Short term effects of wild fire on invertebrates in coastal heathland in southeastern Australia
- Authors: Greenslade, Penelope , Smith, Derek
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Pacific Conservation Biology Vol. 16, no. 2 (2010), p. 123-132
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Differences in the assemblages of terrestrial arthropod communities in burnt and adjacent unburnt areas of coastal heathland are reported. The burnt site experienced a wildfire 20 months prior to sampling. Collections of invertebrates from pitfall traps in winter indicated that there was no difference in total species richness or total numbers of individuals trapped between burnt and unburnt plots. However, at species level, 60 percent of the taxa showed a strong preference for either burnt areas or unburnt areas with only a few species trapped in around equal numbers in both areas. Twenty percent of species were only found on the unburnt plots. The implications of these results for fire management are discussed.
Assessing the conservation and enhancement value of revegetated strips on arthropod assemblages in a pasture landscape
- Authors: O'Donnell, Peter , Wright, Wendy
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Environmental Management Vol. 278, no. (2021), p.
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Examining population dynamics of arthropod communities in habitats neighboring arable lands is essential to understanding how agroecosystems can be engineered to enhance ecosystem services and contribute to sustainable intensification. Arthropods comprise the bulk of faunal biomass on farms, are taxonomically diverse, and are the main drivers of many ecosystem functions. This study aimed to compare arthropod assemblages in revegetated strips of native plants and exotic pastures, and examine taxa of beneficial arthropods in revegetated strips and adjacent pasture in early spring (September 2009) and mid-summer (December 2009–January 2010) on two farms in southeastern Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Arthropod community assemblages were distinctly different between revegetated strips and adjacent pasture with the exception of functional groups in early spring. Several taxa of beneficial arthropods including Carabidae (ground beetles) and Syrphidae (hoverflies) were of similar abundance in the two habitats. Only Formicidae (ants) were of higher abundances in revegetated strips compared to adjacent pasture in both seasons. Five of the 10 ant genera present, seven spider families and Dolichopodidae flies (long-legged flies) were found exclusively in revegetated strips. Apidae (bees) and Tachinidae (tachinid flies) had higher abundances in revegetated strips compared to 80 m into the adjacent pasture in mid-summer. Lycosidae (wolf spiders) were more abundant along the edge of revegetated strips and 20 m into adjacent pasture compared to the center (core) of revegetated strips and 80 m into pasture. These results illustrate that beneficial arthropods use revegetated strips as refugia and that revegetated strips clearly enhanced biological conservation of arthropods in pasturelands. Relevance of findings to enhanced biological control is also discussed. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd
Using the past to manage the future: the role of palaeoecological and long-term data in ecological restoration
- Authors: Manzano, Saul , Julier, Adele. C. M. , Dirk, Cherie. J. , Razafimanantsoa, Andriantsilavo. , Samuels, Ighshaan , Petersen, Hana , Gell, Peter , Hoffman, M. Timm , Gillson, Lindsey
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article , Opinion article
- Relation: Restoration Ecology Vol. 28, no. 6 (2020), p. 1335-1342
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Global change in its various expressions has impacted the structure and function of ecosystems worldwide, compromising the provision of fundamental ecosystem services and creating a predicament for the societies that benefit from them. Restoration ecology plays a key role in securing ecological integrity and societal well-being, and hence represents a global priority. However, human perception seldom goes back to the beginning of significant ecosystem degradation, making ecosystem assessment and restoration practices difficult. Long-term data, historical records, and paleoecological information can increase our understanding of ecological responses to natural or anthropogenic impacts and can directly contribute to the understanding and design of effective restoration practices. Here, examples from different ecosystems (drylands, grasslands, shrublands, savannas, forests, coastal environments, and wetlands) brought together from around the world illustrate (1) how to develop appropriate restoration references under the current uncertain global change scenario; (2) how long-term perspectives on drivers of change can help to identify critical ecological elements, thus contributing to defining restoration goals; and (3) how to incorporate information from the past as guidance for present interventions and landscape management. The building of community and the specificity of paleoecological and historical records of ecological change over time will be key in facilitating the translation of long-term information into the living process of ecological restoration practice. © 2020 Society for Ecological Restoration
Did alien ants initiate a population explosion of a coccoid plant pest on an islet in the Coral Sea?
