positive correlation with OC (r = 0.45**, P < 0.01) suggests potential mobility of P as soluble organic P in run-off, throughflow and leachate. Phosphorus sorption and its relationship to soil properties was used to assess the potential P release from the catchment soils. Values of P sorption maxima varied from 1111-3333 mg/kg for surface soils and 1010-2917 mg/kg for subsoils. The P sorption isotherms conformed better to the Freundlich equation than the Langmuir equation. A highly significant negative correlation between CaCl2 extractable P and Feox in surface soils (r = -0.65**, P < 0.01) suggests that P was bound to hydrated Fe oxide surfaces and this may determine the concentration and dynamics of loosely bound P equilibrating with leachates and eroded particulate materials. On the other hand, high surface organic matter and the high proportion of total dissolved P in organically bound form may inhibit P sorption on clays and sesquioxides, which would increase P mobility through leaching or runoff losses. The relationship between soil P concentration and degree of P stratification in the top 0-10 cm of soils along five toposequences was examined to predict the effect on runoff P losses. The total Colwell-P content of the 0-10 cm layer of soils in the catchment was very low in comparison to other studies on P losses from agricultural soils, but soils showed higher P concentration at 0-1 cm depth compared to 5-10 cm (average 37 mg/kg vs. 19 mg/kg). The higher extractable P concentration in the 0-1 cm layer will create a greater P mobilization risk in surface runoff and leachate than analysis of the 0-10 cm layer might suggest. Assessment of P risk using the 0-10 cm data would still be reliable as P concentration in the 0-1 cm layer was linearly related (R2 = 0.59) with concentration in the 0-10 cm layer. The sampling at varied soil depths will result in different critical P levels for estimating the risk of P enrichment in runoff. In a glasshouse study with intact soil columns, initial high P concentrations in leachate decreased with leaching events suggesting that macropore flow dominated in initial leaching events changing later to matrix flow. The hydraulic behavior of clay and loam soil below 10 cm depends largely on structure and the type of clay minerals and exchangeable Na. Higher levels of exchangeable Na in the subsoil might increase dispersion of clay particles resulting in low permeability leading to ponding of surface water or lateral movement of water at the interface of sand A and clay B horizons. Lateral water movements increase the risk of P losses in the form of DP, dissolved organic P (DOP) or PP. The P concentration in all the P forms (DRP, DOP and TDP) increased significantly with P rates of application (P < 0.01). The DRP concentration was < 2 mg/l in unfertilized columns but an increase to 11 mg/l was observed with P application at 40 kg P/ha. The higher proportion of DOP relative to DRP and its correlation with TDP indicates that the DOP was the major form of P in leachate. However, the estimation of DOP which was by subtraction of DRP from TDP generally overestimates OP concentration. The TDP load from unfertilized soil was < 0.20 mg/l in runoff and < 2.40 mg/l in throughflow but increased with P application (20, 40 kg P/ha) for both packed box and field studies. Under field conditions, higher P loss was found with broadcast P application compared to drill placement. The higher load of DOP as a proportion of TDP and its significant relationship with TDP in runoff (R2sand = 0.81; R2clay = 0.79) and throughflow (R2sand = 0.94; R2clay = 0.98) in field and box studies also suggests DOP was the major form of P loss from soil. Dissolved OP concentration increased significantly with increase in soluble organic carbon (SOC) in soil solution at 5 cm depth (P < 0.05). Consequently, the amount of organic matter dissolved in soil solution may influence P sorption and mobility. Relatively higher affinity of soil for sorption of DRP compared to DOP might allow DOP to be more mobile through the profile. Higher PP load in clay soil in throughflow indicates subsurface lateral flow along the interface with the horizon of dispersive clay might be an additional risk factor regarding P mobility in clay soils of the catchment. The runoff, throughflow and leachate were dominated by eroded particles of clay and colloidal organic materials. However, the soil solution collected though 0.1 m pores in the Rhizon samplers had a similar dominance of DOP to the < 0.45 jum filtered samples in runoff and throughflow. This reduces the likelihood that the so-called DOP fraction was mostly P associated with PP in the 0.1 to 0.45 jum size fraction. The composition of DOP in soil solution collected through Rhizon samplers (< 0.1 jum) might provide important insights for P mobility since this more effectively excluded PP than in the < 0.45 jum filtrate used for runoff and throughflow samples. The DOP in soil solution (< 0.1 jum) might be associated with fine colloidal compound such as silicates, metallic hydroxides, humic acids, polysaccharides, fulvic acids and proteins. If so, then most, but not all of the DOP fraction would be organically bound. However, this requires verification. In conclusion, soil P levels across the catchment were never very high when assessed in the 0-10 cm layer, but levels in the 0-1 cm layer were more than twice as high. Overall, < 1 % of land area of the upper Fitzgerald River catchment had Colwell-P levels > 30 mg/kg (0-10 cm) and hydrological connection to streams. In addition, another 7 % of land had Colwell-P levels > 15 mg/kg, which appears to be a change point in soils for the release of CaCl2 extractable P. These areas, which are predicted to represent critical source areas of the catchment, need careful management. The high proportions of TDP as DOP in runoff, throughflow and soil solution suggest DOP was the major form of P loss from soil. Phosphorus losses from the catchments are also likely in the form of PP in clay and loam soil but leaching losses are more likely in sand. High exchangeable Na in the subsoil of loam and clay soils increases dispersion of clay particles resulting in low permeability of subsoil and greater lateral P mobility as throughflow at the interface of sand and clay textured horizons. In general, soils of Fitzgerald River catchment had low soil P, but nevertheless significant risk of P loss at Colwell-P > 15 mg/kg. This study provides baseline information for P loss risks in the wheatbelt of WA. Stream water quality monitoring instruments were installed in the upper Fitzgerald River Catchment at 5 stream locations by CSIRO to measure base line concentrations of P. The measured P concentrations were higher than ANZECC trigger values (> 0.05 mg P/l) for management response over the three-year monitoring period (2005-07). Hence this and many other catchments on the south coast and wheatbelt of south west Western Australia need assessment for P loss risks. Previous emphasis in south west Western Australia on P losses from sandy coastal soils under pasture may need to be reconsidered. In the South coast region, cropping land in the medium rainfall zone may still represent a risk of P loss to waterways and risk to water quality. The present study evaluated the risk of P loss based on soil P forms and their mobility. It suggests greater attention needs to be given to the difference between clay and loam soils with dispersive or non-dispersive sub-soils, and to the composition and mobility of DOP. However, a more complete understanding of P loss risks depends on follow-up studies on hydrological flow and connectivity in the upper Fitzgerald River catchment and similar landscapes of south west Western Australia.

