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1
Bowman, DMJS. "Monsoon Forests in North-Western Australia. II. Forest-Savanna Transitions." Australian Journal of Botany 40, no. 1 (1992): 89. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9920089.
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Presence-absence data for tree species in over 1000 quadrats, 10 ° 20m, on 144 transects were analysed by the divisive classificatory program TWINSPAN in order to define wet or dry monsoon forest, ecotone and savanna assemblages. A sorted table revealed that there was continuous floristic variation among these six vegetation types, although the abundance of tree species varied highly significantly between assemblages. Both wet and dry monsoon forests have higher stem densities, greater basal area, more tree species, higher litter cover and lower grass cover than surrounding savannas. Wet monsoon forest soils have significantly more moisture than surrounding savanna, but on the dry monsoon forest-savanna boundary there is no significant difference in soil moisture. Both wet and dry monsoon forest soils are more fertile than those in surrounding savannas, although there is considerable variation in the concentration of nutrients within and between the two forest formations. The greater fertility of the forest probably reflects superior nutrient accretion compared with the savanna, rather than indicating that monsoon forests are restricted to inherently fertile sites. Half the wet monsoon forest boundaries sampled had ecotonal quadrats separating forest from savanna, while only 18% of the dry monsoon forest boundaries had such structurally and floristically intermediate quadrats. A limited number of tree species was found to dominate both wet and dry forest ecotones. Wet forest ecotones are overall environmentally more similar to the surrounding savanna than the adjoining forests. Dry forest ecotones are environmentally intermediate between the dry forest and savanna. Both wet and dry forests have less fire damage than surrounding savannas. In contrast to the edaphic control of most wet monsoon forests, dry forests are typically restricted to fire protected niches. The distribution of both wet and dry forest, ecotone and savanna on boundaries with no edaphic or topographic discontinuities is thought to reflect a dynamic relationship between these assemblages.
2
Cooper, C. E., P. C. Withers, P. R. Mawson, S. D. Bradshaw, J. Prince, and H. Roberston. "Metabolic ecology of cockatoos in the south-west of Western Australia." Australian Journal of Zoology 50, no. 1 (2002): 67. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo00067.
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This study examined the metabolic ecology of six cockatoo taxa endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. As the availability of food is one factor that may influence the abundance and distribution of these cockatoos, we document here their baseline energy requirements and feeding patterns. Evaporative waterloss was also measured as this may correlate with the aridity of the species’ environment. Basal metabolic rate was significantly lower at 0.62 ± 0.13 mL O2 g–1 h–1 for the inland red-tailed black cockatoo than 1.11 ± 0.16 mL O2 g–1 h–1 for the forest red-tailed black cockatoo, but there was no significant difference in metabolic rate between the two white-tailed black cockatoos (0.86 ± 0.18 for Carnaby’s and 0.81 ± 0.11 mL O2 g–1 h–1 for Baudin’s) or the two corellas (0.95 ± 0.12 for Butler’s and 0.70 ± 0.04 mL O2 g–1 h–1 for Muir’s). There were no significant differences between the two white-tailed black cockatoos, and between the two corellas, with respect to evaporative water loss. The inland red-tailed black cockatoo had a significantly lower rate of evaporative water loss (0.44 ± 0.07 mg g–1 h–1) than the forest red-tailed black cockatoo (0.70 ± 0.06 mg g–1 h–1), which is presumably an adaptation to its more arid habitat. The total energy content of assorted native and introduced food items that form significant proportions of the diets for these cockatoos varied from only 0.17 kJ for a 9-mg Emex australis seed to 63.9 kJ for a 3-g Banksia attenuata nut. The energy content of each food item and the estimated daily energy requirements of the cockatoos enabled the calculation of the numbers of nuts/cones/seeds required by each species for a day, which ranged from 11 B. attenuata nuts for a Carnaby’s cockatoo to 3592 Persoonia longifolia seeds for a forest red-tailed black cockatoo.
3
Biggs, P. H. "Aerial tree volume functions for eucalypts in Western Australia." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 21, no. 12 (December 1, 1991): 1823–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/x91-251.
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Large-scale, fixed-base aerial photography is being used together with ground sampling in a major inventory of eucalypt forest in Western Australia. This paper describes the aerial tree volume functions derived for that inventory, covering species in the jarrah (Eucalyptusmarginata) forest. The equations, derived from ground measurements, predict gross bole volume from estimates of total height and vary with the site quality of the forest. They are used to predict volume from photomeasurements of total height that have been corrected for measurement error. The functions appear suitable for this forest type, although the volumes of veteran trees with severely damaged crowns are underestimated.
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Wardell-Johnson, Grant, Angela Wardell-Johnson, Beth Schultz, Joe Dortch, Todd Robinson, Len Collard, and Michael Calver. "The contest for the tall forests of south-western Australia and the discourses of advocates." Pacific Conservation Biology 25, no. 1 (2019): 50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc18058.
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After over 50000 years of interaction between Aboriginal people and changing climates, south-western Australia’s tall forests were first logged less than 200 years ago, initiating persistent conflict. Recent conservation advocacy has resulted in the protection of 49% of these tall forests in statutory reserves, providing an opportunity to implement and benefit from a growing moral consensus on the valuing of these globally significant, tall forest ecosystems. We analysed a cross-section of literature (63 papers, 118 statements) published on these forests over 187 years to identify values framing advocacy. We differentiated four resource-oriented discourses and three discourses giving primacy to social and environmental values over seven eras. Invasion sparked initial uncontrolled exploitation, with the Forests Act 1918 managing competing agricultural and timber advocacy. Following the Colonial and Country Life eras, industrial-scale exploitation of the karri forest region resulted in reaction by increasingly broad sectors of society. Warming and drying in the 21st Century emphasises the importance of intact tall forest and the Indigenous Renaissance discourse. Vesting for a more comprehensive set of values would acknowledge a new moral consensus.
5
Koch, John M., Andrew H. Grigg, Ross K. Gordon, and Jonathan D. Majer. "Arthropods in coarse woody debris in jarrah forest and rehabilitated bauxite mines in Western Australia." Annals of Forest Science 67, no. 1 (January 2010): 106. http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/forest/2009087.
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Fullard, JH, C. Koehler, A. Surlykke, and NL Mckenzie. "Echolocation Ecology and Flight Morphology of Insectivorous Bats (Chiroptera) in South-Western Australia." Australian Journal of Zoology 39, no. 4 (1991): 427. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo9910427.
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A small community of obligate insectivorous microchiropterans in the Perup forest reserve of southwestern Australia was sampled to determine species flight morphologies, diets and echolocation call designs. The aspect ratio:wing loading relationships of the seven species analysed indicate a loose clustering of species into closed, edge and open microhabitats with substantial interspecific overlap. Non-parametric correlations of the bats' aspect ratios and wing loadings with their echolocation call characteristics support these foraging zone classifications. Diet analyses indicate that this community of bats forages on a wide variety of insects, although certain preferences for Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera and Coleoptera were noted. We use these results and observations of the same species from other sites to propose a microhabitat separation for the bats of the Perup forest.
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Craig, Michael D., Mark J. Garkaklis, Giles E. St J. Hardy, Andrew H. Grigg, Carl D. Grant, Patricia A. Fleming, and Richard J. Hobbs. "Ecology of the western bearded dragon (Pogona minor) in unmined forest and forest restored after bauxite mining in south-west Western Australia." Australian Journal of Zoology 55, no. 2 (2007): 107. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo07002.