- Authors: Greenslade, Penelope
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Insect Conservation Vol. 14, no. 4 (2010), p. 419-421
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The composition of the ant fauna of a Coral Sea islet, North East Herald Cay, is reported for several years from 1995 to 2007. A major change in composition was first noted in 2007 but probably occurred earlier. Tetramorium lanuginosum, present in 1997 and in previous years, was not found in 2007. Instead, Tetramorium bicarinatum, recorded for the first time in 2006, was abundant in 2007. This change, together with drier conditions, may have initiated a population explosion of a pest coccoid that caused serious damage to the tree, Pisonia grandis. Tetramorium bicarinatum also reduced the abundance of surface-active arthropods compared to their abundance when it was absent. Ants and other invertebrates on three other islets in the Coral Sea are also documented for 2007 and support the dominance effects of T. bicarinatums. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Predictive mapping of powerful owl (Ninox strenua) breeding sites using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in urban Melbourne, Australia
- Authors: Isaac, Bronwyn , Cooke, Raylene , Simmons, Dianne , Hogan, Fiona
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Landscape and Urban Planning Vol. 84, no. (2008), p. 212-218
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Urban expansion is a principal process threatening biodiversity globally. It is predicted that over half of the world's population will reside in urban centres by 2010. If we are to conserve biodiversity, a shift in perspective from traditional ecological studies based in natural environments, to studies based in less natural environments is paramount. To effectively conserve species which occur in urban environments, comprehensive analysis is necessary to determine the processes that are driving this urban usage. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology provides a valuable tool for efficient spatial analysis and predictive mapping of species distributions. This study used GIS to analyze current breeding sites for the powerful owl, a vulnerable top order predator in urban Melbourne, Australia. GIS analysis suggests that a number of ecological attributes were influencing powerful owl usage of urban environments. Using these ecological attributes, predictive mapping was undertaken, which identified a number of potential breeding sites for powerful owls within urbanized Melbourne. Urban environments are traditionally perceived as “the wastelands” of natural environments, however, this study demonstrates that they have the potential to support apex predators, an important finding for the management of rare and threatened species.
Effects of sulfur dioxide pollution on the translocation and accumulation of heavy metals in soybean grain
- Authors: Li, Peijun , Wang, Xin , Allinson, Graeme , Li, Xiaojun , Stagnitti, Frank , Murray, Frank , Xiong, Xianzhe
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environmental Science and Pollution Research Vol. 18, no. 7 (August 2011), p. 1090-1097
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: Open-top chambers were used to study the impact of simultaneous exposure to atmospheric SO
Conservation biology : a 'crisis discipline'
- Authors: Hogan, Fiona , Cooke, Raylene
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: The Victorian Naturalist Vol. 126, no. 3 (2009), p. 92-98
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Conserving biodiversity is of utmost importance on a global scale. Species conservation, however, is a challenging task, which is often compounded by a lack of knowledge of target species. New advances in information technology and molecular techniques, however, are enabling conservation biologists to obtain large amounts of data quickly, which will certainly aid in assigning conservation priorities. This article reviews the use of genetics in conservation biology and highlights, using the Powerful Owl Ninox strenua as an example, how DNA can be a valuable source of data
Spatial and temporal distribution of the leaching of surface applied tracers from an irrigated monolith of a loamy vineyard soil
- Authors: Bloem, Esther , Hermon, Karen , de Rooij, Gerrit , Stagnitti, Frank
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environmental Science and Pollution Research Vol. 21, no. 15 (2014), p. 8981-8991
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Fresh water scarcity is an increasing problem worldwide. Strategies to alleviate water scarcity include the use of low-quality water for irrigation. The risk of groundwater contamination by pollutants in this water is affected by soil heterogeneity and preferential flow. These risk factors can be assessed by measuring the spatio-temporal redistribution of uniformly applied water and solutes. We placed a soil monolith (height 29 cm) from an Australian vineyard on a 100-cell multi-compartment sampler (MCS). At this vineyard, treated wastewater is used in response to the severe shortage of water in the summer. We studied the leaching risk associated with heterogeneous or preferential flow by irrigating the soil column with 24 applications to simulate one year. We applied simulated rainfall as well as wastewater (which contained chloride) during