Following over 100 years of agriculture and continuous phosphorus (P) fertilizer application in the south west of Western Australia, there is a growing risk of P transport from cropping and pasture land to streams. However, soil and landscape factors affecting the likelihood of P losses and of stream water contamination have not yet been assessed for the South coast region of Western Australia. The present investigation was conducted in the Fitzgerald River catchment located ~ 400 km south east of Perth, to identify risk of P losses from agricultural land to streams, through an understanding of how P is retained within complex landscapes and released via surface and subsurface flow paths. The 104,000 ha catchment is in a moderately dissected landscape (average annual rainfall 450 mm) and discharges into the World Heritage listed Fitzgerald Biosphere. The main use of cleared land in the catchment is broad-scale agriculture, primarily winter grain cropping and pasture for livestock. The aim of an initial study was to identify the areas with high soil P concentrations and their relationship to factors such as soil type, topography, management (e.g. fertilizer and manure inputs, and uptake by crops or forage) and how variations in soil P concentrations were related to soil physico-chemical properties, P fertilizer management and landscape position. A wide variation in P concentrations was observed across the catchment, but few of the samples exceeded Colwell extractable P levels of 30 mg/kg in the 0-10 cm layer which is regarded as a critical level for crop and pasture productivity. The western area of the catchment, which was cleared earlier (before 1966) than the eastern area had a greater prevalence of loam soils, and higher Colwell-extractable P concentrations (average)22 mg/kg vs. 13 mg P/kg) due to soil type effects and higher P accumulation over time. Risk of P loss from the east and west of the catchment is expected to vary due to textural and topographic differences and P history (P fertilizer input and uptake by crops). The CaCl2-extractable P in the catchment was negatively correlated with oxalate extractable Fe (Feox) in soils. This suggests that P may be transported as particulate P (PP) on loam and clay soils due to sorption of P on oxides surfaces, while on sand soil leaching losses may be more likely. On loam and clay soils, higher sodicity and the dispersive nature of subsoils may increase the risk of both dissolved P (DP) and PP loss due to the effects on hydraulic conductivity of the profile. Hedley's fractionation scheme was used to quantify P fractions in the order of decreasing lability, viz: resin-P > NaOH-Pi > NaOH-Po > acid-P (H2SO4-P) > residual-P. Surface soil had higher resin and NaOH-Pi, which are regarded as water-soluble and readily exchangeable P forms, respectively and expected to contribute to DP in the runoff losses. The residual P was the largest fraction followed by the hydroxide extractable organic-P fraction (NaOH-Po): the former was positively correlated (r) with clay content, organic carbon (OC) and pyrophosphate extractable Fe and Al (0.48**, 0.61**, 0.69** and 0.58**, P < 0.01). A relatively higher value of NaOH-Po in the subsurface layer and positive correlation with OC (r = 0.45**, P < 0.01) suggests potential mobility of P as soluble organic P in run-off, throughflow and leachate. Phosphorus sorption and its relationship to soil properties was used to assess the potential P release from the catchment soils. Values of P sorption maxima varied from 1111-3333 mg/kg for surface soils and 1010-2917 mg/kg for subsoils. The P sorption isotherms conformed better to the Freundlich equation than the Langmuir equation. A highly significant negative correlation between CaCl2 extractable P and Feox in surface soils (r = -0.65**, P < 0.01) suggests that P was bound to hydrated Fe oxide surfaces and this may determine the concentration and dynamics of loosely bound P equilibrating with leachates and eroded particulate materials. On the other hand, high surface organic matter and the high proportion of total dissolved P in organically bound form may inhibit P sorption on clays and sesquioxides, which would increase P mobility through leaching or runoff losses. The relationship between soil P concentration and degree of P stratification in the top 0-10 cm of soils along five toposequences was examined to predict the effect on runoff P losses. The total Colwell-P content of the 0-10 cm layer of soils in the catchment was very low in comparison to other studies on P losses from agricultural soils, but soils showed higher P concentration at 0-1 cm depth compared to 5-10 cm (average 37 mg/kg vs. 19 mg/kg). The higher extractable P concentration in the 0-1 cm layer will create a greater P mobilization risk in surface runoff and leachate than analysis of the 0-10 cm layer might suggest. Assessment of P risk using the 0-10 cm data would still be reliable as P concentration in the 0-1 cm layer was linearly related (R2 = 0.59) with concentration in the 0-10 cm layer. The sampling at varied soil depths will result in different critical P levels for estimating the risk of P enrichment in runoff. In a glasshouse study with intact soil columns, initial high P concentrations in leachate decreased with leaching events suggesting that macropore flow dominated in initial leaching events changing later to matrix flow. The hydraulic behavior of clay and loam soil below 10 cm depends largely on structure and the type of clay minerals and exchangeable Na. Higher levels of exchangeable Na in the subsoil might increase dispersion of clay particles resulting in low permeability leading to ponding of surface water or lateral movement of water at the interface of sand A and clay B horizons. Lateral water movements increase the risk of P losses in the form of DP, dissolved organic P (DOP) or PP. The P concentration in all the P forms (DRP, DOP and TDP) increased significantly with P rates of application (P < 0.01). The DRP concentration was < 2 mg/l in unfertilized columns but an increase to 11 mg/l was observed with P application at 40 kg P/ha. The higher proportion of DOP relative to DRP and its correlation with TDP indicates that the DOP was the major form of P in leachate. However, the estimation of DOP which was by subtraction of DRP from TDP generally overestimates OP concentration. The TDP load from unfertilized soil was < 0.20 mg/l in runoff and < 2.40 mg/l in throughflow but increased with P application (20, 40 kg P/ha) for both packed box and field studies. Under field conditions, higher P loss was found with broadcast P application compared to drill placement. The higher load of DOP as a proportion of TDP and its significant relationship with TDP in runoff (R2sand = 0.81; R2clay = 0.79) and throughflow (R2sand = 0.94; R2clay = 0.98) in field and box studies also suggests DOP was the major form of P loss from soil. Dissolved OP concentration increased significantly with increase in soluble organic carbon (SOC) in soil solution at 5 cm depth (P < 0.05). Consequently, the amount of organic matter dissolved in soil solution may influence P sorption and mobility. Relatively higher affinity of soil for sorption of DRP compared to DOP might allow DOP to be more mobile through the profile. Higher PP load in clay soil in throughflow indicates subsurface lateral flow along the interface with the horizon of dispersive clay might be an additional risk factor regarding P mobility in clay soils of the catchment. The runoff, throughflow and leachate were dominated by eroded particles of clay and colloidal organic materials. However, the soil solution collected though 0.1 m pores in the Rhizon samplers had a similar dominance of DOP to the < 0.45 jum filtered samples in runoff and throughflow. This reduces the likelihood that the so-called DOP fraction was mostly P associated with PP in the 0.1 to 0.45 jum size fraction. The composition of DOP in soil solution collected through Rhizon samplers (< 0.1 jum) might provide important insights for P mobility since this more effectively excluded PP than in the < 0.45 jum filtrate used for runoff and throughflow samples. The DOP in soil solution (< 0.1 jum) might be associated with fine colloidal compound such as silicates, metallic hydroxides, humic acids, polysaccharides, fulvic acids and proteins. If so, then most, but not all of the DOP fraction would be organically bound. However, this requires verification. In conclusion, soil P levels across the catchment were never very high when assessed in the 0-10 cm layer, but levels in the 0-1 cm layer were more than twice as high. Overall, < 1 % of land area of the upper Fitzgerald River catchment had Colwell-P levels > 30 mg/kg (0-10 cm) and hydrological connection to streams. In addition, another 7 % of land had Colwell-P levels > 15 mg/kg, which appears to be a change point in soils for the release of CaCl2 extractable P. These areas, which are predicted to represent critical source areas of the catchment, need careful management. The high proportions of TDP as DOP in runoff, throughflow and soil solution suggest DOP was the major form of P loss from soil. Phosphorus losses from the catchments are also likely in the form of PP in clay and loam soil but leaching losses are more likely in sand. High exchangeable Na in the subsoil of loam and clay soils increases dispersion of clay particles resulting in low permeability of subsoil and greater lateral P mobility as throughflow at the interface of sand and clay textured horizons. In general, soils of Fitzgerald River catchment had low soil P, but nevertheless significant risk of P loss at Colwell-P > 15 mg/kg. This study provides baseline information for P loss risks in the wheatbelt of WA. Stream water quality monitoring instruments were installed in the upper Fitzgerald River Catchment at 5 stream locations by CSIRO to measure base line concentrations of P. The measured P concentrations were higher than ANZECC trigger values (> 0.05 mg P/l) for management response over the three-year monitoring period (2005-07). Hence this and many other catchments on the south coast and wheatbelt of south west Western Australia need assessment for P loss risks. Previous emphasis in south west Western Australia on P losses from sandy coastal soils under pasture may need to be reconsidered. In the South coast region, cropping land in the medium rainfall zone may still represent a risk of P loss to waterways and risk to water quality. The present study evaluated the risk of P loss based on soil P forms and their mobility. It suggests greater attention needs to be given to the difference between clay and loam soils with dispersive or non-dispersive sub-soils, and to the composition and mobility of DOP. However, a more complete understanding of P loss risks depends on follow-up studies on hydrological flow and connectivity in the upper Fitzgerald River catchment and similar landscapes of south west Western Australia.