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Forest areas restored after mining typically take decades, or longer, before they resemble the original vegetation community. Understanding how fauna succession varies with plant succession requires detailed knowledge of an animal’s ecology. Knowledge of an animal’s ecology can also be used to predict faunal responses to management manipulations and enable techniques to be developed that accelerate the return of fauna to restored sites. We radio-tracked western bearded dragons (Pogona minor) in a mix of unmined forest sites and sites restored after bauxite mining, in the jarrah forest of south-west Western Australia, to determine critical resources and important microhabitats for dragons. Dragons were generalists – utilising a range of microhabitats – and adaptable, adjusting their microhabitat use depending on availability. Individuals also differed significantly in their microhabitat use and did not appear to have a defined home range. We concluded that the species would rapidly recolonise restored sites and that no modifications to current restoration practices were required to accelerate their return. Prescribed burning of restored areas could negatively affect this species but the effect would be short-term (<2 years). The approach used in this study could be used to develop management prescriptions that accelerate the return of late-successional species to restored sites.
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McChesney, Catherine J., John M. Koch, and David T. Bell. "Jarrah Forest Restoration in Western Australia: Canopy and Topographic Effects." Restoration Ecology 3, no. 2 (June 1995): 105–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-100x.1995.tb00083.x.
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Koch, John M., and Glen P. Samsa. "Restoring Jarrah Forest Trees after Bauxite Mining in Western Australia." Restoration Ecology 15 (December 12, 2007): S17—S25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-100x.2007.00289.x.
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O'Connell, A. M. "Decomposition of Slash Residues in Thinned Regrowth Eucalpt Forest in Western Australia." Journal of Applied Ecology 34, no. 1 (February 1997): 111. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2404852.
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Fulton, Graham R., Mercedes Smith, Choi Mee Na, and Sanae Takahashi. "Road ecology from a road-side assemblage of forest birds in south-western Australia." Ornithological Science 7, no. 1 (June 2008): 47–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.2326/1347-0558(2008)7[47:refara]2.0.co;2.
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Craig, Michael D. "The ecology of the rufous treecreeper in the jarrah forest of south-western Australia and implications for its conservation and management." Australian Journal of Zoology 55, no. 1 (2007): 41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo06046.
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Rufous treecreepers (Climacteris rufa) are common in southern jarrah forests of Western Australia, but nothing has been recorded of their ecology in the region. I investigated the foraging and nesting ecology of the species in the southern jarrah forests from January 1994 to April 1996. Rufous treecreepers foraged exclusively on two eucalypt species, jarrah and marri, and foraged on trees that were significantly larger and taller than random. Foraging on the ground, logs and fallen trees was relatively infrequent. Nest hollows were also located exclusively in jarrah and marri trees that were significantly larger and taller than random. The important foraging and nesting resources for the species in the southern jarrah forest appear to be large mature and overmature eucalypts. Anthropogenic impacts in the region, primarily logging, should aim to retain these resources in affected areas to improve the survival prospects of the species. When compared with studies in wandoo woodlands, the results of the present study indicate that the conservation of ground-layer habitat is likely to be of less importance in the jarrah forest. These habitat differences indicate that site-specific information is critical if the management and conservation of individual species is to be effective.
13
VLAHOS, STEPHEN, and DAVID T. BELL. "Soil seed-bank components of the northern jarrah forest of Western Australia." Austral Ecology 11, no. 2 (June 1986): 171–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.1986.tb01388.x.
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Bougher, NL, BA Fuhrer, and E. Horak. "Taxonomy and biogeography of Australian Rozites species mycorrhizal with Nothofagus and Myrtaceae." Australian Systematic Botany 7, no. 4 (1994): 353. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sb9940353.
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Seven species of the putatively obligately ectomycorrhizal fungal genus Rozites are described from Australian Nothofagus and myrtaceaeous forests. Rozites metallica, R. armeniacovelata, R. foetens, and R. occulta are new species associated with Nothofagus in south eastern Australia. Rozites fusipes, previously known only from New Zealand, is reported from Tasmanian Nothofagus forests. Rozites roseolilacina and R. symea are new species associated with Eucalyptus in south eastern and south western Australia respectively. The significance of these Rozites species to mycorrhizal and biogeographical theories, such as the origin of ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with myrtaceous plants in Australia are discussed. The diversity of Rozites species in Australia, which equals or exceeds that of other southern regions, furthers the notion that many species of the genus co-evolved with Nothofagus in the Southern Hemisphere. Rozites symea in Western Australia occurs well outside the current geographic range of Nothofagus. It is considered to be a relict species that has survived the shift in dominant ectomycorrhizal forest tree type from Nothofagus to Myrtaceae (local extinction of Nothofagus 4–5 million years ago), and is most likely now confined to the high rainfall zone in the south west. Data on Rozites in Australia support the concept that at least some of the present set of ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with Myrtaceae in Australia are those which successfully completed a host change from Nothofagus, and adapted to changing climate, vegetation and soil conditions during and since the Tertiary. We suggest that the ancient stock of Rozites arose somewhere within the geographical range of a Cretaceous fagalean complex of plant taxa. By the end of the Cretaceous, Rozites and the fagalean complex may have spanned the Asian–Australian region including perhaps many Southern Hemisphere regions. A northern portion of the ancestral Rozites stock gave rise to extant Northern Hemisphere Rozites species and a southern portion speciated as Nothofagus itself speciated.
15
Collins, Brian G., and James Grey. "PREFERENTIAL FORAGING BY HONEYEATERS IN THE JARRAH FOREST OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA." Ostrich 60, sup1 (January 1989): 39–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00306525.1989.9639614.
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Bunn, SE. "Life histories of some Benthic invetebrates form streams of the Northern Jarrah Forest, Western Australia." Marine and Freshwater Research 39, no. 6 (1988): 785. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf9880785.
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Life history patterns of thirteen species of invertebrates from streams of the northern jarrah forest were examined over a 1-year period. Five species had univoltine cycles with a single cohort and demonstrated a high degree of synchrony of larval development and a restricted period of adult emergence. Two species of Leptophlebiidae also had univoltine cycles but showed the more typical pattern of Australian mayflies, with extended recruitment, multiple overlapping cohorts and a long period of adult emergence. Uroctena sp., a small gammarid, had a generation time of 1 year but showed considerable spatial variation in the degree of synchrony of development. This appeared to be a result of differences in the constancy of stream discharge and was not attributable to differences in the temperature regime of the streams. At least three species demonstrated cohort splitting which resulted in an apparently bivoltine cycle. A life-history pattern of alternating long and short development times is described which, on average, would produce two generations every 3 years. This is considered to be a highly adaptive strategy for Australian stream insects with slow life cycles and can explain the extended periods of recruitment and adult emergence so often observed. Streams of the northern jarrah forest are depauperate compared with other Australian streams, despite predictable temperature and discharge regimes. The insular nature of the south-west Bassian region and its long period of isolation may be the principle cause of this reduced diversity. The invertebrate community of these streams is simple in structure and has a high degree of seasonality that is atypical of the temperate streams of Australia and New Zealand.
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Lee, J. G. H., H. C. Finn, and M. C. Calver. "Ecology of black cockatoos at a mine-site in the eastern jarrah-marri forest, western Australia." Pacific Conservation Biology 19, no. 1 (2013): 76. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc130076.
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Three threatened black cockatoos inhabit the Jarrah Eucalyptus marginata-Marri Corymbia calophylla forest of southwestern Australia: Baudin’s Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus baudinii, Carnaby’s Cockatoo C. latirostris, and Forest Redtailed Black Cockatoo C. banksii naso [FRTBC]. Their local ecology in relation to anthropogenic disturbance is poorly known, hampering effective conservation management. Therefore we studied their group size, site occupancy patterns, habitat use, and food plants at a mine-site and its surrounds in the eastern forest over three years. FRTBC showed similar group sizes and occupancy across seasons, suggesting year-round residency and no marked seasonality in movements and grouping patterns. In contrast, Carnaby’s Cockatoos were up to twice as abundant in spring and summer, indicating migrating or transient flocks and some year-round residents. Few Baudin’s Cockatoos were present in summer, but their abundance increased at other times. All three cockatoos were observed in modified or humanmade habitats such as mine-site rehabilitation, farm paddocks, and pine plantations. Carnaby’s Cockatoos used the broadest habitat range. We documented feeding on 16 plant species, with Carnaby’s Cockatoos eating at least 10. Examination of feeding residues as well as observations of behaviour were essential to obtain a complete picture of feeding. Current mine-site rehabilitation protocols provide food for all three black cockatoos within a decade and should continue to do so long-term if Marri is maintained in the seed mix. However, because climate change scenarios predict declining rainfall over much of southwestern Australia, the plant species used to revegetate mine-sites and other landscapes may need to be reconsidered. For areas that do not specify restoring a jarrah forest landscape, the selective use of exotic or non-endemic flora better adapted to lower rainfall conditions may be an option.
