Water relations of wallum species in contrasting groundwater habitats of Pleistocene beach ridge barriers on the lower north coast of New South Wales, Australia

2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (7) ◽  
pp. 618
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Griffith ◽  
Susan Rutherford ◽  
Kerri L. Clarke ◽  
Nigel W. M. Warwick
Keyword(s):  
Water Relations ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Late Spring ◽  
North Coast ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Linear Relationships ◽  
Volume Curve ◽  
Pressure Volume Curve ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Response To Water

This study examined the water relations of sclerophyllous evergreen vegetation (wallum) on coastal sand barriers in eastern Australia. Many wallum species may be groundwater dependent, although the extent of this dependency is largely unknown. Twenty-six perennial tree, shrub and herb species were investigated in three groundwater habitats (ridge, open depression, closed depression). Pre-dawn and midday shoot xylem water potentials (ψx) were measured monthly between late autumn 2010 and late summer 2011. Pressure–volume curve traits were determined in mid- to late spring 2009, including the osmotic potential at full (π100) and zero (π0) turgor, and bulk modulus of elasticity (ε). Carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) were also determined in mid- to late spring 2009, to measure water-use efficiency (WUE). The species displayed a range of physiological strategies in response to water relations, and these strategies overlapped among contrasting growth forms and habitats. Linear relationships between osmotic and elastic adjustment were significant. A strong correlation between δ13C and distribution along the hydrological gradient was not apparent. Banksia ericifolia subsp. macrantha (A.S.George) A.S.George, Eucalyptus racemosa Cav. subsp. racemosa and Eucalyptus robusta Sm. displayed little seasonal variation in ψx and maintained a comparatively high pre-dawn ψx, and are therefore likely to be phreatophytic. Wetland vegetation in the lowest part of the landscape appeared to tolerate extreme fluctuations in water availability linked to a prevailing climatic pattern of variable and unreliable seasonal rainfall.

Water relations of selected wallum species in dry sclerophyll woodland on the lower north coast of New South Wales, Australia

2013 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Rutherford ◽  
Stephen J. Griffith ◽  
Nigel W. M. Warwick
Keyword(s):  
Water Relations ◽  
Growth Form ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Eastern Coast ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Groundwater Extraction ◽  
Xylem Water Potential ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Volume Curve

The present study examined the water relations of wallum dry sclerophyll woodland on the lower north coast of New South Wales (NSW). Wallum is the regionally distinct vegetation of Quaternary dunefields and beach ridge plains along the eastern coast of Australia. Wallum sand masses contain large aquifers, and previous studies have suggested that many of the plant species may be groundwater dependent. However, the extent of this dependency is largely unknown, despite an increasing reliance on the aquifers for groundwater extraction. Fifteen species from five growth-form categories and seven plant families were investigated. The pre-dawn and midday xylem water potential (ψx) of all species was monitored over a 20-month period from December 2007 to July 2009. Pressure–volume curve traits were determined for each species in late autumn 2008, including the osmotic potential at full (π100) and zero (π0) turgor, and bulk modulus of elasticity (ε). Carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) were determined in mid-autumn 2008 to measure water use efficiency (WUE). Comparative differences in water relations could be loosely related to growth forms. A tree (Eucalyptus racemosa subsp. racemosa) and most large shrubs had low midday ψx, π100 and π0, and high ε and WUE; whereas the majority of small and medium shrubs had high midday ψx, π100 and π0, and low ε and WUE. However, some species of similar growth form displayed contrasting behaviour in their water relations (e.g. the herbs Caustis recurvata var. recurvata and Hypolaena fastigiata), and such differences require further investigation. The results suggest that E. racemosa subsp. racemosa is likely to be groundwater dependent, and large shrubs such as Banksia aemula may also utilise groundwater. Both species are widespread in wallum, and therefore have the potential to play a key role in monitoring ecosystem health where aquifers are subject to groundwater extraction.