[Truncated abstract] Malva parviflora L. (small-flowered mallow) (Malvaceae) is a common weed of pastures and wastelands and its distribution has increased rapidly throughout Australia during the last decade. Control of M. parviflora with herbicides, such as glyphosate, is often unsatisfactory and changing farming practices, such as minimum tillage, have facilitated its spread. Yet there has been little research on M. parviflora in the past and many aspects of its biology and ecology are unknown. Hence, there exists a need to examine these aspects in order to investigate and develop suitable integrated weed management strategies. Weed identification is the first and probably the most important step in the management of weeds. Here it is shown that the weedy Malva species in Western Australian farming systems is M. parviflora, and not a morphologically similar Malva species or hybrid of two species. A common garden study of 24 populations collected across the agricultural region of south-west Western Australia revealed that since its introduction over 140 years ago M. parviflora has successfully adapted to a wide range of distinct environments. The species is able to thrive in areas that vary in annual rainfall from 315 to 496 mm, maximum average temperatures from 21.9 to 26.8oC and minimum average temperatures from 9 to 13.6oC. However, there was limited broad scale ecoclinal differentiation and low genetic variation within the common garden study with only length of time between sowing and flowering differing between populations. As the species was shown to possess a predominately inbreeding system, which typically would create ecotypes/ecoclines due to limited gene flow, it was suggested that seed dispersal by sheep is likely to have increased gene flow thus suppressing population differentiation. A considerable proportion of mature hardseeded M. parviflora can survive rumen digestion and mastication by sheep. ... With origins thought to be in the Mediterranean region, it is not surprising that M. parviflora has thrived and prospered in south-west Western Australia. This thesis has determined several aspects that have enabled it to flourish in this Mediterranean-type environment and most of these attributes, including autogamous reproduction, ecoclinal/ecotypic formation, dormancy and asynchronous germination and rapid seed development, are commonly found in successful weeds world-wide.