summer while relying on rainfall only in winter. We compared the chloride leaching with the leaching of bromide, which was applied during one of the applications as a pulse. During the entire simulated year, leaching of solutes from the monolith was measured. The results indicate that the assumption of uniform flow would underestimate the risk for the fresh groundwater reserves: 25 % of the solutes are transported though 6 % of the soil's cross-section. The spatial distribution of drainage and solute leaching varied little during the experiment. Consequently, the mass flux density pattern of the bromide pulse was comparable to that of the repeatedly applied chloride. However, the MCS data suggested lateral 'escape' from chloride to non-mobile areas, which means in the long run, considerable quantities of these solutes can build up in areas that do not receive irrigation water. © 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
Molecular data contradicts historical records and cautions translocation of the Lord Howe Island masked owl
- Authors: Hogan, Fiona , Campbell, Catriona , Harrison, Katharine , Milledge, David , Cooke, Raylene
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Biological Conservation Vol. 159, no. (2013), p. 313-320
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Masked owls, reputedly all of the Tasmanian race (Tyto novaehollandiae castanops) were introduced onto Lord Howe Island (LHI) in the 1920s in an attempt to control the black rat (Rattus rattus). This attempt, however, has been unsuccessful and a co-eradication of the rats and masked owls has been planned to reduce the threat to endemic species and breeding seabirds on the island. As the Tasmanian masked owl is considered endangered, translocation of LHI masked owls to Tasmania has been suggested. Before translocation is considered the ancestry of the LHI masked owl needs to be confirmed, as LHI masked owls are typically smaller and paler than individuals occurring in Tasmania. Here we sequenced three sections of mitochondrial gene regions: cytochrome b, ATP6 and ND3 to assess the provenance of the LHI masked owl and screened a suite of microsatellite loci isolated from the barn owl (Tyto alba) to assess contemporary divergence. Phylogenetic analysis revealed two clades, one exhibited by individuals from LHI and south-eastern mainland Australia and the second by those from Tasmania. Cross species amplification of microsatellite loci was successful, with 18 loci polymorphic. Genotypic data revealed significant sub-structuring between LHI, south-eastern mainland Australia and Tasmania. Data presented here indicate that the south-eastern mainland masked owl was introduced to LHI and subsequently reproduced. The genetic integrity of the LHI masked owl population is therefore questionable and as such LHI individuals may not be suitable for translocation to Tasmania.
The rare collembolan genus, Temeritas (Symphypleona: Sminthuridae), in southern Australia : Systematics, distribution and conservation status
- Authors: Greenslade, Penelope
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Victorian Naturalist Vol. 130, no. 1 (2013), p. 45-48
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: A brief summary of the genus Temeritas is given with distributions of the four described Australian species and records of other species in the genus. A spelling correction is documented for the Western Australian species and a new name for the Victorian species is formally proposed here as the original name is preoccupied. Characters that distinguish Temeritas from allied genera are noted and the conservation status of the three southern species and Collembola in general are discussed.
- Description: 2003011110
Planned fires and invertebrate conservation in south east Australia
- Authors: New, Tim , Yen, A. L. , Sands, D. P. A. , Greenslade, Penelope , Neville, Peter , York, Alan , Collett, Nick
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Insect Conservation Vol. 14, no. 5 (2010), p. 567-574
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Unusually intense wildfires in south east Australia in early February 2009 led to the deaths of 173 people in Victoria and massive loss of property, with several towns essentially obliterated. More than 450,000 ha were burned. The severity of those fires has led to calls for massively increased planned burning for fuel reduction, with a Government Enquiry (a Royal Commission) currently considering all aspects of the fires and future policy, to help safeguard life and property. Public concerns are naturally high, and any measures suggested to reduce the likelihood and severity of future fires must be appraised seriously. However, the conservation of Victoria's heritage of biodiversity is also of major concern, and-in particular-the outcomes of the more extensive use of fire for invertebrates have scarcely been heeded even in current prescriptions for planned burning. In this essay, we assemble some information on invertebrate interactions with fire in the region, and use this to suggest guides for improved fire management practices that are based more on scientific principles that focus on invertebrate conservation. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
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
- Reviewed:
- 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.
