Spatial patterns of ascidian assemblages on subtidal rocky reefs in the Port Stephens - Great Lakes Marine Park, New South Wales

Spatial and temporal patterns of variability in ascidian assemblages were investigated on horizontal subtidal rocky reefs at Port Stephens, New South Wales (NSW). The study was designed to provide a baseline dataset on ascidian diversity and distribution patterns for an area destined to become a marine park (the Port Stephens–Great Lakes Marine Park: PSGLMP). Differences in ascidian assemblages between exposed oceanic island reefs and sheltered reefs within Port Stephens, and between two depth zones within each subtidal reef, were quantified using non-parametric multivariate techniques coupled with analysis of variance (ANOVA). Ascidian assemblages were highly variable between reef sites, reef exposures and particularly between depth zones within each reef surveyed. However, temporal variation was only observed for a few ascidian species. These highly variable spatial patterns in diversity indicate that numerous subtidal reefs may need to be protected within PSGLMP if the aim of the marine park is to adequately represent the entire array of marine biodiversity in the area.

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Nutrient losses under simulated rainfall from pasture plots in the Great Lakes District, New South Wales

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr08116 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 47 (6) ◽

pp. 555 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Michael G. Jones ◽

R. Willem Vervoort ◽

Julie Cattle

Keyword(s):

Great Lakes ◽

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Nutrient Concentrations ◽

Storm Event ◽

Simulated Rainfall ◽

Nutrient Losses ◽

Major Pathway ◽

Nutrient Runoff ◽

South Wales

Understanding the process by which nutrients and solids enter waterways from pastures in the Great Lakes district, New South Wales, Australia, may assist in maintaining water quality to ensure ongoing environmental and economic sustainability of the region. Rainfall simulations, using a 100-year return storm event, were conducted to determine nutrient and suspended solid concentrations in the runoff of 8 pasture sites in 3 of the catchments in the district. On 5 of the 8 sites, considerable concentrations of N or P were mobilised during the simulated rainfall event, but average nutrient concentrations and total loads across all sites were relatively low and similar to other studies of nutrient runoff from pastures. In addition, low runoff coefficients indicated that runoff is probably not the major pathway for nutrient losses from pasture in this area. Overall, rainfall runoff responses at the sites were similar in the 3 catchments. In contrast, the results suggest that, despite generating more runoff, the sites in the Wang Wauk catchment generated less nutrients in runoff than the sites in the Wallamba and Myall catchments. There was no difference in total suspended solids loads for the sites analysed by catchment. Relationships between soil physical and chemical characteristics and total nutrients loads or cumulative runoff were not strong.

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Late Cainozoic clay deposits in the Port Stephens area, New South Wales

Australian Journal of Earth Sciences ◽

10.1080/08120099608728263 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 43 (4) ◽

pp. 395-400 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

P. S. Roy ◽

L. Matthei

Keyword(s):

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

South Wales ◽

Clay Deposits ◽

Port Stephens

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Large-scale patterns in habitat structure on subtidal rocky reefs in New South Wales

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf99008 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 51 (3) ◽

pp. 255 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

N. L. Andrew ◽

A. L. O'Neill

Keyword(s):

Sea Urchin ◽

Geographical Information Systems ◽

Large Scale ◽

Size Structure ◽

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Geographical Information ◽

South Wales ◽

Subtidal Rocky Reefs ◽

A Site

Aerial photography was used to estimate the representation of shallow subtidal habitats in New South Wales. Sixty sites, each between 4 and 5 hectares, were mapped with Geographical Information Systems software using ortho-rectified images digitized from 1:8000-scale photographs and ‘ground truthed’ in the field by divers. Barrens habitat covered an estimated 50% (s.e. = 3.9) of nearshore reefs between Port Stephens and Disaster Bay. Coverage of barrens habitat was greatest in Disaster Bay (68%, s.e. = 6.7) and least south of Disaster Bay (1%, s.e. = 0.3). There were clear differences among localities in the area of reef within the mapped sites; those at Cape Howe, Nadgee, and Turingal were significantly smaller in area than all others. There was no clear latitudinal trend in these differences but there was evidence of sand inundation at a site at Nadgee, where the reef was small. Differences in the densities and size-structure of the sea urchin Centrostephanus rodgersiiat 27 of the mapped sites provide a basis for testing relationships between the demography of this species and the persistence of the barrens habitat. The extensive coverage of the barrens habitat in New South Wales is likely to limit the productivity of the abalone industry. The development of a sea urchin fishery may have large impacts on habitat representation on nearshore reefs.