[Truncated abstract] Indigenous Australians suffer cardiovascular disease (CVD) at a rate six times greater than the general population in Australia and while the incidence of CVD has been reduced dramatically amongst the majority of non-indigenous Australians and amongst Indigenous populations in other countries in the last 30 years, there has been little change in the figures for Aboriginal Australians, showing that heart health campaigns have little impact, for this group of people. Aims : The principal aims of this study were firstly, to determine and record the barriers to the development and delivery of CVD prevention programs amongst Indigenous Australians and secondly, to develop an alternative, effective and culturally sensitive method of delivering heart health messages. Methods and results : The study was qualitative research undertaken in three South-West towns of Western Australia where the incidence of CVD was high amongst the Aboriginal community members. The use of semi-formal interviews, informal individual consultation, observation, and focus groups were methods implemented to obtain information. The first phase of the research was to identify the barriers which affected the Aboriginal Health Workers’ ability to deliver specialist educational programs. Questionnaires and interviews with the Aboriginal Health Workers and other health professionals in the towns, and community focus groups were undertaken in this phase of the study. The second phase of the research was aimed at developing an alternative strategy for delivering heart health messages. The focus changed to adopt more traditional ways of passing on information in Indigenous communities. The idea of small gatherings of friends or family with a trusted community member presenting the health message was developed. The third phase of the research was to implement this new approach. Lay educators who had been identified within focus groups and by Aboriginal Health Workers were trained in each of the towns and a protocol involving discussions of health issues, viewing a video on CVD, produced by the National Heart Foundation, sharing in a ‘heart healthy’ lunch and partaking in a ‘heart health’ knowledge game which was developed specifically for the gatherings. Several of these gatherings were held in each of the towns and they became known as ‘HeartAware parties’.

The aims of the studies undertaken for this thesis on the black bream Acanthopagrus butcheri, a species which is confined to estuaries, were to determine the following. (1) The age compositions, growth rates, reproductive biology and diets of the populations of this species in four different estuaries (Swan River, Moore River, NomaluplWalpole and Wellstead estuaries) and a landlocked saline lake (Lake Clifton) and (2) the seasonal and regional distributions of this species within one estuary (Swan River Estuary). Acanthopagrus butcheri were collected at regular intervals from nearshore, shallow (< 2 m) and offshore, deeper (> 2.5 m) waters of the permanently open Swan River Estuary and intermittently open Moore River Estuary on the lower west coast of Australia and from the permanently open Nomalup/Walpole Estuary and normally closed Wellstead Estuary on the southern coast of Western Australia. One hundred A. butcheri were also obtained from a landlocked, coastal saline lake (Lake Clifton), 90 km south of the Swan River Estuary. Sampling employed seine nets, composite gill nets and rod and line. In the Swan River Estuary, black bream typically occur in the saline reaches of the tributary rivers which constitute the upper estuary. However, during heavy freshwater discharge in winter, many individuals are swept downstream into the basins that constitute the middle estuary. These fish migrate back into the upper estuary in spring and the larger fish spawn in this region between the middle of spring and early summer. Although smaller fish tend to remain in the upper estuary during summer as salinities increase, the larger fish migrate further upstream where salinities are lower. The salinities in which A. butcheri spawned in the different systems ranged from as low as 5.5 - 6.8 %CJin the Moore River Estuary to as high as 40.7 - 45.2 %O in the Wellstead Estuary. The use of marginal increment analyses demonstrated that the opaque zones revealed in otoliths by sectioning are formed annually and could thus be used for ageing individual fish and that the opaque zones visible in whole otoliths prior to sectioning could be used for ageing fish up to six years old. The number of annuli on scales did not provide a reliable estimate of age. The structure of the age compositions in the four estuaries varied, presumably reflecting differences in fishing pressure and, in one case, the lack of recruitment in some years. The growth rates of A. butcheri in the four estuaries and landlocked lake differed, which is probably related to variations in one or more of the following; water temperature, density of fish, salinity and the type of food available. The monthly trends exhibited by gonadosomatic indices and the prevalence of different gonadal maturity stages and mature oocytes demonstrate that spawning typically occurs in spring and early summer. The frequent occurrence of yolk vesicle, yolk granule oocytes and post-ovulatory follicles in the ovaries of some mature fish provides strong circumstantial evidence that A. butcheri is a multiple spawner, i.e. spawns more than once during each breeding season. Estimates of the minimum total fecundity ranged between 9.07 x lo4 and 7.09 x lo6, with a mean of 1.58 x lo6. Variations amongst the lengths and ages at first maturity in three of the estuarine populations of A. butcheri could apparently be attributed to the influence of variations in growth rate. Female and male Acanthopagrus butcheri both possess an ovotestis, a feature characteristic of the Sparidae. There is strong circumstantial evidence that, once a member of this species reaches maturity, it can be considered a rudimentary hermaphrodite, i.e. it possesses either functional ovaries and far smaller and immature testes or functional testes and immature ovaries of variable size. There was no evidence that this species undergoes either a protogynous or protandrous sex change. Acanthopagrus butcheri can consume various benthic and epibenthic prey, including crustaceans, polychaetes, molluscs and teleosts, and can also ingest considerable volumes of algae. However, the dietary compositions of A. butcheri in the four estuaries and Lake Clifton differed markedly, whch, together with information on the biota in those systems, indicate that A. butcheri feeds on those prey items that are most abundant in their environment. Yet, there is also evidence that, in any given system, A. butcheri will focus on a particular prey, even when other prey, which are regularly consumed in considerable volume in other systems, are abundant. The dietary compositions of A. butcheri in each estuary underwent ontogenetic changes, which would reduce the potential for intraspecific competition for food resources.