Effects of recycled aggregate growth substrate on green roof vegetation development: A six year experiment
- Authors: Bates, Adam , Sadler, Jon , Greswell, Richard , Mackay, Rae
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Landscape and Urban Planning Vol. 135, no. (2015), p. 22-31
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Green roofs have the potential to address several of the environmental problems associated with urbanisation, and can be used as mitigation for habitats lost at ground level. Brown roofs (a type of green roof) can be used to mitigate for the loss of brownfield habitat, but the best way of designing these habitats remains unclear. This paper reports an experiment to test the effects of different types of recycled aggregate on the development of vegetation assemblages on brown roof mesocosms. Five recycled aggregates were tested: (1) crushed brick, (2) crushed demolition aggregate, (3) solid municipal waste incinerator bottom ash aggregate, (4) a 1:1 mix of 1 and 2, and (5) a 1:1 mix of 3 and 2. Each was seeded with a wildflower mix that also included some Sedum acre and vegetation development was studied over a six-year period. Species richness, assemblage character, number of plants able to seed, and plant biomass were measured. Drought disturbance was the key factor controlling changes in plant assemblage, but effects varied with substrate treatment. All treatments supported a similar plant biomass, but treatments with a high proportion of crushed brick in the growth substrate supported richer assemblages, with more species able to seed, and a smaller amount of Sedum acre. Crushed brick, or recycled aggregates with a high proportion of crushed brick, are recommended as good growth substrate materials for encouraging brown roof plant diversity. This investigation demonstrates the importance of multi-year studies of green roof development for the generation of robust findings.
Cultural landscape and goldfield heritage: Towards a land management framework for the historic South-West Pacific gold mining landscapes
- Authors: Reeves, Keir , McConville, Chris
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Landscape Research Vol. 36, no. 2 (2011), p. 191-207
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This article investigates how cultural landscapes (especially the potentially limiting organically evolved landscape) can be used as a research framework to evaluate historical mining heritage sites in Australia and New Zealand. We argue that when mining heritage sites are read as evolved organic landscapes and linked to the surrounding forested and hedged farmland, the disruptive aspects of mining are masked. Cultural landscape is now a separate listing for World Heritage sites and includes associative and designed landscape as well as those that have evolved organically. These usages have rarely been scrutinized with care. We analyse how mid-nineteenth century goldmining sites can be best thematically interpreted and understood for their heritage, indeed World Heritage, significance and, where appropriate, developed for their sustainable heritage tourism potential. Drawing on a number of research disciplines, a schematic framework is offered for interpreting and classifying these new world cultural landscapes based upon analysis of gold-rush heritage sites throughout the Trans-Tasman world. We evaluate and apply this framework to place-based case studies in Victoria, Australia and Otago, New Zealand
Isolation and characterisation via 454 sequencing of microsatellites from the tawny frogmouth, Podargus strigoides (Class Aves, Family Podargidae)
- Authors: Hogan, Fiona , Weaving, Marian , Johnston, Gregory , Gardner, Michael
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Zoology Vol. 60, no. 2 (2012), p. 133-136
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: We isolated 24 novel polymorphic microsatellite markers from the tawny frogmouth, a nocturnal bird endemic to Australia, which has successfully adapted to urban environments. Initially, 454 shotgun sequencing was used to identify 733 loci with primers designed. Of these, we trialled 30 in the target species of which all amplified a product of expected size. Subsequently, all 30 of these loci were screened for variation in 25 individuals, from a single population in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Twenty-eight loci were polymorphic with observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.03 to 0.96 (mean 0.58) and the number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 18 (average of 6.5); we confirmed that 24 loci conformed to Hardy–Weinberg expectations. The 24 loci identified here will be sufficient to unequivocally identify individuals and will be useful in understanding the reproductive ecology, population genetics and the gene flow amongst localities in urban environments where this bird thrives.