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McDougall, K. L., R. J. Hobbs, and G. E. St J. Hardy. "Distribution of understorey species in forest affected by Phytophthora cinnamomi in south-western Western Australia." Australian Journal of Botany 53, no. 8 (2005): 813. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt04203.
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The introduced soil-borne pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands infects and kills a large number of species in the jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata Donn. ex Smith) forest of Western Australia, causing great floristic and structural change. Many of the floristic changes can be explained simply by the known susceptibility of species to infection. Some common species, however, are rarely found at infested sites but are thought to be resistant to infection. It has been postulated that such species may be affected by the change in habitat caused by the death of trees, and not by P. cinnamomi directly. If this were the case, such species should cluster around surviving trees at infested sites. The occurrence of a susceptible species in the vicinity of trees surviving at infested sites has also been reported. To investigate the spatial relationship between trees and understorey species, the positions of trees and selected perennial understorey species were mapped at two sites in jarrah forest long-affected by P. cinnamomi. Random sets of plants and trees were generated and used in simulations to test whether understorey species grew closer to trees than expected. Many understorey species, both resistant and susceptible to infection by P. cinnamomi, were found to grow closer than expected to trees currently growing at the sites and closer to the trees that would have been present at the time of infestation. This suggests that not only do these trees enable some resistant species to persist at infested sites but that they also offer protection to some susceptible species against damage by P. cinnamomi. The proximity of many understorey species to trees that are likely to have appeared at the study sites since the first infestation indicates that the maintenance and enhancement of tree cover at infested sites in the jarrah forest may limit the damage caused by P. cinnamomi and assist in the protection of biodiversity.
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Greenwood, DR. "Eocene monsoon forests in central Australia?" Australian Systematic Botany 9, no. 2 (1996): 95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sb9960095.
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The Australian Tertiary plant fossil record documents rainforests of a tropical to temperate character in south-eastern and south-western Australia for much of the Early Tertiary, and also shows the climatically mediated contraction of these rainforests in the mid to Late Tertiary. The fossil record of Australian monsoon forests, that is semi-evergreen to deciduous vine forests and woodlands of the wet-dry tropics, however, is poorly known. Phytogeographic analyses have suggested an immigrant origin for some floral elements of present day monsoon forests in northern Australia, while other elements appear to have a common history with the tropical rainforests sensu stricto and/or the sclerophyllous flora. Early Tertiary macrofloras in northern South Australia may provide some insight into the origins of Australian tropical monsoon forests. The Middle Eocene macrofloras of the Poole Creek palaeochannel, and the ?Eocene-Oligocene silcrete macrofloras of Stuart Creek, both in the vicinity of modern Lake Eyre South, have foliar physiognomic characteristics which distinguish them from both modern rainforest and Eocene-Oligocene floras from south-eastern Australia. Preliminary systematic work on these floras suggests the presence of: (1) elements not associated today with monsoon forests (principally 'rainforest' elements, e.g. Gymnostoma, cf. Lophostemon, cf. Athertonia, Podocarpaceae, ?Cunoniaceae); (2) elements typical of both monsoon forests and other tropical plant communities (e.g. cf. Eucalyptus, cf. Syzygium, and Elaeocarpaceae); (3) elements likely to be reflecting sclerophyllous communities (e.g. cf. Eucalyptus, Banksieae and other Proteaceae); and (4) elements more typically associated with, but not restricted to, monsoon forests (e.g. Brachychiton). The foliar physiognomic and floristic evidence is interpreted as indicating a mosaic of gallery or riverine rainforests, and interfluve sclerophyllous plant communities near Lake Eyre in the Early Tertiary; deciduous forest components are not clearly indicated. Palaeoclimatic analysis of the Eocene Poole Creek floras suggests that rainfall was seasonal in the Lake Eyre area in the Eocene; however, whether this seasonality reflects a monsoonal airflow is not clear.
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Williams, M. R., I. Abbott, G. L. Liddelow, C. Vellios, I. B. Wheeler, and A. E. Mellican. "Recovery of bird populations after clearfelling of tall open eucalypt forest in Western Australia." Journal of Applied Ecology 38, no. 5 (October 2001): 910–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2664.2001.00645.x.
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Bowman, DMJS. "Environmental Determinants of Allosyncarpia ternata Forests That Are Endemic to Western Arnhem Land, Northern Australia." Australian Journal of Botany 39, no. 6 (1991): 575. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9910575.
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Allosyncarpia ternata S. T. Blake dominates closed forests on rugged sandstone escarpments on the western edge of the Arnhem Land Plateau, northern Australia. The forests occur in a floristic continuum between fire-protected wet monsoon forests in the base of canyons and frequently burnt, eucalyptdominated savannas that occur in all other topographic positions. An indirect gradient analysis of 69 quadrats from these three vegetation types at six different localities showed that no measured edaphic variable was correlated with this floristic transition. A detailed study of a single patch of Allosyncarpia on level terrain with rock-free, sandy soils showed that Allosyncarpia trees occur on sites with significantly deeper soils and higher concentrations of available K in the surface soil compared to surrounding eucalypt savannas. However, there was no significant difference in dry season surface soil moisture content between these communities. There is also evidence that there is no significant difference in subsoil moisture supply. Xylem pressure potential of Callitris intratropica (which is equally abundant in both Allosyncarpia and eucalypt communities) was found to be statistically similar at the beginning and end of the dry season. The Allosyncarpia forest was made up of a mosaic ranging from stands co-dominated by savanna species with grassy understoreys to stands co-dominated by monsoon forest species with dense understoreys. No measured environmental factors were significantly related to the patterning of these stands within the forest. Seed throw of Allosyncarpia is limited to several metres from the canopy edge and seedlings were only observed beneath the canopy. Field experiments demonstrated that seedling survival in the savanna can be enhanced by the provision of shade, and nursery experiments demonstrated that the growth of seedlings provided with ample water is suppressed by full sunlight. Dry season fires in grass fuels ranging from 2 to 8 t ha-1 were found to be lethal to seedlings <100 mm tall. Although most Allosyncarpia trees recover following fire damage, the present distribution of the species may be best explained as a consequence of wildfires. However, there is need for confirmation that the species range is contracting under current fire regimes. This is probably best derived by analysis of existing remote sensing data.
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Soderquist, T. R., and M. Serena. "Dietary niche of the western quoll, Dasyurus geoffroii, in the jarrah forest of Western Australia." Australian Mammalogy 17, no. 1 (1994): 133. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/am94019.
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Majer, Jonathan D., Harry F. Recher, Christopher Norwood, and Brian E. Heterick. "Variation in bird assemblages and their invertebrate prey in eucalypt formations across a rainfall gradient in south-west Australia." Pacific Conservation Biology 23, no. 4 (2017): 372. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc17024.