Little research into historical, architectural and social significance of the picture theatre in pre-television rural Australian society has been undertaken. Taking a New South Wales country area (to represent a microcosm), this thesis records the picture venues and qualitative research material from past patrons and theatre staff. The study 1/. establishes the environment created by a picture theatre 2/. shows that New South Wales was typical of Australia in film attendance before the 1960s 3/. introduces the Central-West subject area, and describes how data was gathered from available records 4/. shows the development of the picture venues within the subject areas 5/. gives 'life' to the occasion formerly associated with going to the pictures 6/. suggests the success ot the rural picture shows was a happy co-incidence: the exhibitors' desire to make money and the patrons' desire for a social experience (and entertainment). A recommendation is made that one of the venues discovered during the course of research should be investigated for heritage listing. It is important that we should acknowledge the vital part that going to the pictures once played in pre-television days, especially in rural areas
Master of Arts (Hons)

[Truncated abstract. Please see the pdf format for the complete text. Also, formulae and special characters can only be approximated here. Please see the pdf version for an accurate reproduction.] This thesis examines the water use, ecophysiology and hydraulic architecture of Eucalyptus marginata (jarrah) growing on bauxite mine rehabilitation sites in the jarrah forest of south-western Australia. The principal objective was to characterise the key environment and plant-based influences on tree water use, and to better understand the dynamics of water use over a range of spatial and temporal scales in this drought-prone ecosystem. A novel sap flow measurement system (based on the use of the heat pulse method) was developed so that a large number of trees could be monitored concurrently in the field. A validation experiment using potted jarrah saplings showed that rates of sap flow (transpiration) obtained using this system agreed with those obtained gravimetrically. Notably, diurnal patterns of transpiration were measured accurately and with precision using the newly developed heat ratio method. Field studies showed that water stress and water use by jarrah saplings on rehabilitation sites were strongly seasonal: being greatest in summer when it was warm and dry, and least in winter when it was cool and wet. At different times, water use was influenced by soil water availability, vapour pressure deficit (VPD) and plant hydraulic conductance. In some areas, there was evidence of a rapid decline in transpiration in response to dry soil conditions. At the end of summer, most saplings on rehabilitation sites were not water stressed, whereas water status in the forest was poor for small saplings but improved with increasing size. It has been recognised that mature jarrah trees avoid drought by having deep root systems, however, it appears that saplings on rehabilitation sites may have not yet developed functional deep roots, and as such, they may be heavily reliant on moisture stored in surface soil horizons. Simple predictive models of tree water use revealed that stand water use was 74 % of annual rainfall at a high density (leaf area index, LAI = 3.1), high rainfall (1200 mm yr-1) site, and 12 % of rainfall at a low density (LAI = 0.4), low rainfall (600 mm yr-1) site, and that water use increased with stand growth. A controlled field experiment confirmed that: (1) sapling transpiration was restricted as root-zone water availability declined, irrespective of VPD; (2) transpiration was correlated with VPD when water was abundant; and (3) transpiration was limited by soil-to-leaf hydraulic conductance when water was abundant and VPD was high (> 2 kPa). Specifically, transpiration was regulated by stomatal conductance. Large stomatal apertures could sustain high transpiration rates, but stomata were sensitive to hydraulic perturbations caused by soil water deficits and/or high evaporative demand. No other physiological mechanisms conferred immediate resistance to drought. Empirical observations were agreeably linked with a current theory suggesting that stomata regulate transpiration and plant water potential in order to prevent hydraulic dysfunction following a reduction in soil-to-leaf hydraulic conductance. Moreover, it was clear that plant hydraulic capacity determined the pattern and extent of stomatal regulation. Differences in hydraulic capacity across a gradient in water availability were a reflection of differences in root-to-leaf hydraulic conductance, and were possibly related to differences in xylem structure. Saplings on rehabilitation sites had greater hydraulic conductance (by 50 %) and greater leaf-specific rates of transpiration at the high rainfall site (1.5 kg m-2 day1) than at the low rainfall site (0.8 kg m-2 day1) under near optimal conditions. Also, rehabilitation-grown saplings had significantly greater leaf area, leaf area to sapwood area ratios and hydraulic conductance (by 30-50 %) compared to forest-grown saplings, a strong indication that soils in rehabilitation sites contained more water than soils in the forest. Results suggested that: (1) the hydraulic structure and function of saplings growing under the same climatic conditions was determined by soil water availability; (2) drought reduced stomatal conductance and transpiration by reducing whole-tree hydraulic conductance; and (3) saplings growing on open rehabilitation sites utilised more abundant water, light and nutrients than saplings growing in the forest understorey. These findings support a paradigm that trees evolve hydraulic equipment and physiological characteristics suited to the most efficient use of water from a particular spatial and temporal niche in the soil environment.

Puccinellia (puccinellia ciliata) and tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum ponticum) often show ecological zonation in saline landscapes, with puccinellia occurring in less elevated more saline/waterlogged locations, and tall wheatgrass occurring in more elevated less saline/waterlogged locations. The aims of this study were to: (a) characterize the observed ecological zonation at a field site, (b) quantify the effects of variables likely to explain growth differences of the two plants in glasshouse experiments, and (c) identify and compare anatomical and physiological mechanisms that explain these zonation patterns. At an experiment in the field near Kojonup (0522824E, 6244579N), puccinellia was found to colonise the lower more severely salinised and waterlogged zones of the landscape, with tall wheatgrass occupying the higher less affected zones. These differences in zonation were clearly associated with variance in soil salinity and water-table depth. Glasshouse experiments in soil revealed that low pH values, low calcium concentrations and variation in salinity alone did not explain the ecological zonation observed in the field. However, there was a substantial difference in the responses of the two plant species to waterlogging in combination with salinity. Puccinellia grew better under saline waterlogged conditions than tall wheatgrass, which was associated with better regulation of Na+ and K+ under saline/waterlogged conditions than in tall wheatgrass. Under non-saline conditions, waterlogging (hypoxia) decreased shoot weights in puccinellia by 15% and in tall wheatgrass by 20%. Similar growth results were obtained in nutrient solution culture, where waterlogging was simulated by lowering the oxygen in solutions through bubbling with N2 gas. Under saline hypoxic conditions, puccinellia, compared to tall wheatgrass, showed increased growth and maintenance of selectivity of K+ over Na+ across adventitious roots. Solution experiments revealed adaptive traits responsible for conveying better growth and ion maintenance present in puccinellia, but not tall wheatgrass, such as inducement of a barrier to radial oxygen loss in the basal regions of adventitious roots (not previously reported in the literature for puccinellia), formation of root aerenchyma and packing of cortical cells and suberin deposition in hypodermal and endodermal root cell layers. These results should assist in targeting pasture species, and predicting their growth response, in saline and waterlogged landscapes. Further work on examining the genetic material of puccinellia is warranted in order to identify genes that could be transferred into crop plants to convey salt and waterlogging tolerance.