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Range and habitat associations of the native macroalga Caulerpa filiformis in New South Wales, Australia

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf14282 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 66 (11) ◽

pp. 1018 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Tim M. Glasby ◽

Peter. T. Gibson ◽

Gregory West ◽

Peter Davies ◽

Sofietje Voerman

Keyword(s):

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Habitat Associations ◽

Disjunct Distribution ◽

Species Introduction ◽

Isolated Populations ◽

Rocky Reefs ◽

South Wales ◽

Green Seaweed ◽

Natural Range

Caulerpa filiformis is a green seaweed found in New South Wales (NSW, Australia), South Africa, Mozambique and Peru. It has been suggested that the abundance of the species has increased in NSW over recent decades. Extensive aerial and diver surveys identified a 500-km northerly extension to the range of C. filiformis in NSW (to 28°21′S) compared with previous records. The alga has a disjunct distribution with small isolated populations around rocky headlands in far northern NSW, but then no apparent populations for 350km southwards. The far northern populations could be the result of recent human-mediated transport (a species introduction), or were simply not detected previously. The increased distribution around the previous northerly limit is likely a natural range expansion. The distribution of C. filiformis in NSW and globally seems confined to a temperature range of ~16–23°C. We found no relationship between abundance of C. filiformis and human population or oceanic chlorophyll-a (a surrogate for nutrient availability). We demonstrate that C. filiformis is predominately subtidal, being found along sections of coastline where there is a mixture of rocky reefs and beaches. It is argued that sand movement may have facilitated increases in abundance of C. filiformis.

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The contribution of the community to defining the distribution of a vulnerable species, the spotted-tailed quoll, Dasyurus maculatus

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr00018 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 28 (5) ◽

pp. 537 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Daniel Lunney ◽

Alison Matthews

Keyword(s):

Field Survey ◽

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Vulnerable Species ◽

Community Based ◽

Private Lands ◽

Survey Techniques ◽

European Settlement ◽

South Wales ◽

Port Stephens

Community-based wildlife postal surveys, which included the spotted-tailed quoll, were undertaken in Eden, Port Stephens, Bellingen and Iluka. This resulted in 68 records for spotted-tailed quolls for Eden, 40 for Port Stephens, 39 for Bellingen and 7 for Iluka. Such a high number of records from coastal New South Wales, with many on private lands, identifies postal surveys as a major source of previously overlooked sightings. Spotted-tailed quolls have declined in range by as much as 50–90% since European settlement, which has seen them listed as a nationally vulnerable species. There have been few surveys of spotted-tailed quolls in New South Wales due to their difficulty of detection using standard field survey techniques, such as cage trapping and hair tube sampling. Their unique appearance makes them an ideal species to include in community-based surveys. Future use of these surveys has the potential to contribute significantly to conservation programs of spotted-tailed quolls that involve private lands and local support.

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The impact of fire and dogs on Koalas at Port Stephens, New South Wales, using population viability analysis

Pacific Conservation Biology ◽

10.1071/pc070189 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 189 ◽

Cited By ~ 61

Author(s):

Danial Lunney ◽

Shaan Gresser ◽

Lisa E. O'neill ◽

Alison Matthews ◽

Jonathan Rhodes

Keyword(s):

New South ◽

Local Population ◽

New South Wales ◽

Population Viability Analysis ◽

Population Viability ◽

Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽

Viability Analysis ◽

South Wales ◽

The Impact ◽

Port Stephens

The Port Stephens Koala Phascolarctos cinereus population has been regarded as one of the strongholds for Koalas in New South Wales. This study applied population viability analysis to investigate the impact of fire and predation by dogs on the viability of the local population. The rapid decline of the modelled Koala population under basic assumptions throws the assumed security of such large populations into question. In all the modelled management scenarios, reducing mortality had more influence than any other factor. Reducing the severity and frequency of large catastrophic fires improved the probability of survival for the population, though the modelled population size still declined sharply. Any management action to improve Koala survival must be accompanied by a reduction in mortality from dog attacks. Fires and dogs will have an ever greater impact on Koala populations as coastal forests become more fragmented and isolated by urban development, and their combined control will be needed to complement land-use planning measures to address habitat loss and fragmentation.