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Our previous work has shown how invertebrate food resources influence usage of tree species by birds. Using data from Western Australian forests and woodlands, we extend the findings to indicate how the avifauna is influenced by these resources at the landscape level. The northern dry sclerophyll forest of south-west Australia comprises jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) to the west, with an abrupt replacement by wandoo (E. wandoo) plus powderbark wandoo (E. accedens) woodland to the east; codominant marri (Corymbia calophylla) trees occur throughout. Knockdown samples have previously indicated that the canopy invertebrate fauna is richer and more abundant in wandoo woodland than in jarrah/marri forest. To provide an indication of their general abundance and diversity in these formations, invertebrates using the trunks of the ubiquitous marri were measured along a transect from jarrah/marri forest to wandoo woodland. Mirroring the canopy, the trunk fauna had high species turnover over short distances. As with the canopy fauna, invertebrate diversity and abundance was higher on marri situated in the wandoo zone than in the jarrah/marri areas, indicating a generally larger invertebrate fauna in the drier regions of the transect. Abundance and diversity of birds, many of which are wholly or partly insectivorous, were measured at the same sites. Birds were more abundant and there were more species in areas with the wandoo species than in those dominated by jarrah/marri. Assemblage composition also differed in the two forest types. It is evident that changes in bird abundance, richness, and assemblage composition are likely determined on a landscape scale by the type, abundance, and diversity of food resources available to them. These patterns of change within forest invertebrate faunas and their primary vertebrate predators need to be considered when making decisions on conserving or managing forest communities in Australia.
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Wayne, A. F., C. G. Ward, J. F. Rooney, C. V. Vellios, and D. B. Lindenmayer. "The life history of Trichosurus vulpecula hypoleucus (Phalangeridae) in the jarrah forest of south-western Australia." Australian Journal of Zoology 53, no. 4 (2005): 265. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo05008.
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The common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) is noted for its morphological, biological and ecological variability across its range. Despite having suffered substantial population declines since European settlement, relatively little has been published on the south-western Australian subspecies, the koomal (T. v. hypoleucus). This study reports morphological, reproductive and general life-history data from an 18-month study of a population in the southern jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest at Chariup (part of Perup), near Manjimup, in south-western Australia. As one of the smallest subspecies, adult males of T. v. hypoleucus averaged 1616 g and females averaged 1470 g. Sexual dimorphism also occurred with head length and pes length, but not tail length. A single autumn breeding season occurred in both 2002 and 2003, in which all adult females bred and produced a single young between February and May. The onset of autumn births was associated with the end of the summer drought. Unlike many other Trichosurus populations, no spring breeding pulse or ‘double-breeding’ events were observed. At least 83% of pouch young survived to pouch emergence. The growth rate of offspring was initially linear, but became curvilinear and approached an asymptote after ~5 months. Most females bred for the first time when they were 1 year old. On the basis of testis size, males also matured at 1 year old. The body condition of adult males, but not adult females, changed significantly over time and followed an apparently seasonal pattern in which their condition was poorest in winter and best in summer. While many of the life-history traits of the Chariup population were similar to those of other south-western Australian populations of T. v. hypoleucus, the most striking variations included age at maturity, extent of spring breeding pulse and female fecundity. Further comparisons with conspecifics elsewhere in Australia and New Zealand also highlight the variability exhibited by T. vulpecula across its range. Some aspects of the biology of T. v. hypoleucus were particularly similar to those observed for T. v. arnhemensis in northern Australia.
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McKenzie, N. L., R. D. Bullen, and L. A. Gibson. "Corrigendum to: Habitat associations of zoophagic bat ensembles in north-western Australia." Australian Journal of Zoology 67, no. 6 (2019): 361. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo19049_co.
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North-western Australia comprises the Kimberley Craton and parts of three adjacent sedimentary basins. It has a tropical climate and habitats that range from semiarid plains supporting grasslands to mesic uplands supporting woodlands as well as narrow riparian forests and patches of rainforest; mangrove forests occur along the coast. Its bat fauna comprises three obligate phytophages and 27 obligate zoophages. Analysis of zoophagic bats at 171 sites scattered throughout this study area revealed two compositionally distinct ensembles. One, comprising 19 species, occupies mangrove forest and includes three species known only to occupy mangroves in Western Australia. The other, comprising 20 species, occupies landward habitats and includes four species that are found only in landward ecosystems. Both ensembles are structured in terms of resource allocation, but nestedness observed in assemblage composition can be explained by environmental factors, implying the influence of environmental controls. Sixteen species belong to both ensembles, but seven of these require cave roosts and occur only near cavernous country while three others are confined to rocky riparian habitats. The richest assemblages were recorded in rugged cavernous landscapes in complex vegetation structures near permanent freshwater pools in the most mesic areas.
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Brown, Sandra, Jiangming Mo, James K. McPherson, and David T. Bell. "Decomposition of woody debris in Western Australian forests." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 26, no. 6 (June 1, 1996): 954–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/x26-105.
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Changes in mass and nutrients in experimental logs of six tree species during 5 years of exposure in the three major forest production regions of southwest Western Australia were measured to determine how climate, substrate quality, and substrate size interact to regulate decomposition of woody debris in this Mediterranean-type climate. Branch (3–5 cm in diameter) and bole (10–15 cm in diameter) material of the six species was set out in representative areas of a regenerating clear-cut Eucalyptusdiversicolor F. Muell. wet sclerophyll forest, selectively cut Eucalyptusmarginata Donn ex Smith dry sclerophyll forest, and clear-cut areas of a former Pinuspinaster Aiton plantation. Experimental logs were collected at about 0.5, 2, and 5 years after placement and were separated into bark and wood components. Samples of initial material were analyzed for moisture content, water-soluble and NaOH-soluble extractives, and nutrient concentrations (N, P, K, Ca, and Mg). At each collection, moisture content and changes in mass and nutrient concentration were determined for the sample logs. Eucalyptuscalophylla R.Br, the major associate of the two native forests, lost the most mass during this time, up to 65% of the initial mass (decomposition coefficient k = 0.22 year−1). Decomposition was least in P. pinaster and E. marginata, at about 24–26% of original mass (k = 0.05 year−1 and 0.07 year−1, respectively). Mass losses were greatest in Manjimup, the wettest site, and least at Gnangara, the driest site, but differences in overall levels of decomposition were small despite the range in climatic moisture regimes. Small logs decomposed faster than large logs. Changes in nutrient concentrations occurred in all logs at all sites, indicating activity by decomposer organisms and (or) leaching losses. Nitrogen was the only element to be immobilized over the 5-year period. Mineralization rates were of the order P ≈ Ca < Mg < K. Concentrations of compounds extractable in cold water and NaOH decreased during the 5 years of exposure. Differences in decomposition rates were partly explained by initial concentrations of N only; there appeared to be no relationship between decomposition and concentration of the other elements and extractives.
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Murphy, Michael J. "The butterfly fauna of the Pilliga Forest, a large woodland remnant in the Brigalow Belt South bioregion in northern inland New South Wales, Australia." Pacific Conservation Biology 25, no. 2 (2019): 193. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc18002.
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Sixty-three butterfly species representing five families have been recorded from the Pilliga Forest in northern inland New South Wales – the largest surviving remnant of native forest on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range. This is one of the richest recorded butterfly faunas of any location on the New South Wales western slopes and adjacent plains, reflecting the location of the Pilliga Forest in a biogeographic overlap zone between northern and southern faunal assemblages with proximity to both the western plains and outliers of the mesic eastern highlands. No narrow-range endemic species or species of state or national conservation concern were recorded; however, half of the species recorded have patchy, discontinuous distributions within their broad range due to specific habitat requirements. Some minor western range extensions are recorded and two hilltopping sites are documented. This study highlights the significant biodiversity conservation value of the Pilliga Forest in the predominantly cleared western slopes bioregions.
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Bradley, AJ, CM Kemper, DJ Kitchener, WF Humphreys, and RA How. "Small Mammals of the Mitchell Plateau Region, Kimberley, Western-Australia." Wildlife Research 14, no. 4 (1987): 397. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9870397.
