A field trial to test effects of watering, seed addition and disturbance on perennial species recruitment in Belah woodland
- Authors: Callister, Katrina , Westbrooke, Martin
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecological Management and Restoration Vol. 18, no. 3 (2017), p. 246-249
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Failure of perennial species to regenerate is a significant threat to semi-arid woodlands across south-eastern Australia. High grazing pressure eliminates the recruitment of many perennial species in semi-arid woodlands, but little is known about requirements for regeneration under low grazing pressure. We tested the effects of addition of water (irrigation to match the largest rainfall events of the last century), seed, soil disturbance and fire within a grazing exclosure in Belah (Casuarina pauper) woodland in the Murray-Sunset National Park, Victoria. Recruitment was observed in 13 perennial species and was dominated by chenopods. Addition of water, seed and soil disturbance increased abundance of juvenile perennial species above the low-level background recruitment that occurred in the prevailing drought conditions. This supports the view that continuous recruitment occurs for many semi-arid perennials. Low seed availability and an inability to maintain soil moisture conditions matching that of regeneration events are likely factors in the lack of recruitment for tree species and limited response of shrubs in this experiment. © 2017 Ecological Society of Australia and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd
Animal movements in fire-prone landscapes
- Authors: Nimmo, Dale , Avitabile, Sarah , Banks, Sam , Bird, Rebecca , Callister, Kate , Clarke, Michael , Dickman, Chris , Doherty, Tim , Driscoll, Don , Greenville, Aaron , Haslem, Angie , Kelly, Luke , Kenny, Sally , Lahoz-Monfort, Jose , Lee, Connie , Leonard, Steven , Moore, Harry , Newsome, Thomas , Parr, Catherine , Ritchie, Euan , Schneider, Kathryn , Turner, James , Watson, Simon , Westbrooke, Martin , Wouters, Mike , White, Matthew , Bennett, Andrew
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Biological Reviews Vol. 94, no. 3 (2019), p. 981-998
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- Description: Movement is a trait of fundamental importance in ecosystems subject to frequent disturbances, such as fire-prone ecosystems. Despite this, the role of movement in facilitating responses to fire has received little attention. Herein, we consider how animal movement interacts with fire history to shape species distributions. We consider how fire affects movement between habitat patches of differing fire histories that occur across a range of spatial and temporal scales, from daily foraging bouts to infrequent dispersal events, and annual migrations. We review animal movements in response to the immediate and abrupt impacts of fire, and the longer-term successional changes that fires set in train. We discuss how the novel threats of altered fire regimes, landscape fragmentation, and invasive species result in suboptimal movements that drive populations downwards. We then outline the types of data needed to study animal movements in relation to fire and novel threats, to hasten the integration of movement ecology and fire ecology. We conclude by outlining a research agenda for the integration of movement ecology and fire ecology by identifying key research questions that emerge from our synthesis of animal movements in fire-prone ecosystems.
Decade-long response of arid-land mallee vegetation to fire, flooding and grazing in south-eastern Australia
- Authors: Florentine, Singarayer , Milberg, Per , Di Stefano, Julian , Westbrooke, Martin , Graz, Patrick
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Arid Environments Vol. 121, no. October (2015), p. 7-14
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- Description: Australian arid vegetation has evolved within highly variable environments characterised by low rainfall and sporadic fire events. Episodic high rainfall events are a significant factor in plant species recruitment, but their unpredictability makes them difficult to study. We report on the response of vascular plants to a major rainfall event and flood in an arid region of south-eastern Australia. Fire that occurred two months before the flood was incorporated into the study. Paired fenced and unfenced plots were established at control locations and also in areas that had been either flooded, burnt, or flooded and burnt. Objectives were to quantify the long-term effects of fire, flood and vertebrate herbivory, and their interactions, on vegetation composition, plant life forms and species diversity. We found that relative to controls (i) there was a significant effect of flooding on vegetation composition, (ii) changes in life form abundance were driven by flooding and grazing, (iii) there was a strong positive relationship between grazer exclusion and species diversity that was maintained over time and (iv) there was little effect of fire. Understanding the long-term effects of both natural disturbances and vertebrate herbivory will benefit plant conservation in the arid zone. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd.
Leaf litter decomposition and utilisation by macroinvertebrates in a central Victorian River in Australia
- Authors: Jmck, Jayawardana , Westbrooke, Martin , Wilson, Michael
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Victorian Naturalist Vol. 127, no. 4 (2010), p. 104-114
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- Description: This study suggested that long-term persistence of willow roots can provide a positive effect on aquatic communities until the new native vegetation cover establishes. Leaf type has no significant influence over taxa richness; however their availability and persistence in the system has a significant effect on macroinvertebrate abundance in these streams. A combination of Phragmites reeds with Leptospermum and CalUstemon shrubs in revegetation programs will ensure a persistent supply of leaf litter to macroinvertebrate communities in these streams thus should be retained until native canopy cover eg. Eucalyptus spp. is re-established.