Over the past 30 years in Western Australia (WA), there has been a heated debate about the future use of the remaining temperate old-growth forests of karri and jarrah in the south-west of the State. This debate revolved around policy proposals from two social movements: one social movement wanted to preserve as much of the remaining old-growth forests as possible, and an opposing social movement supported a continued ‘sustainable’ logging of the forests for hardwood products. This research project undertook a comparative case study analysis of Australia (TCA) on the pro-logging side and Liberals For Forests (LFF) on the anti-logging side. It drew on a macro-level European theoretical approach (New Social Movement theory) and a US organizational approach (Resource Mobilisation Theory). The study also investigated the extent to which these two social movement organisations (SMOs) had been effective in Over the past 30 years in Western Australia (WA), there has been a heated debate about the future use of the remaining temperate old-growth forests of karri and jarrah in the south-west of the State. This debate revolved around policy proposals from two social movements: one social movement wanted to preserve as much of the remaining old-growth forests as possible, and an opposing social movement supported a continued ‘sustainable’ logging of the forests for hardwood products. This research project undertook a comparative case study analysis of one WA organisation from each of these two social movements- Timber Communities Australia (TCA) on the pro-logging side and Liberals For Forests (LFF) on the anti-logging side. It drew on a macro-level European theoretical approach (New Social Movement theory) and a US organizational approach (Resource Mobilisation Theory). The study also investigated the extent to which these two social movement organisations (SMOs) had been effective in influencing the development of State forest policy. For this purpose Schumaker’s (1975) framework for judging the political effectiveness of social movements was used. The key research problem investigated in this thesis is why these two SMOs continued to debate the forest policy issue after more than 30 years of public controversy? Interviews with a key range of stakeholders were the key research method of this study. Additionally, an investigation into important economic and social changes in the south west was undertaken using census and other data between 1971 and 2001 and this was supported by an historical analysis of the timber industry in WA’s south west. Finally, a 3-year study of the reporting of forest issues by two local and one national newspaper was completed. The 1998-2000 period was chosen for the newspaper analysis as this was when the new Regional Forest Agreement was being finalised. This research shows that new values toward the old-growth forests developed among the WA public over the past 30 years and this has created an unbridgeable policy gap between those such as the TCA who wanted the past policies to continue and those such as the LFF who wanted to preserve the remaining native forests. ABS data confirm that the south-west region of WA changed dramatically between 1970 and 2000 as the wine and tourism industries developed and that these changes were different to those occurring in the other wine regions and non-city areas of Australia. As the population increased in this region, a key segment attracted by these new employment opportunities were middle class, well-educated people with new values toward the natural environment. The interview and newspaper article data clearly showed that the debate in WA in the late 1990s over the proposed RFA provided a new political opportunity for the anti-logging movement to raise their concerns and to establish a renewed public debate about the appropriateness of the WA forest policies. This came at a time when the traditional policy power of the timber industry stakeholders and the government department in charge of the forests (Conservation And Land Management) had been dramatically diminished. The combination of these factors led to the election of the new ALP government and the introduction of a new, non-logging policy for WA’s old-growth native forests.

[Truncated abstract] Ross River virus (RRV) causes the most common arboviral disease in Australia, with approximately 5000 new cases reported each year, making this virus a major public health concern. The aim of this thesis was to link results from virological, pathogenesis and epidemiological studies to further define RRV disease in the south-west (SW) of Western Australia (WA), a region of endemic and epizootic RRV activity. A crosssectional seroprevalence study was used to show that 7.8 percent of SW communities were seropositive to RRV, comparable to other regions of Australia with similar temperate climates to the SW . . . RRV-specific IgM antibodies were found to persist for at least two years following RRV infection. A murine model was used to conclusively show differences in pathogenesis between RRV genotypes, the SW and northern-eastern (NE) genotypes, which are known to circulate throughout Australia. The SW genotype, unique to the SW of WA induced only poor neutralising antibody production and nonneutralising antibodies after the acute phase of infection. In comparison, the NE genotype which currently predominates in mosquito populations in the SW of WA, induced the most efficient neutralising antibody response and consequently produced the mildest disease in the mouse. These data in the mouse suggest that the infecting genotype will mostly likely influence disease outcome in humans and could at least partially explain why more severe and persistent disease has been reported from the SW of WA. Collectively, results from this thesis provide an important benchmark against which future investigations into BFV and RRV diseases can be measured.

[Truncated abstract] Fire ephemerals are pioneer species that germinate in large numbers after fire and generally live for between six months and four years. Seeds produced during the short life span of these plants persist in the soil seedbank until a subsequent fire. This study examined the dormancy characteristics and germination requirements of ten Australian fire ephemeral species from five families. Seeds of four species germinated at one or more incubation temperatures in the laboratory, indicating that a proportion of their seedlots were non-dormant at the time of testing. Austrostipa compressa and Austrostipa macalpinei (Poaceae) produced >80% germination at 10?C and Alyogyne hakeifolia and Alyogyne huegelii (Malvaceae) produced 30-40% and 35-50% germination respectively at 10 to 25°C. In each of the Alyogyne species approximately 50% of seeds were impermeable to water, but scarification did not enable germination of all viable seeds suggesting that seeds which did not germinate, may have possessed physiological dormancy as well as physical dormancy. Remaining species had water permeable seeds. ... Germination of both Alyogyne species declined after six months of winter burial but was enhanced by heat treatments after a further six months of summer burial. Actinotus leucocephalus and Tersonia cyathiflora seeds exhibited annual dormancy cycling over two years of burial. Dormancy was alleviated over summer, allowing seeds of both species to germinate in smoke water when seeds were exhumed in autumn, and reimposed over winter, suppressing germination in spring. In Actinotus leucocephalus these dormancy changes were induced in the laboratory by warm (≥15°C) and cold (5°C) temperatures, alleviating and re-imposing dormancy, respectively. Wetting and drying seeds stored at 37°C further accelerated the rate of dormancy release. This dormancy cycling would increase the likelihood of seeds germinating when moisture availability in south-western Australia is greatest for seedling survival. It also explains the variation in germination response to smoke water observed in many species. Thus under natural conditions dormancy levels of fire ephemerals were altered during soil storage which enabled them to respond to fire-related cues such as heat and smoke water, and germinate in autumn. This information will assist in the use of these species in land rehabilitation and ornamental horticulture, and in the conservation of rare or endangered fire ephemerals.