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This paper presents the background for a series on the biology of small mammals in the Mitchell Plateau region, an area characterised by a wet-dry tropical climate. From June 1981 to December 1982, 19 species of small terrestrial mammals were captured at Mitchell Plateau. Of 17 species captured on eight mark-release grids, 13 clustered into four significant groups which reflected the major habitats of the region: (1) Sminthopsis virginiae, Leggadina sp. and Pseudomys nanus in riparian and plateau escarpment sites; (2) Phascogale tapoatafa, Trichosurus arnhemensis and Pseudomys laborifex in plateau open forest; (3) Conilurus penicillatus and Mesembriomys macrurus in open woodland and coastal mosaics; (4) the commoner species Dasyurus hallucatus, Isoodon macrourus, Melomys sp. cf. burtoni, Zyzomys argurus and S. woodwardi in an array of habitats. Rattus tunneyi, Pseudantechinus sp., Wyulda squamicaudata and Planigale maculata did not cluster significantly with other species. Two species, Pseudomys delicatulus and Mesembriomys gouldii, were represented by single specimens captured outside the capture-mark-release grids, in sandstone and plateau woodland respectively. Open forests, particularly on the lateritic plateau surfaces, had the richest and most diverse mammal assemblage over the entire study period. The vine thickets and sandstone contained relatively stable populations of fewer species, and several habitats had seasonally variable populations and species.
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Reef, Ruth, Ilka C. Feller, and Catherine E. Lovelock. "Mammalian herbivores in Australia transport nutrients from terrestrial to marine ecosystems via mangroves." Journal of Tropical Ecology 30, no. 3 (February 20, 2014): 179–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266467414000054.
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Abstract:Nutrient subsidies from one ecosystem to another serve a critical link among ecosystems. The transfer of materials across the terrestrial-to-marine boundary is considered to be driven by hydrological connectivity, but animal movement can provide another pathway for nutrient transfers. In two separate studies we assessed the role mammals (bats and kangaroos) play in alleviating nutrient limitation in mangrove forests in Australia. At Lizard Island, we measured tree growth and foliar elemental and isotopic composition of trees growing within and outside a large flying fox roost. In Western Australia, we measured foliar elemental and isotopic composition of trees within two forests frequented by kangaroos that feed in spinifex grasslands and shelter in the shade of the mangroves. We compared those with mangroves from adjacent forests that are not frequented by kangaroos. We show that at both locations, the mangrove forest receives terrestrial nutrient subsidies through animal movement. At Lizard Island dominant mangrove species were significantly enriched in nitrogen within the bat roost, as evidenced by higher foliar N concentrations (by up to 150%), N:P and N:C ratios in trees within the roost compared with trees outside the roost. The isotopic signature of foliar N was significantly enriched in 15N by 1–3‰ within the roost, further suggesting that the source of the N enrichment was the bat roost. Growth rates of mangroves within the roost were nearly six times higher than trees outside the roost. In the arid coast of Western Australia, we show elevated foliar 15N abundance of up to 3‰ in mangroves where kangaroos shelter relative to trees where they do not. Thus, this study presents two examples for mammalian herbivore mediated localized transport of nutrients from terrestrial to marine ecosystems, consequently affecting mangrove tree growth, productivity and forest structure.
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Kala, Jatin, Alyce Sala Tenna, Daniel Rudloff, Julia Andrys, Ole Rieke, and Thomas J. Lyons. "Evaluation of the Weather Research and Forecasting model in simulating fire weather for the south-west of Western Australia." International Journal of Wildland Fire 29, no. 9 (2020): 779. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wf19111.
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The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model was used to simulate fire weather for the south-west of Western Australia (SWWA) over multiple decades at a 5-km resolution using lateral boundary conditions from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analysis (ERA)-Interim reanalysis. Simulations were compared with observations at Australian Bureau of Meteorology meteorological stations and the McArthur Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI) was used to quantify fire weather. Results showed that, overall, the WRF reproduced the annual cumulative FFDI at most stations reasonably well, with most biases in the FFDI ranging between –600 and 600. Biases were highest at stations within the metropolitan region. The WRF simulated the geographical gradients in the FFDI across the domain well. The source of errors in the FFDI varied markedly between the different stations, with no one particular variable able to account for the errors at all stations. Overall, this study shows that the WRF is a useful model for simulating fire weather for SWWA, one of the most fire-prone regions in Australia.
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Bell, DT. "Interaction of Fire, Temperature and Light in the Germination Response of 16 Species From the Eucalyptus marginata Forest of South-Western Australia." Australian Journal of Botany 42, no. 5 (1994): 501. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9940501.
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Germination responses to multiple conditions related to fire, temperature and light were examined and interpreted in relation to the environment of the jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata Donn ex Sm.) forest and the mediterranean-type climate of south-western Western Australia. Eight of the 16 selected representatives required a boiling pre-treatment as a simulation of fire before subsequent germination conditions were imposed. Trial conditions included a range of constant incubation temperatures and either a constant dark or 12h light:12h dark illumination cycle. Species common to the understorey tended to have narrow optima to temperature (13-18°C) with the greatest germination being achieved in temperatures typical of winter. Eucalyptus calophylla, one of the canopy species, germinated over a wider range of temperatures than the understorey species tested. Several species (e.g. Acacia pulchella var. glaberrima, Calothamnus rupestris, Eucalyptus marginata, Trymalium ledifolium, Xanthorrhoea gracilis and X. preissii) were not affected by the different light conditions at lower incubation temperatures, but more seeds remained dormant under higher temperatures when exposed to light. Most species, however, germinated best under continuously dark conditions, which related to being buried under soil. Two species, Banksia grandis and Hakea amplexicaulis, showed much higher germination under light exposure conditions compared to continuously dark conditions. These two serotinous species are large seeded and their seed ecology favours large gap and soil surface establishment. The multiple requirements of particular combinations of fire, temperature and light are related to the ecology of these native Western Australian species.
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Abbott, I., and PV Heurck. "Tree Species Preferences of Foraging Birds in Jarrah Forest in Western Australia." Wildlife Research 12, no. 3 (1985): 461. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9850461.
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A study of foraging by 10 bird species suggests that selective logging of large Eucalyptus marginata will only have affected Melithreptus lunatus, but that proposed silvicultural treatments, including removal of Banksia grandis, may affect several other bird species.
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COLLINS, BRIAN G., and CHARLES NEWLAND. "Honeyeater population changes in relation to food availability in the Jarrah forest of Western Australia." Austral Ecology 11, no. 1 (March 1986): 63–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.1986.tb00918.x.
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Abbott, Ian, and Kim Whitford. "Conservation of vertebrate fauna using hollows in forests of south-west Western Australia: strategic risk assessment in relation to ecology, policy, planning, and operations management." Pacific Conservation Biology 7, no. 4 (2001): 240. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc020240.
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Forty-two vertebrate species use hollows in live standing trees in the forests of south-west Westem Australia. We determined the reliance of each of these species on hollows in standing trees, assessed the relative frequency of occurrence of suitable hollows (based on the size of hollow and hollow entry), and further categorized species by the size of their home range and their current dependence on publicly-owned forest. No species was identified as being at high or immediate risk of decline. Eight species (6 bird, 2 mammal) were identified as excellent candidates for monitoring, with one species (Trichosurus vulpecula) most likely to provide the earliest indication of any critical reduction in the long-term supply of large hollows at small spatial scales. Past impacts of Aborigines and Europeans on populations of the larger species are likely to have been substantial, as these were hunted for food and trapped for fur. Hollow-using species are considered at present to be adequately safeguarded by: extensive areas of forest reserved from logging; science-based prescriptions mandating the retention of trees in Jarrah Eucalyptus marginata forest available for timber harvesting; a forest-wide baiting program to reduce predation by the introduced Red fox Vulpes vulpes; and a 70 year tradition of adaptive forest management. The recovery of populations of medium-sized mammal species following control of foxes will provide an opportunity to re-assess the adequacy of current hollow-management strategies. Future research should include modelling of stand structure, determining the home range of priority species, and assessing the extent of overlap of home ranges. Monitoring of indicator hollow-using species should take place at landscape scales.