Controls on the rate of ureolysis and the morphology of carbonate precipitated by S. Pasteurii biofilms and limits due to bacterial encapsulation
- Authors: Cuthbert, M. , Riley, Michael , Handley-Sidhu, Stephanie , Renshaw, Joanna , Tobler, Dominique , Phoenix, Vernon , Mackay, Rae
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecological Engineering Vol. 41, no. (2012), p. 32-40
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Despite the potential contribution of microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) to a range of environmental technologies, little is known about the controls on the rate of ureolysis and precipitate size and morphology using attached bacterial communities. This paper presents results of experiments using Sporosarcina pasteurii biofilms, of varying density, grown on perspex and granite surfaces then immersed in fluids comprising calcium chloride and urea of varying concentrations. Denser biofilms resulting from higher nutrient conditions led to faster nucleation of calcite and higher rates of ammonium production found to be related to crystal size via a power law. The observed morphology of the precipitates was variable depending on precipitation rates and nucleation of calcite was independent of the substrate mineralogy. In some cases the calcite layer became non-porous, and the bridging of pores within the granite was also observed. We show how ureolysis is limited eventually by the encapsulation of the biofilm by calcite and present a novel model that enables the reaction to be optimised to yield maximum calcite precipitation over a desired timescale. Slower reaction rates may in some circumstances be desirable for maximum reaction efficiency. The results have important implications for the design of engineering solutions involving MICP
Paleoclimate studies and natural-resource management in the Murray-Darling Basin II: unravelling human impacts and climate variability
- Authors: Mills, Keely , Gell, Peter , Gergis, Joelle , Baker, Patrick J. , Finlayson, C. Max , Hesse, Paul , Jones, R. , Kershaw, Peter , Pearson, Stuart , Treble, Pauline , Barr, Cameron , Brookhouse, Matthew , Drysdale, Russell , McDonald, Janece , Haberle, Simon , Reid, Michael , Thoms, M. , Tibby, John
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Earth Sciences Vol. 60, no. 5 (2013), p. 561-571
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The management of the water resources of the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) has long been contested, and the effects of the recent Millennium drought and subsequent flooding events have generated acute contests over the appropriate allocation of water supplies to agricultural, domestic and environmental uses. This water-availability crisis has driven demand for improved knowledge of climate change trends, cycles of variability, the range of historical climates experienced by natural systems and the ecological health of the system relative to a past benchmark. A considerable volume of research on the past climates of southeastern Australia has been produced over recent decades, but much of this work has focused on longer geological time-scales, and is of low temporal resolution. Less evidence has been generated of recent climate change at the level of resolution that accesses the cycles of change relevant to management. Intra-decadal and near-annual resolution (high-resolution) records do exist and provide evidence of climate change and variability, and of human impact on systems, relevant to natural-resource management. There exist now many research groups using a range of proxy indicators of climate that will rapidly escalate our knowledge of management-relevant, climate change and variability. This review assembles available climate and catchment change research within, and in the vicinity of, the MDB and portrays the research activities that are responding to the knowledge need. It also discusses how paleoclimate scientists may better integrate their pursuits into the resource-management realm to enhance the utility of the science, the effectiveness of the management measures and the outcomes for the end users.
- Description: C1
Challenges in applying scientific evidence to width recommendations for riparian management in agricultural Australia
- Authors: Hansen, Birgita , Reich, Paul , Cavagnaro, Timothy , Lake, Philip
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecological Management and Restoration Vol. 16, no. 1 (2015), p. 50-57
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Intact riparian zones maintain aquatic-terrestrial ecosystem function and ultimately, waterway health. Effective riparian management is a major step towards improving the condition of waterways and usually involves the creation of a 'buffer' by fencing off the stream and planting vegetation. Determination of buffer widths often reflects logistical constraints (e.g. private land ownership, existing infrastructure) of riparian and adjacent areas, rather than relying on rigorous science. We used published information to support riparian width recommendations for waterways in agricultural Victoria, Australia. We focused on different ecological management objectives (e.g. nutrient reduction or erosion control) and scrutinised the applicability of data across different environmental contexts (e.g. adjacent land use or geomorphology). Not surprisingly, the evidence supported variable 'effective' riparian widths, depending on the objective and environmental context. We used this information to develop a framework for determining riparian buffer widths to meet a variety of ecological objectives in south-east Australia. Widths for reducing nutrient inputs to waterways were most strongly supported with quantitative evidence and varied between 20 and 38 m depending on environmental context. The environmental context was inconsistently reported, making it difficult to recommend appropriate widths, under different land-use and physiographic scenarios. The evidence to guide width determination generally had high levels of uncertainty. Despite the considerable amount of published riparian research, there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate that implemented widths achieved ecological objectives. We emphasise the need for managers to clearly articulate the objectives of proposed riparian management and carefully consider the environmental context. Monitoring ecological responses associated with different riparian buffer widths is essential to support future management decisions.