Plants of Subtropical Eastern Australia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Benwell
Keyword(s):  
Plant Ecology ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Distinct Region ◽  
Rock Outcrops ◽  
The North ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Forest Wetlands ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Rich Flora

Plants of Subtropical Eastern Australia describes the rich flora of this biogeographically distinct region located on the east coast of Australia, covering the north coast of New South Wales and coastal South-East Queensland. This guide presents a selection of common, threatened and ecologically significant plants found in the region’s major vegetation habitats including rainforest, heathland, grassy forest, wetlands and rock outcrops. More than 500 plants are featured, with photographs and descriptive features enabling the reader to identify these species if encountered. Interesting biological, cultural and historical characteristics of each species are included, along with notes on the plant’s biogeography and a map of its distribution. Suitable for anyone with an interest in plant ecology and botany, Plants of Subtropical Eastern Australia is the definitive guide to this fascinating region of Australia and its unique flora.

scholarly journals An Aboriginal shield collected in 1770 at Kamay Botany Bay: an indicator of pre-colonial exchange systems in south-eastern Australia

Antiquity ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 88 (341) ◽  
pp. 883-895 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie J. Attenbrow ◽  
Caroline R. Cartwright
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
British Museum ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Tropical Species ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Exchange Networks ◽  
Red Mangrove ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Special Value

A bark shield now in the British Museum can be identified from documentary and pictorial evidence as one collected by Captain Cook during his first voyage to Australia in 1770. Such shields often had special value to their Australian Aboriginal owners and hence might have been exchanged over considerable distances. This particular shield is known to have been collected in Kamay Botany Bay but analysis of the bark of which it is made revealed it to be of red mangrove, a tropical species found today more than 500km distant on the New South Wales north coast. It hence bears valuable testimony to the long-distance exchange networks operating in eastern Australia in the period before the disruption caused by European colonisation.

scholarly journals Two new frog species from the Litoria rubella species group from eastern Australia

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5071 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-41
Author(s):  
J. J. L. ROWLEY ◽  
M. J. MAHONY ◽  
H. B. HINES ◽  
S. MYERS ◽  
L.C. PRICE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Species Group ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Advertisement Call ◽  
Tree Frog ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Phylogeographic Break ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
North Eastern

The bleating tree frog (Litoria dentata) is one of the more prominent pelodryadid frogs of eastern Australia by virtue of its extremely loud, piercing, male advertisement call. A member of the Litoria rubella species group, L. dentata has a broad latitudinal distribution and is widespread from coastal and subcoastal lowlands through to montane areas. A recent mitochondrial DNA analysis showed a deep phylogeographic break between populations of L. dentata on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. Here we extended the mitochondrial survey with more geographically comprehensive sampling and tested the systematic implications of our findings with nuclear genome wide single-nucleotide polymorphism, morphological and male advertisement call datasets. While similar in appearance and in male advertisement call, our integrative analysis demonstrates the presence of three species which replace each other in a north-south series. We redescribe Litoria dentata, which is restricted to coastal north-eastern New South Wales, and formally describe Litoria balatus sp. nov., from south-eastern Queensland, and Litoria quiritatus sp. nov., from the mid-coast of New South Wales to north-eastern Victoria.  

The production and life span of seed of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.)

1959 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 771 ◽  
Author(s):  
CM Donald
Keyword(s):  
Seed Production ◽  
Genetic Difference ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Trifolium Subterraneum ◽  
Daily Minimum Temperature ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Carry Over

At an elevation of 2040 ft on the southern tablelands of Kew South Wales, seed production by swards of subterranean clover was apparently governed by mininnnn temperatures (frequency and intensity of frosts) during the flowering period. The aggregate deficit of the daily minimum temperature below 40°F in the 21 days from the commencement of flowering showed a high correlation with seed production per unit area in four successive seasons. Spring frosts account for the altitudinal limit of about 4000 ft to which subterranean clover grows in the alps of south-eastern Australia. Lateness of flowering has specific survival value at high altitudes in this region and in such areas as the high parts of the plateau of Spain. On the average 92 per cent. of the seed crop germinated in the year following its production, with 6.3 per cent. in the second year, and with falling values to 0.07 per cent. in the fifth year. Germination thereafter was nil or negligible. The early-flowering variety Dwalganup appeared to show a genetic difference in the persistence of more of its seed into the second and subsequent years. There was a regular seasonal pattern of seed germination, with the peak of germination occurring in the late summer and autumn. The "carry over" of seed into the second and subsequent years, and the germination peak in the autumn, have each considerable ecological significance.

