Are mangroves in Victoria (south-eastern Australia) already responding to climate change?

2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (12) ◽  
pp. 2366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul I. Boon

The distribution and productivity of mangroves is directly affected by a wide range of climatic drivers, including temperature, frost, rainfall, evaporation and storm activity, which, in turn, influence a suite of secondary drivers, including changes in freshwater run-off and sediment supply, groundwater dynamics and inter-species competitiveness. The highest-latitude expression of mangroves globally is at Millers Landing, Victoria (38°45′S), and because the vigour and productivity of mangroves across much of Victoria is thought to be limited by low winter temperatures and the incidence and severity of frosts, it is likely that mangroves will be among the first plant communities to be affected by climate change in coastal south-eastern Australia. An increase in plant vigour is likely, but there are almost no historical data with which to compare current rates of primary production. An extension of mangroves to higher latitudes on the mainland is impossible because of the geomorphology of the land that lies further to the south. Small-scale changes in distribution, including the progressive encroachment of mangroves into coastal saltmarsh, are likely to be among the clearest indications of the response of mangroves to a warming climate. Increased effort into tracking changes in mangrove vigour, productivity and distribution is clearly warranted.

1973 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 113 ◽  
Author(s):  
VJ Hill ◽  
RH Groves

Three variants or forms of Chondrilla juncea L. (skeleton weed) are distinguished in south-eastern Australia. The forms (designated A, B, and C) differ in inflorescence morphology and fruit characters, but mainly in the shape of rosette leaves, for which quantitative expressions of the differences have been developed. There were no significant differences within each form in rosette leaf shape when grown in a wide range of environments. First and second progenies of the three forms, presumably apomictic, retained the identity of their parents, as did leaves of rosettes arising vegetatively from the root system after removal of the parental rosette. The geographical limits of distribution of the forms are given, based on results from field observations and from plants grown in a glasshouse either from seed or clonal material. Plants of form A are widespread and occur in south-eastern Australia over a wide range of latitude, climate, and soil type. With one exception, the distribution of plants of forms B and C in 1969 was restricted to central New South Wales, where the forms are distributed sympatrically with plants of form A. Form B plants are confined at present to an area bounded approximately by Young, Orange, Peak Hill, and Marsden, though these boundaries are extending. Leaf emergence rates, times to stem elongation, and times to flowering are presented for the three forms. Differences between forms in these characters under some conditions are shown to exist, as well as differences between forms in their ability to regenerate vegetatively. Form C plants, at present more restricted geographically, seem to have a greater potential for regeneration from rootstocks than form A plants, already widespread throughout south-eastern Australia. The variation described in this paper is discussed in relation to control of other weed species, especially apomicts.


2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 575-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph Mac Nally ◽  
Gregory Horrocks ◽  
Hania Lada ◽  
P. Sam Lake ◽  
James R. Thomson ◽  
...  

Soil Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan M. Gray ◽  
Thomas F. A. Bishop

Climate change will lead to altered soil conditions that will impact on plant growth in both agricultural and native ecosystems. Additionally, changes in soil carbon storage will influence carbon accounting schemes that may play a role in climate change mitigation programs. We applied a digital soil mapping approach to examine and map (at 100-m resolution) potential changes in three important soil properties – soil organic carbon (SOC), pH and sum-of-bases (common macro-nutrients) – resulting from projected climate change over south-eastern Australia until ~2070. Four global climate models were downscaled with three regional models to give 12 climate models, which were used to derive changes for the three properties across the province, at 0–30 and 30–100 cm depth intervals. The SOC stocks were projected to decline over the province, while pH and sum-of-bases were projected to increase; however, the extent of change varied throughout the province and with different climate models. The average changes primarily reflected the complex interplay of changing temperatures and rainfall throughout the province. The changes were also influenced by the operating environmental conditions, with a uniform pattern of change particularly demonstrated for SOC over 36 combinations of current climate, parent material and land use. For example, the mean decline of SOC predicted for the upper depth interval was 15.6 Mg ha–1 for wet–mafic–native vegetation regimes but only 3.1 Mg ha–1 for dry–highly siliceous–cropping regimes. The predicted changes reflected only those attributable to the projected climate change and did not consider the influence of ongoing and changing land management practices.


1988 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 355 ◽  
Author(s):  
KM Old ◽  
MJ Dudzinski ◽  
JC Bell

Isozyme characteristics of 280 isolates from populations of Phytophthora cinnamomi in native veg- etation in six locations in south-eastern Australia were examined at 19 enzyme loci. No new enzyme genotypic arrays were identified as compared with earlier samplings. This work indicates that the low variability for P. cinnamomi in Australia obtained in earlier work, from separate isolates in a wide range of locations, is paralleled in detailed population samples in south-eastern Australia. At one location, A1 and A2 mating types coexisted in soil samples. The lack of recombinants in these population samples suggests an absence of sexual reproduction in the field.


Geoderma ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 405 ◽  
pp. 115442
Author(s):  
Bin Wang ◽  
Jonathan M. Gray ◽  
Cathy M. Waters ◽  
Muhuddin Rajin Anwar ◽  
Susan E. Orgill ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 190 ◽  
pp. 142-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.D. Penman ◽  
D.A. Keith ◽  
J. Elith ◽  
M.J. Mahony ◽  
R. Tingley ◽  
...  

2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicki L. Stokes ◽  
David M. Spratt ◽  
Peter B. Banks ◽  
Roger P. Pech ◽  
Richard L. Williams

The distributions of the introduced nematode parasite, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, and the native Angiostrongylus mackerrasae in Australia are poorly understood. We sampled rodents and/or their faeces, and intermediate gastropod hosts for the presence of Angiostrongylus species in coastal forests surrounding Jervis Bay in south-eastern Australia. We found A. cantonensis in populations of introduced Rattus rattus in forests to the north of Jervis Bay, and A. mackerrasae in native Rattus fuscipes in forests to the south of Jervis Bay. The apparent geographical separation of these lungworm species may be a consequence of host specificity and negative associations between R. rattus and R. fuscipes that results from interspecific competition. A. cantonensis was regularly found in R. rattus or their faeces across 9 of 12 study sites north of Jervis Bay, and three species of snail common to the area were suitable intermediate hosts. This has potential negative implications for native wildlife and human visitors to these forests, because A. cantonensis infection causes zoonotic disease (neuro-angiostrongyliasis) in humans and a wide range of bird and mammal hosts. Management of pest rodents in the study area is warranted.


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