Bird responses to riparian management of degraded lowland streams in southeastern Australia
- Authors: Hale, Robin , Reich, Paul , Johnson, Matthew , Hansen, Birgita , Lake, Philip , Thomson, James , Mac Nally, Ralph
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Restoration Ecology Vol. 23, no. 2 (2015), p. 104-112
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: We assessed the degree to which fencing, livestock exclusion, and replanting of riparian zones affected avian assemblages in massively cleared landscapes. Measurements were made at three creeks in the southern Murray-Darling Basin in southeastern Australia, each of which had circa 1-km long treated sections and paired "untreated" circa 1-km sections, where no fencing, planting, or stock exclusion was done. We measured the change in vegetation characteristics and abundances of native birds for up to 8 years after works were completed. Prior to data collection, we developed expected responses of bird species based on the anticipated time-courses of change in vegetation structure. We used hierarchical Bayesian models to explore the effects of the management actions, and to account for within-site variation in vegetation characteristics. There were major changes in vegetation structure (reductions in bare ground and increases in shrubs and tree recruitment) but avian responses generally were small and not as expected. There are at least four possible reasons for the limited avian responses: (1) there has been a long-term decline in woodland birds across the region; (2) the study was conducted during the longest drought in the instrumental record in the study region; (3) the total amount of replanted vegetation was small in a massively denuded region; and (4) monitoring may have been over too short a term to detect responses to longer-term changes in structural vegetation. © 2014 Society for Ecological Restoration.
The aerial invertebrate fauna of subantarctic Macquarie Island
- Authors: Hawes, Timothy , Greenslade, Penelope
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Biogeography Vol. 40, no. 8 (2013), p. 1501-1511
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Aim: The extent and diversity of invertebrate aerial dispersal both on remote islands and in polar regions has long been of interest to biogeographers. We therefore monitored the airborne dispersal of insects and other micro- and macroinvertebrates to and on Macquarie Island in order to assess (1) the magnitude and composition of local aerial dispersal activity by the island's invertebrate fauna, and (2) the potential for exotic arrival and establishment. Location: Macquarie Island. Methods: Two robust wind-traps were run year-round on Macquarie Island from 1991 to 1994 to collect airborne insects and other micro- and macroinvertebrates. Results: More than 3000 invertebrates were caught in these traps over the sampling period in the most comprehensive aerial survey of subantarctic invertebrates to date. Representatives of seven orders of Insecta were captured: Psocoptera, Thysanoptera, Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera. Other taxa captured included other arthropods (Arachnida and Collembola) but also terrestrial Gastropoda. Evidence of possible long-distance dispersal (LDD) was limited to two exotic catches (one species of Collembolon, and one species of Thysanoptera). The abundance and composition of indigenous invertebrates caught in the traps indicates that the frequency of short-distance dispersal (SDD) movements on the island far exceeds that which had previously been realized. Main conclusions: More than half the total catch (53%) was of flightless (i.e. passively dispersed) invertebrates, with 84% of them flightless in one of the two traps. The extent of passive dispersal movements is consistent, with most invertebrates being widely distributed at a whole-island scale. Aerial dispersal may act as a conduit for non-indigenous arrivals but this occurs infrequently. Other explanations for exotic species in traps are equally likely. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to terrestrial invertebrate biogeography. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
- Description: 2003011217