[Truncated abstract] Native Australian soils contain very low amounts of phosphorus. The soils of southwestern Australia are ancient and highly weathered. Consequently, the availability of phosphorus in these soils is too low for cropping purposes, so the application of P is necessary to maintain productivity. When P is applied to soil, typically as soluble superphosphate, it tends to be transformed to increasingly less soluble forms over time. Sparingly soluble forms of soil P are relatively inaccessible to Triticum aestivum; however, many grain legumes have a higher P-acquisition efficiency, allowing them to access pools of soil P that T. aestivum cannot. The P-acquisition efficiency of some grain legumes has been attributed in part to their ability to release large quantities of carboxylates, coupled with the development of cluster roots for species such as Lupinus albus. There are a number of unexplained observations in terms of the P-acquisition efficiency of grain legume species and the way that those species respond to P fertilisation. This PhD project aimed to study carboxylate release from a range of crop species, and investigate its role in variation among species for acquisition of phosphorus from sparingly soluble forms (chapter 1). ... L. albus (chapter 5). There was considerable variation in P acquisition among accessions. The variation cannot be attributed to differences in carboxylate release, cluster-root development or whole root system rhizosphere extract pH as measured in this study. We hypothesise that the variation might be attributed to differences in the ratio of release of protons and other cations localised around cluster roots. In conclusion studies of carboxylate exudation and sparingly soluble forms should use more than a single form if the aim is to draw generalised conclusions on P-uptake efficiency from sparingly soluble forms. Comparative studies of a range of species are a useful tool for enhancing our understanding of root physiology. While the benefit of carboxylates for providing access to poorly soluble P has been demonstrated, questions remain as to potential other roles for carboxylates, particularly in species that do not form cluster roots. Variation in P uptake among accessions of L. albus is present, and more work on proton release and ion balance of root clusters is necessary to understand intraspecific variation.

[Truncated abstract] A number of controlled and natural seismic sources are utilised to model the Pwave velocity structure of the southwest of the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia. The Yilgarn Craton is one of the largest pieces of Archaean crust in the world and is known for its gold and nickel deposits in the east and intraplate seismicity in the west. The aim of the project is to link 2D and 3D models of variations in seismic velocity with the local seismicity and geology. A new set of seismic refraction data, acquired in 25 overlapping deployments between 2002 and 2005, has been processed, picked and analysed using forward modelling. The data comprise two perpendicular traverses of three-component recordings of various delay-fired blasts from local commercial quarries. The data were processed using a variety of techniques. Tests were carried out on a number of data enhancement and picking procedures in order to determine the best method for enhancement of delay-fired data. A new method for automatic phase recognition is presented, where the maximum of the derivative of the rectilinearity of a trace is taken as the first break. Complete shot gathers with first break picks for each seismic source are compiled from the overlapping deployments. ... The starting 3D model was based on the models produced by 2D forward modelling. 14 iterations were carried out and the best-fit 3D model was achieved at the 10th iteration. It is 35% better then the current model used to locate earthquakes in this region. The resultant velocity block model was used to iii construct a density block model. A relative gravity map of the southwest of Yilgarn Craton was made. The results of 2D forward modelling, 3D tomography and forward gravity modelling have been compared and it was found that the HVZ is present in all models. Such a zone has been previously seen on a single seismic refraction profile, but it is the first time, this zone has been mapped in 3D. The gravity high produced by the zone coincides with the gravity high observed in reality. There is strong evidence that suggests that the HVZ forms part of the Archaean terrane boundary within the Yilgarn Craton. The distribution of the local seismicity was then discussed in the framework of the new 3D velocity model. A hypothesis, that the primary control on the seismicity in the study area is rotation of the major horizontal stress orientation, is presented. It is also argued that the secondary control on seismicity in the SWSZ is accommodation of movements along major faults.