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F. Recher, H. "Conservation priorities: myths and realities." Pacific Conservation Biology 3, no. 2 (1997): 81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc970081.
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Jim Davie's essay on integrating nature conservation with the economic, social and political realities of Indonesia is as relevant to Australia as it is to developing nations. Although Davie makes this clear, it is a message that most Australians might overlook or choose to ignore. For too long Western nations have pursued the myth of nature conservation through reserves. We know that Australia's system of conservation reserves in neither representative nor viable in the long term. Conserving the continent's biodiversity requires a system of reserves and the environmentally sensitive management of the matrix within which the reserve system is embedded. Yet, Landcare and growing efforts by State forestry authorities aside, there is little evidence of environmentally sensitive management directed at conserving biodiversity on the vast expanse of urban, forestry, agricultural and pastoral lands throughout Australia. Moreover, it is by no means clear what the end result of establishing a comprehensive, adequate, and representative system of forest reserves throughout Australia will be. One concern is that the relevant authorities will adhere to the message of the myth and decide that with an "adequate" reserve system, management of forest biodiversity outside the reserves is less important or even unnecessary. If this eventuates, then the creation of a reserve system will actually have a negative impact on forest conservation.
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van Ingen, Laura T., Ricardo I. Campos, and Alan N. Andersen. "Ant community structure along an extended rain forest–savanna gradient in tropical Australia." Journal of Tropical Ecology 24, no. 4 (July 2008): 445–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266467408005166.
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AbstractIn mixed tropical landscapes, savanna and rain-forest vegetation often support contrasting biotas, and this is the case for ant communities in tropical Australia. Such a contrast is especially pronounced in monsoonal north-western Australia, where boundaries between rain forest and savanna are often extremely abrupt. However, in the humid tropics of north-eastern Queensland there is often an extended gradient between rain forest and savanna through eucalypt-dominated tall open forest. It is not known if ant community structure varies continuously along this gradient, or, if there is a major disjunction, where it occurs. We address this issue by sampling ants at ten sites distributed along a 6-km environmental gradient from rain forest to savanna, encompassing the crest and slopes of Mt. Lewis in North Queensland. Sampling was conducted using ground and baited arboreal pitfall traps, and yielded a total of 95 ant species. Mean trap species richness was identical in rain forest and rain-forest regrowth, somewhat higher in tall open forest, and twice as high again in savanna woodland. The great majority (78%) of the 58 species from savanna woodland were recorded only in this habitat type. MDS ordination of sites based on ant species composition showed a continuum from rain forest through rain-forest regrowth to tall open forest, and then a discontinuity between these habitat types and savanna woodland. These findings indicate that the contrast between rain forest and savanna ant communities in tropical Australia is an extreme manifestation of a broader forest-savanna disjunction.
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Wayne, A. F., A. Cowling, C. G. Ward, J. F. Rooney, C. V. Vellios, D. B. Lindenmayer, and C. F. Donnelly. "A comparison of survey methods for arboreal possums in jarrah forest, Western Australia." Wildlife Research 32, no. 8 (2005): 701. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr04094.
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Comparative trials of different survey methods were conducted in the southern jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest to determine the most efficient means of detecting koomal (common brushtail possum, Trichosurus vulpecula hypoleucus) and ngwayir (western ringtail possum, Pseudocheirus occidentalis). In particular, we examined different trapping and spotlighting methods and compared these with scat surveys. Six different trapping methods (derived by combining three bait types and two trap positions) were compared at six sites. Significantly fewer koomal were caught on ‘universal’ bait (i.e. peanut butter, rolled oats and sardines) than on flour-based baits using rose oil or Eucalyptus oil as lures. Significantly more individuals of both possum species were caught in arboreal traps than in ground traps (P < 0.001 in both cases). Recapture rates of koomal were high, whereas ngwayir were rarely retrapped. There were no detection differences between six different spotlighting methods (derived by combining three spotlight intensities with two filter colours) for koomal. Significantly more ngwayir were detected using 50-W or 100-W lights than 20-W lights (P = 0.01). There were no significant differences in the detection rates for ngwayir using red or white light. There were, however, significant observer differences in the number of possums of both species detected (koomal, P = 0.025; ngwayir, P = 0.004). Spotlighting detected, on average, only 4.9% of the koomal ‘known to be alive’ by trapping. However, spotlighting with a 50-W or 100-W spotlight detected more ngwayir than did trapping. Koomal abundance measures derived from scat surveys were not related to trapping or spotlight abundance estimates. For ngwayir, however, scat counts were strongly related to spotlight counts and there were no significant observer differences for the former. We conclude that koomal are more effectively surveyed using arboreal trapping with rose or Eucalyptus lures. Ngwayir are best surveyed using scat surveys or 50-W spotlights.
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Wheeler, M. A., and M. Byrne. "Congruence between phylogeographic patterns in cpDNA variation in Eucalyptus marginata (Myrtaceae) and geomorphology of the Darling Plateau, south-west of Western Australia." Australian Journal of Botany 54, no. 1 (2006): 17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt05086.
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Phylogeographic patterns in the cp genome of Eucalyptus marginata Don ex Sm., a species common in the mesic region of south-western Australia, were investigated by using RFLP analysis. The chloroplast diversity was structured into two geographically distinct lineages and nested clade analysis inferred historical fragmentation as the major influence on the phylogeographic pattern. The lineages were separated along the geomorphological boundary of the Darling Scarp, which separates the Coastal Plain from the Darling Plateau. The divergence between the lineages is consistent with uplifting of the Darling Plateau in the late Neogene. Further geographic structuring in haplotype distributions was evident in the forest lineage on the Darling Plateau, where one sublineage was present in the central forest region and another was restricted to the south-eastern region. The level of divergence between these sublineages was similar to that between divergent lineages that have been identified in comparative phylogeographic studies of cpDNA variation in three species widespread throughout south-western Australia. In these species, divergence was attributed to the influence of significant changes in climatic oscillations across the semi-arid region during the mid-Pleistocene. The divergence identified in this study indicates that the influence of climatic change was widespread throughout south-western Australia, including the mesic, higher-rainfall region.
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Wayne, A. F., A. Cowling, J. F. Rooney, C. G. Ward, I. B. Wheeler, D. B. Lindenmayer, and C. F. Donnelly. "Factors affecting the detection of possums by spotlighting in Western Australia." Wildlife Research 32, no. 8 (2005): 689. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr04089.
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This paper describes how environmental factors, survey method procedures and differences in forest structure resulting from logging relate to the detection of koomal (common brushtail possum, Trichosurus vulpecula hypoleucus) and ngwayir (western ringtail possum, Pseudocheirus occidentalis). A total of 169 vehicle-based spotlight surveys of possums within native jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest was conducted on three transects over eight years (1996–2003). Up to 5.7 koomal and up to 3.3 ngwayir were detected per kilometre per transect side. Only one ngwayir was detected during the eight surveys conducted between 2001 and 2003. More koomal were seen in spring and autumn (i.e. September–November and March–May respectively) and more ngwayir were seen between October and April. Although surveys were not conducted on very rainy or excessively windy nights, fewer possums were nonetheless seen on nights following rainy days and on cold nights. Cloud cover also affected sightings of koomal. The time taken to complete the surveys increased in conjunction with the number of possums detected, on account of the time required to record data. The importance of standardising travelling speed also is emphasised. Possum spotlight counts differed between recently logged and unlogged areas. However, these findings were not supported by complementary koomal abundance estimates derived from trapping, suggesting that vegetation structure may affect detectability. Factors such as the lunar cycle, wind speed and survey start time after sunset did not significantly affect detection rates of either species. On the basis of these findings, specific survey conditions can be selected to improve spotlight detection efficiency.