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Range extension and first occurrence of the thorny seahorse Hippocampus histrix in New South Wales, Australia

Marine Biodiversity Records ◽

10.1017/s1755267215000263 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

D. Harasti

Keyword(s):

East Coast ◽

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Range Extension ◽

South Wales ◽

First Occurrence ◽

Port Stephens

Between 2007 and 2014, three individual thorny seahorses,Hippocampus histrix,were recorded in Port Stephens, New South Wales, Australia. Specimens ranged in size from 6 to 8 cm and were considered to be females. This extends the known range ofH. histrixalong the east coast of Australia by 1700 km.

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The tree species preferences of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) inhabiting forest and woodland communities on Quaternary deposits in the Port Stephens area, New South Wales

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr98054 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Stephen Phillips ◽

John Callaghan ◽

Valerie Thompson

Keyword(s):

Tree Species ◽

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Eucalyptus Species ◽

Quaternary Deposits ◽

Faecal Pellets ◽

South Wales ◽

Species Preferences ◽

Woodland Communities ◽

Port Stephens

An assessment of the tree species preferences of koalas inhabiting forest and woodland communities growing on Quaternary deposits in the Port Stephens area, New South Wales, was undertaken between November 1994 and March 1996. Using a plot-based methodology, 3847 trees were sampled, comprising 15 Eucalyptus species and 17 species of non-eucalypt. Evidence of tree use by koalas, specifically the presence of koala faecal pellets, was recorded from beneath 10 Eucalyptus species and 9 species of non-eucalypt. Tree species preferences were determined by analyses of log- likelihood ratios derived from data based on the presence/absence of koala faecal pellets, rather than on gross counts. This approach confirmed significant variation in the levels of utilisation amongst and between different tree species, and that two in particular – swamp mahogany (E. robusta) and drooping red gum (E. parramattensis) – were most preferred. Increases in the levels of use of other tree species were also positively associated with the presence of E. robusta and/or E. parramattensis. Levels of utilisation of E. robusta and E. parramattensis did not alter significantly in response to changes in their respective densities, suggesting that the relative abundance of both was important in terms of understanding the carrying capacity of vegetation communities utilised by koalas. The results have established the success with which an enumerative approach to the interpretation of faecal pellet data can be utilised to clarify the tree species preferences of koalas. Application of the approach for habitat assessment and mapping purposes is also discussed.

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A 29-year retrospective analysis of koala rescues in New South Wales, Australia

10.1101/2020.04.19.048967 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Renae Charalambous ◽

Edward J. Narayan

Keyword(s):

Retrospective Analysis ◽

Cultural Differences ◽

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Management Team ◽

Common Disease ◽

Induce Stress ◽

South Wales ◽

Government Legislation ◽

Port Stephens

AbstractThe koala (Phascolactos cinereus) is currently listed by both the IUCN and the Australian Governments’ Threatened Species Scientific Committee as vulnerable to extinction with a decreasing population trend. This listing can be attributed to climate change and its impact on ecosystems, and anthropomorphic environmental change due to extensive land clearing and habitat fragmentation. These have both been proven to induce stress, which influences the onset of disease. This novel study performed a retrospective analysis whereby records for 12,543 wild, rescued koalas in New South Wales (NSW), Australia were studied in order to determine trends in koala sightings, clinical admissions and injury diagnoses over a period of 29 years (1989-2018). Results indicated that between all three study locations (Port Stephens, Port Macquarie and Lismore), the most common reason koalas were admitted into care was because of disease, the most common disease diagnosed was signs of chlamydia, and the most common outcome for koalas admitted into care was released. At Port Stephens, mature and female koalas were diagnosed with a disease more than any other age or sex, while juvenile and male koalas were released (back into the wild) more than any other age or sex. Additionally, there were fewer koalas with a disease and fewer koalas released in Port Stephens as each year progressed. At Port Macquarie, mature and male koalas were diagnosed with a disease more than any other age or sex, while juvenile and female koalas were released more than any other age or sex. Additionally, there were more koalas with a disease and fewer koalas released in Port Macquarie as each year progressed. At Lismore, adult and female koalas were diagnosed with a disease more than any other age or sex, while joey and male koalas were released more than any other age or sex. Additionally, there were more koalas with a disease and fewer koalas released in Lismore as each year progressed. Determining trends in clinical admissions and diagnosis over such a substantial period of time is an important factor in preventing the continuing decline of koalas throughout Australia, and in particular NSW. It is important to note that there are cultural differences between koala rescue groups in the three study locations (Port Stephens, Port Macquarie and Lismore). These differences may be reflected in the outcomes of koala patients as each group are driven by their own management team. It is essential that any further decline of koala populations is prevented, however this can only be achieved through informed recommendations through research studies such as these. These recommendations should lead to government legislation which can provide stronger protection to koala habitat.

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