The conservation significance of the biota of barrow island, western australia
- Authors: Lynch, A. Jasmyn , Beeton, Robert , Greenslade, Penelope
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia Vol. 102, no. (2019), p. 98-133
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- Description: Offshore islands are often important in conservation because of the presence of locally endemic species and for acting as refuges for native wildlife from the impacts of invasive species and inappropriate development. Barrow Island, a small, semi-arid island off the Pilbara coast of northwestern Australia, has maintained the integrity of its terrestrial and aquatic biota despite sporadic incursions by invasive species and the operation of commercial oil extraction and liquified natural gas processing for over 50 years. We collate information from a wide range of sources to provide a framework to inform the ongoing management of the terrestrial and aquatic fauna and flora species that have conservation significance on the island. These include endemic flora and fauna; species listed as threatened by state, national and international authorities; species that are rare or extinct in other parts of their original range; species of biogeographic significance; and migratory birds and marine fauna of national and international significance. In addition, Barrow Island has been of value in acting as a source area for translocations of vulnerable and endangered mammal species that have been eradicated in other parts of their range. The many species with conservation significance and their use in successful translocation programs demonstrates the island’s national and international importance for conservation. In addition, Barrow Island provides exemplary opportunities for research on effective co-management of development and conservation, on mitigation and prevention of the invasion and impacts of exotic species, and on the influence of historical biogeographic processes on the distributions and evolution of biota. © Royal Society of Western Australia 2019.
Fauna of a granite cave: first data from Britannia Creek Cave (3GP10-48), Wesburn, Victoria, Australia
- Authors: Iannello, Silvana , Greenslade, Penelope , Palmer, Grant
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Helictite - Journal of Australasian Speleological Research Vol. 43, no. (2017), p. 1-13
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- Description: There are few studies in Australia on the fauna of granite caves. Britannia Creek Cave is a granite cave heavily used for recreation yet it has never been mapped nor has the cave fauna been documented. We present here the cave system showing eight ecological zones, A to H, which we mapped, each with different light and moisture characteristics. The faunal diversity and composition in each zone is reported using data recorded from three surveys conducted in April, August and October 2015. For all fauna observed, the zone in which it occurred was noted. Taxa were identified to species level or to genus or family where species was unknown. The composition of fauna assemblages was investigated using Multi-Dimensional Scaling (MDS). Three taxa, the Raphidophoridae (cave crickets), Keroplatidae (glowworms) and Araneae (spiders), were most abundant and occurred in all eight zones. Known cave dwellers, such as Arachnocampa (Campara) gippslandensis (glowworm) were observed in small isolated clusters in three zones, C, E and H. The highest number of taxa (7) were present in the transition zone B, followed by zone A (6) and a dark zone F (6). Fewest taxa (2) were present in transition zone D. Because there are few publications on the biology of granite caves in Australia, our data can contribute to determining future conservation and land management priorities, especially in regard to recreational use which we also recorded.
Description of a robust interception trap for collecting airborne arthropods in climatically challenging regions
- Authors: Farrow, Roger , Greenslade, Penelope
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Antarctic Science Vol. 25, no. 5 (2013), p. 657-662
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- Description: An interception trap to collect airborne arthropods under extreme weather conditions is described. The trap, constructed from durable materials, is operated by wind pressure. It consists of a funnel of fine brass gauze mounted inside a cylinder of stainless steel that rotates into the wind on a mast at 1.5 m from the ground. The gauze funnel terminates in a removable, propanol-filled, collecting bottle into which airborne material accumulates. The counterbalanced cylinder rotates around a central shaft on roller bearings and faces into the wind. Two traps were successfully operated continuously for four and five years, respectively, on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island and have collected large numbers of airborne arthropods and other biological material over this period. © 2013 Antarctic Science Ltd.
- Description: C1
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
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- 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
Collembola fauna of the South Shetland Islands revisited
- Authors: Greenslade, Penelope
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Antarctic Science Vol. 22, no. (2010), p. 233-242
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- Description: A review of the collembolan fauna of the South Shetland Islands is presented. Cryptopygus nanjiensis Yue & Tamura is synonymized with C. antarcticus Willem. A record of Tullbergia mediantarctica Wise from King George Island is considered a misidentification of Tullbergia mixta Wahlgren and Tillieria penai Weiner & Najt, described from the same island, is synonymized with T. mixta. The current fauna stands at eleven species, of which at least three are introduced. A checklist of Collembola currently considered to occur in the South Shetland Islands is supplied with distributional data.