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Sloane, Daniel R., Emilie Ens, Jimmy Wunungmurra, Andrew Falk, Gurrundul Marika, Mungurrapin Maymuru, Gillian Towler, Dave Preece, and the Yirralka Rangers. "Western and Indigenous knowledge converge to explain Melaleuca forest dieback on Aboriginal land in northern Australia." Marine and Freshwater Research 70, no. 1 (2019): 125. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf18009.
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Involvement of Indigenous people and knowledge in conservation science has become a clear directive in international covenants. Currently, approximately one-third of Australia is owned and managed by Indigenous people, including 84% of the Northern Territory coastline, making Indigenous-led and cross-cultural research highly relevant. Recently, the Yolŋu Senior Knowledge Custodians of the Laynhapuy Indigenous Protected Area in northern Australia expressed concern about the dieback of culturally significant coastal Melaleuca (paperbark) stands. A partnership between Senior Knowledge Custodians and Western scientists was used to develop an ecocultural research framework to investigate the dieback. Semistructured interviews about the likely causes were conducted with Senior Knowledge Custodians of five coastal flood plain sites where dieback occurred. At these sites, comparative ecological assessments of paired dieback and healthy Melaleuca stands were conducted to explore relationships between Melaleuca stand health, salt water intrusion, acid sulfate soils and feral ungulate damage. Melaleuca dieback was observed in three species: nämbarra (M. viridiflora), raŋan (M. cajuputi) and gulun’kulun (M. acacioides). The sociocultural and ecological research approaches similarly suggested that ~70% of Melaleuca spp. dieback was attributed to combinations of salinity and feral ungulate damage. An ecocultural approach heightened understanding of Melaleuca dieback because we detected similarities and differences in likely causal factors.
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Budd, GM, JR Brotherhood, AL Hendrie, SE Jeffery, FA Beasley, BP Costin, W. Zhien, MM Baker, NP Cheney, and MP Dawson. "Project Aquarius 1. Stress, Strain, and Productivity in Men Suppressing Australian Summer Bushfires With Hand Tools: Background, Objectives, and Methods." International Journal of Wildland Fire 7, no. 2 (1997): 69. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wf9970069.
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This is the first in a series of 13 papers about the safety and productivity of firefighters suppressing wildland fires ('bushfires' in Australia) with hand tools, with particular emphasis on their physiological and subjective responses and the factors that influence them. The measurements were made during a broader investigation to determine the most intense fire that could be suppressed by hand tools, by bulldozers, and by air tankers. The investigation was carried out during three successive summers in dry eucalypt forests of Western Australia and Victoria. Four crews, each of 7 or 8 male firefighters, were studied while they attempted, for periods of 35-220 minutes, to suppress well-developed experimental bushfires with hand tools, and also while they built fireline in the same way without fire. Additional studies were made under controlled conditions: outdoors in the forest, indoors in field laboratories, and in a climatic chamber in Sydney. Most of the measurements were also made on the scientific observers, who shared the firefighters' environment but performed less strenuous work. All findings were highly consistent over the four crews, three summers, and two States and are thus generally applicable to bushfire suppression with hand tools in southern Australia.
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MOULTON, JOHN K., PETER H. ADLER, and JANE PRINCE. "An unusual new species of Paracnephia Rubtsov (Diptera: Simuliidae) from Western Australia." Zootaxa 409, no. 1 (January 16, 2004): 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.409.1.1.
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Paracnephia gladiator is described from fast-flowing streams of the Jarrah Forest, Darling Plateau, Western Australia. Diagnostic characters are provided for all life stages after the egg. The generic assignment is tentative given the limited understanding of relationships among Gondwanan Simuliidae previously assigned to Prosimuliini. The M-shaped median sclerite of the male terminalia and the large calcipala suggest phylogenetic affinity with the Neotropical genera Araucnephia and Araucnephioides. The simple tarsal claw suggests that females are mammalophilic. Females are attracted to humans but do not bite.
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Fulton, Graham R. "Owl survey of the Peel–Harvey Estuary in south-western Australia." Australian Journal of Zoology 65, no. 2 (2017): 71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo17027.
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Little is known of owls in south-western Australia compared with the owls of southern and eastern Australia. Surveys of forest owls in the south-west are almost completely lacking. This study sought to determine the abundance and detectability of owls immediately around the Peel–Harvey Estuary in south-western Australia. The southern boobook (Ninox boobook) and the masked owl (Tyto novaehollandiae) were the only owls detected (n = 23 and n = 1 respectively), although the nocturnal tawny frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) was detected from unelicited calls on three occasions. Southern boobooks were found to be common in this area though they are reported to be in decline in south-eastern and inland Australia. Their detectability was significantly greater in August (late winter) than at other times through unelicited calls; otherwise, there were no detections in winter. A variety of small mammals were detected during the surveys, including: a little red flying-fox (Pteropus scapulatus), a western ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis), 19 southern brown bandicoots (Isoodon obesulus), 4 common brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), 21 rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), a black rat (Rattus rattus), 2 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and 22 microbats.
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Bell, DT, S. Vlahos, and LE Watson. "Stimulation of Seed-Germination of Understorey Species of the Northern Jarrah Forest of Western-Australia." Australian Journal of Botany 35, no. 5 (1987): 593. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9870593.
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Glasshouse trials in trays of soil measured the germination response to high temperatures and the presence of charcoal in 40 non-leguminous understorey species of the northern jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata Donn ex Smith) forest. Species producing relatively low proportions of viable and germinable seeds tended to be the long-lived resprouting species where reproductive output may not be of major adaptive significance. Three species, Conostylis setosa, Trymalium ledifolium and T. spathulaturn, with seed stored in the soil, were stimulated to germinate by high temperatures. Bradysporous, obligate reseeding species showed either no temperature effect (mainly species of Dryandra) or death at high temperatures (species of Hakea, whose seeds normally are protected by woody fruits). Charred wood of Eucalyptus marginata induced an increase in the proportion of Burchardia umbellata germinating under the test conditions. Relationships of the seed germination results to aspects of r- and K- selection theory and fire management policy in the northern jarrah forest are also discussed.
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Lamont, Byron B., Tianhua He, and Sim Lin Lim. "Hakea, the world’s most sclerophyllous genus, arose in southwestern Australian heathland and diversified throughout Australia over the past 12 million years." Australian Journal of Botany 64, no. 1 (2016): 77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt15134.
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Hakea (Proteaceae) currently comprises over 150 species, with two-thirds confined to south-western Australia (SWA) and the remainder spread throughout Australia, especially along the eastern coast. We constructed a time-based molecular phylogeny for the genus and used area-assignment techniques to trace its biogeographic history. According to our area-cladogram analysis, there is a 95% probability that Hakea arose 18 million years ago (Ma) in the sandplains of SWA. From 12 Ma, the genus speciated and migrated into forest and onto granite outcrops within SWA, into the drier centre and then continued to the maritime forests of eastern Australia (EA) 3000 km away, and north-east to savanna grasslands. The Nullarbor Plain was an obstacle but it did not prevent eastward migration. Twelve west➔east, apparently allopatric, speciation events are identified that coincided with glacial maxima, but more likely represent sympatric speciation in SWA or central Australia, followed by further migration and speciation➔extinction➔speciation events across central to EA. During the period from 8 to 1 Ma, net speciation has been linear and strong in the sclerophyll shrublands of SWA and, to a lesser extent, the sclerophyll forests of EA. Four lines of evidence (historical distribution of sclerophyllous Proteaceae, historical subjection to aridity, species diversification patterns, relative allocation of drought-adapted traits) support our area-cladogram results that Hakea originated in SWA and gradually spread to all parts of Australia as suitable nutrient-impoverished, and open drought- and fire-prone habitats became available.
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Wardell-Johnson, Grant, Liam Crellin, Casey Napier, Garrett Meigs, Alyssa Stevenson, and Su Ing Wong. "Has canopy height and biomass recovered 78 years after an intense fire in south-western Australia's red tingle (Eucalyptus jacksonii) forests?" International Journal of Wildland Fire 26, no. 2 (2017): 148. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wf16143.