The distribution, abundance amd seasonal movements of the pied currawong, Strepera graculina (Shaw), an important bird predator of the Phasmatidae, in eastern Australia

1968 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
JL Readshaw
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Progressive Relaxation ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Westerly Direction ◽  
A Chain ◽  
Western Victoria ◽  
Winter Flocks

In summer the pied currawong, Strepera graculina, is an important predator of Phasmatidae in the Eucalyptus forests of the highlands of eastern Australia. In winter the species congregates in large non-breeding flocks around settlements on either side of the Great Dividing Range. The distribution of the winter flocks was investigated in 1964 by sending a questionnaire to 800 schools in eastern New South Wales and most of Victoria; 603 of the schools replied. Although widely distributed, the flocks were generally concentrated around mountain areas. The total winter population in the area surveyed, excluding western Victoria, was estimated to be roughly 1,000,000 birds. Recovery data for banded and plumage-dyed currawongs show that S. graculina returns to the mountains in spring, frequently over long distances, and mainly in a south-easterly, southerly, or south-westerly direction, according to the location of the winter flocks in relation to the Great Dividing Range. There is a corresponding northerly movement out of the mountains in late summer and autumn, so that the whole population shifts regularly southward and northward in spring and autumn, respectively. The abundance and mobility of S. graculina is considered in relation to the development of phasmatid outbreaks in eastern Australia, and it is concluded that there is considerable circumstantial evidence in support of the idea that outbreaks are partly the result of a "chain-reaction" process involving the progressive relaxation of predation by at least one of the principal birds, namely S. graculina.

scholarly journals SurEau: a mechanistic model of plant water relations under extreme drought

2021 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hervé Cochard ◽  
François Pimont ◽  
Julien Ruffault ◽  
Nicolas Martin-StPaul
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Balance ◽  
Water Relations ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Mechanistic Model ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Extreme Drought ◽  
Volume Curve ◽  
Oak Trees ◽  
Pressure Volume Curve

Abstract Key message A new process-based model,SurEau, is described. It predicts the risk of xylem hydraulic failure under drought. Context The increase in drought intensity due to climate change will accentuate the risk of tree mortality. But very few process-based models are currently able to predict this mortality risk. Aims We describe the operating principle of a new mechanistic model SurEau that computes the water balance, water relations, and hydraulics of a plant under extreme drought. Methods SurEau is based on the formalization of key physiological processes of plant response to water stress. The hydraulic and hydric functioning of the plant is at the core of this model, which focuses on both water flows (i.e., hydraulic) and water pools (i.e., hydric) using variable hydraulic conductances. The model considers the elementary flow of water from the soil to the atmosphere through different plant organs that are described by their symplasmic and apoplasmic compartments. For each organ, the symplasm is described by a pressure-volume curve and the apoplasm by its vulnerability curve to cavitation. The model is evaluated on mature oak trees exposed to water stress. Results On the tested oak trees, the model captures well the observed soil water balance, water relations, and level of embolism. A sensitivity analysis reveals that the level of embolism is strongly determined by air VPD and key physiological traits such as cuticular transpiration, resistance to cavitation, and leaf area. Conclusion The process-based SurEau model offers new opportunities to evaluate how different species or genotypes will respond to future climatic conditions.

The effect of anthelmintic treatments on growth of beef cattle in New South Wales

1981 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 813 ◽  
Author(s):  
MG Smeal ◽  
PJ Nicholls ◽  
RF Webb ◽  
IK Hotson ◽  
FR Doughty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Gastrointestinal Nematode ◽  
Cattle Grazing ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
North Coast ◽  
South Wales ◽  
The Mean

The effects of anthelmintic treatments on the growth of young beef cattle on the Tablelands and North Coast regions of New South Wales were assessed by comparing the liveweight gains of treated and untreated cattle grazing the same pasture. Anthelmintic treatments were given every 4 weeks to suppress gastrointestinal nematode infections and at strategic times. These times were at weaning (in autumn), during winter and in the late summer of the following year, and were chosen to coincide mainly with increasing worm burdens. After weaning, the mean cumulative liveweight responses of suppressively treated groups were often significantly greater during winter and early spring. Strategic treatments in winter but not in autumn also gave a significant liveweight response in some trials. Suppressively treated groups showed considerable variation in their growth rates during spring. This most likely reflected year-to-year variations in pasture growth, but the mean cumulative liveweight responses of several treated groups were significantly greater than those of untreated groups. These results suggest that helminth infections affected the growth of young beef cattle in both winter and spring. There was little liveweight response to suppressive treatments in the late summer and autumn of the second year, when the cattle were 16-20 months old. At the end of autumn, these cattle were usually 20-30 kg per head heavier than untreated cattle. Strategic treatments given in late summer to cattle grazing with untreated cattle did not produce any substantial liveweight response.

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