Interactions between non-native yabbies (Cherax albidus) and indigenous marron (Cherax tenuimanus) in the south-west of Western Australia are not well understood. While there is abundant evidence to suggest that invasive freshwater crayfish are detrimental to native species, the nature and degree of impact on marron populations by exotic yabbies remains unclear. Researchers have hypothesized that invasive species make faster and more appropriate use of information about their environment than native species. This greater behavioural plasticity can result in displacement of indigenous species, successful colonisation by invaders, and subsequent disturbance to natural ecosystems and representative biodiversity.
The research presented in this thesis examines the behavioural responses of an indigenous crayfish (C. tenuimanus) and an invasive crayfish (C. albidus) to waterborne odours derived from food, alarm sources and finfish predators. This study was undertaken to assist in the understanding of predatory and competitive interactions between indigenous and non-indigenous crayfish and fish predators, with particular relevance to Western Australia. Predation and competition are major forces influencing community structure in ecosystems; therefore knowledge of competitive and predatory interactions will be of benefit when considering future translocation policies.
Behavioural trials were conducted in two culture systems (54 L aquaria and a 70,000 L mesocosm), where marron and yabbies were exposed to a range of water-borne odours from finfish predators (silver perch and Murray cod), with and without competition from conspecific and heterospecific crayfish. A number of variables likely to influence crayfish behaviour were investigated: strength of chemical odour; crayfish size, gender, diurnal and nocturnal activity patterns; predator size; prior-residence; suitable habitat/shelter; and feed availability.
A key innovation in this research was the high replication in the aquarium-based observation trials using a Latin Cube design, which resulted in greater statistical strength and lower variability. More importantly, this research deviated from the tradition of exclusively using the ‘individual crayfish’ approach for odour-detection experiments and tested these results in a 70,000 L communal observation tank. This was an important development in crayfish behavioural experimentation, particularly as several key findings from the individual crayfish approach were confirmed in a multi-species environment.
Results from this study supported the hypothesis that invasive crayfish species make more appropriate use of a wider range of information about their environment than native crayfish species. Yabbies were found to possess behavioural characteristics not present in marron, such as clearer behavioural modifications to food and heterospecific odour, and cautionary behaviour in the presence of odour from a finfish predator. During simulated daylight conditions, marron displayed behaviours conducive to predation that were not present in yabbies, including less time spent in shelter and more time spent in locomotory activity. However, during specialised night-time observational studies developed during this research, these differences were not evident. This would not seem to be an unusual result, given that crayfish naturally forage at night and become more active; however, it may have important implications for future behavioural studies of crayfish, indicating a bias associated with day-time approaches. Crayfish size also played a role in behavioural modifications to water-borne odours. Larger marron displayed clearer changes in behaviour and were more responsive to heterospecific alarm odour than juveniles. Furthermore, juveniles of both species were more active than adults and sub-adults.
The expansion of the yabby population into Western Australian habitats occupied by marron has been facilitated through translocation for aquaculture, and biological characteristics of the species, some of which are typical of other invasive crayfish species including: tolerance of a variety of conditions; rapid growth; early sexual maturity; burrowing to escape drought and predation; capable of multiple spawns in a growth season; and aggressiveness. Another characteristic of invasive crayfish species also shared by yabbies, as supported by the results of this study, is high behavioural plasticity.
Although marron do not share the same level of behavioural plasticity found in yabbies, their larger body size increases their success in competitive interactions. The comparatively smaller body size of yabbies may be the major factor limiting their population expansion in the presence of marron, especially in water-bodies where shelter is a limited resource.
Marron are an important endemic species in Western Australia, but their conservation is threatened by competition and predation from exotic species. The research presented in this thesis indicates that invasive yabbies are more receptive to chemical stimuli and better equipped to respond to predation risk than marron. This information will be of benefit when considering future translocation policy in Western Australia and highlights the need for a cautious approach to species introductions.

[Truncated abstract] The species-rich Southwest Australian Floristic Region (SAFR) is a global biodiversity hotspot. Characterised by a Mediterranean-type climate and nutrient deficient landscape, this region is endowed with 7380 native vascular plant species/sub species, of which 49% are endemic and 2500 are of conservation concern. Despite the global significance of this region, there is still only a poor understanding of the factors influencing high diversity and endemism, and especially the population genetic consequences of narrow endemism and naturally fragmented species distribution. Holly leaved banksia (Banksia ilicifolia R. Br.), although widespread through Southwest Western Australia (SWWA), has a naturally fragmented distribution, with generally small populations restricted to swales and wetland fringes with depth to groundwater less than 10 m. As such, it provides an excellent model to better understand the ecological genetic consequences of local endemism, population size and natural population fragmentation . . . Products of wide outcrossing (over 30 km) showed a heterosis effect over local outcrossing, indicating increased ecological amplitude of offspring following interpopulation mating. These results suggest that the breeding and mating biology of B. ilicifolia counters the negative genetic erosion effects of narrow ecological amplitude and small population size. Recent habitat fragmentation, and reductions in population size and increased isolation, is impacting on these processes, but further research is required to assess the ultimate consequences of these genetic effects for population viability.

Burn severity was measured within the Mediterranean sclerophyll forests of south-west Western Australia (WA) using remote sensing data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The region of south-west WA is considered as a high fire prone landscape and is managed by the state government’s Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM). Prescribed fuel reduction burning is used as a management tool in this region. The measurement of burn severity with remote sensing data focused on monitoring the success and impact of prescribed burning and wildfire in this environment. The high temporal resolution of MODIS with twice daily overpasses in this area was considered highly favourable, as opportunities for prescribed burning are temporally limited by climatic conditions. The Normalised Burn Ratio (NBR) was investigated to measure burn severity in the forested area of south-west WA. This index has its heritage based on data from the Landsat TM/ETM+ sensors (Key and Benson, 1999 [1],[2]) and was transferred from Landsat to MODIS data. The measurement principally addresses the biomass consumption due to fire, whereas the change detected between the pre-fire image and the post-fire image is quantified by the ÄNBR. The NBR and the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) have been applied to MODIS and Landsat TM/ETM+ data. The spectral properties and the index values of the remote sensing data have been analysed within different burnt areas. The influence of atmospheric and BRDF effects on MODIS data has been investigated by comparing uncorrected top of atmosphere reflectance and atmospheric and BRDF corrected reflectance. The definition of burn severity classes has been established in a field trip to the study area. However, heterogeneous fire behaviour and patchy distribution of different vegetation structure made field classification difficult. Ground truth data has been collected in two different types of vegetation structure present in the burnt area. The burn severity measurement of high resolution Landsat data was assessed based on ground truth data. However, field data was not sufficient for rigorous validation of remote sensing data. The NBR index images of both sensors have been calibrated based on training areas in the high resolution Landsat image. The burn severity classifications of both sensors are comparable, which demonstrates the feasibility of a burn severity measurement using moderate spatial resolution 250m MODIS data. The normalisation through index calculation reduced atmospheric and BRDF effects, and thus MODIS top of at-mosphere data has been considered suitable for the burn severity measurement. The NBR could not be uniformly applied, as different structures of vegetation influenced the range of index values. Furthermore, the index was sensitive to variability in moisture content. However, the study concluded that the NBR on MODIS data is a useful measure of burn severity in the forested area of south-west WA.