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Tall eucalypt old-growth forests are notable for their large, old (i.e. venerable) trees and have both significant conservation value and high carbon stores. We investigated whether canopy height and biomass had recovered in an old-growth red tingle (Eucalyptus jacksonii) forest 78 years after a high-intensity fire. We recorded species, diameter, hollow butting and height of all 596 trees >10-cm diameter at breast height, as well as fine and coarse woody debris, in a 3.55-ha plot near Nornalup, south-western Australia. Pre-fire canopy height was estimated by allometrics derived from tree height and diameter, and diameter and length of recently fallen branches. Of the basal area (75.0 m2 ha–1), 92.7% was eucalypt (chiefly E. jacksonii), with regeneration accounting for only 8.5% of the total. Although canopy species composition apparently did not change following fire, stand height and biomass had not recovered to pre-1937 levels by 2015. Canopy height remained 5.06 m (11%) less and biomass 25% less, 78 years after the fire. The combination of intense fire and a warmer, drier climate appears to have prevented recovery of forest height and structure at this site. These findings indicate that ecologically important, venerable trees are increasingly vulnerable to canopy fire and climate change.
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Johnson, C. N., and A. P. McIlwee. "Ecology of the Northern Bettong, Bettongia tropica, a Tropical Mycophagist." Wildlife Research 24, no. 5 (1997): 549. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr96034.
Full textAbstract:
The diet and seasonal ecology of the northern bettong, Bettongia tropica, was studied at three sites along a moisture gradient from closed Allocasuarina-Eucalyptus forest to dry open woodland in north-eastern Queensland. At each site, fungi (sporocarps of hypogeous ectomycorrhizal species) were the major food, and most of the remainder of the diet consisted of grass leaf and stem, roots and tubers, and lilies. Forbs and invertebrates were also eaten, but in small quantities. Fungus consumption was greatest at the wettest forest type and least at the driest site. Seasonal variation was insignificant except at the driest site, where fungus consumption peaked in the late wet season and dropped during the dry season; this seasonal fall in fungus consumption was associated with an increase in consumption of grass and roots and tubers. There was little seasonal variation in body condition, except at the driest site, where the dry-season decline in the proportional representation of fungus in the diet was associated with a decline in body condition. Breeding was continuous and aseasonal. B. tropica is found only in a narrow zone of sclerophyll forest along the western edge of wet tropical rainforest in north-eastern Queensland. We suggest that this species (like bettongs and potoroos in southern Australia) depends on hypogeous fungi, and that expansion of its geographical range into drier forest types is prevented by shortages of fungus during the dry season.
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Shearer, BL, and JT Tippett. "Distribution and Impact of Armillaria luteobubalina in the Eucalyptus marginata Forest of South-Western Australia." Australian Journal of Botany 36, no. 4 (1988): 433. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt9880433.
Full textAbstract:
Armillaria luteobubalina is a widespread primary pathogen in the Eucalyptus marginata forest of south-western Australia. Over 200 infection centres were identified during the 5-year period between 1981 and 1985. The fungus sporulated during June and July, usually from roots but sometimes from stems (e.g. E. calophylla). Armillaria luteobubalina basidiomes were found originating from roots of 34 plant species, with greatest incidence on roots of E. marginata. Root systems were excavated and patterns of A . Luteobubalina invasion recorded. Rhizomorphs were not found and fungal spread between hosts was via root to root contacts, Variation in host species' susceptibility to the fungus was reflected in different patterns of xylem compartmentalisation and variable amounts of cambial damage. The degree of resistance expressed at the collar or lower stem determined the fate of individuals of the various species. Lack of resistance in Eucalyptus wandoo to tangential spread of A. luteobubalina often resulted in death by the time columns of decay had advanced into the lower stem or butt. Banksia grandis, E. calophylla, E. gomphocephala, and E. marginata resisted to varying degrees. Inverted V-shaped lesions, often mis- taken for fire scars, were evidence of the ability of E. gomphocephala and E. marginata individuals to resist tangential spread and prevent girdling of stems. In stems of E. calophylla, lesions did not have a definite V shape, decay penetrated deeper and the fungus persisted longer than in those of E. marginata. Host mortality following infection was greater in the intermediate- and low-rainfall zones of the eastern E. marginata forest than in the high-rainfall zone to the west.
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Koch, John M., Alex M. Ruschmann, and Tim K. Morald. "Effect of time since burn on soil seedbanks in the jarrah forest of Western Australia." Australian Journal of Botany 57, no. 8 (2009): 647. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt09101.
Full textAbstract:
Bauxite is mined in the jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata Sm.) forest of south-western Australia and 700–800 ha each year are rehabilitated by mining companies. As well as broadcasting seeds and planting, the mine restoration relies heavily on the natural soil seedbank as a means of reinstating plant diversity after mining. The natural soil seedbank is a large but highly variable resource, both spatially and temporally. In the present study, we used 32 sites paired across burn boundaries to determine changes in soil seedbanks due to time since burn. At each site, we took one hundred 100-cm2 soil samples down to 5-cm depth and recorded germinable seeds. The mean total seedbank over all sites was 472 seeds m–2 (90–1210 seeds m–2). Five months after a spring burn, there was a significant decrease in the seedbank of legumes, compared with unburnt sites, probably due to germination in spring immediately after burning. Non-legumes (mostly non-heat-responsive species) did not show this decrease. One year after burning, there was a significant reduction in the total seedbank, presumably due to germination of most species in the winter following the burn. Legumes and non-legumes both showed this decrease. There was a recovery of the soil seedbank by 3 years after burning. This recovery was associated with higher densities of species from the families Apiaceae, Rhamnaceae (Trymalium ledifolium Fenzl), Stylidiaceae, Rutaceae, Centrolepidaceae and Sterculiaceae (Lasiopetalum floribundum Benth.). These families represent annuals, herbaceous species and small perennial shrubs. The recovery was likely due to vigorous flowering, and seed set by seedlings and sometimes resprouts following the burn. Once recovered, the soil seedbank stayed reasonably consistent up to 22 years after burning. Soils stripped 1 year after burning may contribute less plant density and diversity to rehabilitated areas. There is no evidence that the soil seedbank significantly decreases in the longer term with increasing time since burning up to 22 years. The community composition of the soil seedbank was strongly affected by geographical location, with sites closer to each other having similar composition. Only sites 1-year-since burn showed changes in the community composition due to burning.
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Wayne, A. F., J. F. Rooney, C. G. Ward, C. V. Vellios, and D. B. Lindenmayer. "The life history of Pseudocheirus occidentalis (Pseudocheiridae) in the jarrah forest of south-western Australia." Australian Journal of Zoology 53, no. 5 (2005): 325. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo05026.
Full textAbstract:
Life-history attributes are described for the threatened ngwayir or western ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis) in inland jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest east of Manjimup, south-western Australia. Data on 81 individuals were collected over 18 months. There was no sexual dimorphism and body size was similar to that found in other P. occidentalis populations, but larger than the closely related P. peregrinus in eastern Australia. Breeding at Chariup was more strongly seasonal than that of coastal populations, with 77% of births in May–June and the remainder in October–November. All neonates were singletons except for one instance of non-viable twins. No females bred twice in the same year. The growth rate of the head length of pouch young (<5 months of age) was 0.245–0.362 mm day–1 and curvilinear toward an asymptote thereafter. Temporal variations in body condition, coat condition and ectoparasites were significant. Mortality was highly seasonal (84% of deaths were April–September) and predominantly caused by predation, mainly by fox (Vulpes vulpes) and cat (Felis catus). More effective and strategic control of introduced predators prior to and during autumn/winter, could therefore improve the viability of jarrah forest populations. Nutrition appears to influence many of the life-history traits of P. occidentalis. Nutrition also may partly explain the differences in size, life history and conservation status between P. occidentalis and P. peregrinus.