Potential effects of riparian vegetation changes on functional organisation of macroinvertebrates in central Victorian streams
- Authors: Jayawardana, Chandamali , Westbrooke, Martin
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Victorian Naturalist Vol. 127, no. 2 (2010), p. 36-46
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Exotic willows (Salix spp.) are widespread riparian tree species of rivers in temperate Australia and New Zealand. Despite being a Weed of National Significance, little is known about the novel habitats created by willows and the impact on aquatic biota of vegetation change following willow management programs. Reeds (Phragmites australis) and shrubs (Leptospermum spp. znaCallistemon spp.) are common taxa in the riparian zone of Victorian streams and are considered suitable for planting along channels in revegetation programs following willow removal. Categorisation of macroinvertebrates into 'trophic' groups allows better understanding of the processes of energy flow, material cycle and stream ecosystem function. Macroinvertebrate functional feeding groups associated with willow, Phragmites australis, Leptospermum/CaUistemon and bare bank habitats were examined in three central Victorian streams to gain insights to potential effects of willow removal on functional organisation of macroinvertebrates. There was a significant effect of habitat on macroinvertebrate functional feeding groups except collectors. Notable differences in functional feeding groups included a greater abundance ofpredators and grazers in Phragmites habitats and a greater abundance of snredders in willow habitats; however, these changes were variable during different seasons. It appears riparian vegetation change associated with willow management could bring about change of functional organisation of macroinvertebrates in these streams. This suggests that the vegetation changes can bring about changes in material cycle and energy flow within these streams.
Pre-European distribution, structure and composition of semi-arid woodlands of the Victorian Mallee
- Authors: Callister, Katrina , Westbrooke, Martin
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria Vol. 118, no. 2 (2006), p. 245-258
- Full Text: false
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- Description: The semi-arid woodlands of the Victorian Mallee have been subject to extensive change since European settlement. To better understand the nature and extent of change, and to assist in planning restoration, research was undertaken to investigate (1) the likely pre-European distribution, structure and composition of semi-arid woodland in north-west Victoria, and (2) the extent of change since European settlement. Information on semi-arid woodlands from historical survey plans was entered into a Geo-graphical Information System (GIS). Historical data were compared with recent data from field surveys and vegetation maps to assess change. Data obtained from survey plans enabled the pre-European extent of semi-arid woodlands to be mapped. Historical tree density ranged from less than one to more than 500 trees per hectare, however, an overall decline in the density of remnants is apparent throughout. It is estimated that more than 260 000 ha (19% of the study area) originally supported semi-arid woodland species. Of this, more than 80% has been cleared within agricultural areas surrounding the Murray-Sunset National Park, highlighting the need for conservation and management to ensure regeneration within remaining areas.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003004784
The effectiveness of different planting frameworks for recruitment of tropical rainforest species on ex-rainforest land
- Authors: Florentine, Singarayer , Pohlman, Catherine , Westbrooke, Martin
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Restoration Ecology Vol. 24, no. 3 (2016), p. 364-372
- Full Text: false
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- Description: A long-term rainforest restoration experiment was established on abandoned pasture in northeastern Queensland in 1993 to examine the effectiveness of five different restoration planting methods: (T1) control (no plantings); (T2) pioneer monoculture (planting seedlings of one pioneer species, Homalanthus novoguineensis, Euphorbiaceae); (T3) Homalanthus group framework method (H. novoguineensis and eight other pioneer species); (T4) Alphitonia group framework method (Alphitonia petriei, Rhamnaceae, with eight other pioneer species); and (T5) maximum diversity method (planting pioneers, middle-phase species, and mature-phase species). We investigated temporal patterns in the (1) fate of seedlings originally planted in 1993; (2) natural recruitment of native plant species; and (3) current habitat structure (canopy cover and ground cover of grasses and invasive plants) within each restoration treatment. A total of 97% of seedlings planted in T2 died within the first 13 years and all had died by 2014. A total of 72% of seedlings planted in T3, 55.5% of seedlings planted in T4, and 55% of seedlings planted in T5 also died by 2014. By 2014, 42 species from 21 families had recruited across the experimental site, and the abundance of recruits was almost twice that recorded in 2001 and 2006. Overall, T3, T4, and T5 had the greatest diversity and abundance of recruits. By 2014, canopy cover was greatest in T3, T4, and T5 but grass cover was least in T5. It is concluded that some restoration success measures increase with planting diversity, but overall the rate of recovery is similar in framework species and maximum diversity method. © 2016 Society for Ecological Restoration.
The pastoral history, biological and cultural significance of the Scotia country, far Western New South Wales
- Authors: Westbrooke, Martin
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales Vol. 134, no. (2012), p. A55-A68
- Full Text: false
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- Description: The Scotia country of far western New South Wales, once part of the vast Lake Victoria lease and subsequently split into six smaller properties after WW1, has one of the shortest grazing histories in the state. The low stocking rates due to unsuitable feed provided by the mallee vegetation and limited water supplies have left native vegetation communities relatively intact and close to original condition. A natural salt lake system with rare plants and plant communities adds to the values of the area. This paper reviews the pastoral history of the area and the features which make the Scotia of outstanding conservation and cultural significance.
- Description: C1