Benthic communities in an estuary with periodic deoxygenation

1981 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 227 ◽  
Author(s):  
SF Rainer ◽  
RC Fitzhardinge
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Benthic Communities ◽  
Benthic Fauna ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Central Basin ◽  
Deep Basin ◽  
South Wales ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Range Of Values ◽  
Zostera Capricorni

The relationship between spatial patterns in the physical environment and patterns in community and trophic structure in the benthic fauna was investigated in an estuary with periodic deoxygenation of the near- bottom water. Six sites were sampled between intertidal mangroves and an 8 m deep basin of Port Hacking, N.S.W. A total of 163 species was collected, ranging from 11 to 94 at each site. Both frequency and biomass were least in the central basin and highest in a bed of the seagrass Zostera capricorni Aschers. The abundances at these sites encompass the range of values previously recorded for estuaries on the east coast of Australia. The dominant species differed from those reported from other New South Wales estuaries, although the same species were usually present. The distribution of common species was limited by fluctuations in dissolved oxygen levels, but not obviously so by sediment differences or short-term fluctuations in water temperature or salinity. Frequency-based diversity and evenness values were similar to those from other estuarine areas. Biomass-based values were lower at most sites than frequency-based values. Patterns of diversity and evenness could not be simply interpreted as indicators of environmental harshness in the community.

Soil-extractable sulfur and pasture response to applied sulfur

1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 567 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. C. Anderson ◽  
R. D. B. Lefroy ◽  
G. J. Blair
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
New South ◽  
Growth Period ◽  
Acid Digestion ◽  
Extraction Techniques ◽  
Organic S ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Trifolium Repens L ◽  
Soil Sulfur ◽  
The Relationship

Summary. A glasshouse experiment was conducted to study the correlation between various soil sulfur (S) extractants and pasture response to applied S grown under controlled environmental conditions (glasshouse) as influenced by variations in levels of extractable S. Intact paired soil cores were collected at 2-month intervals from an S x P factorial experiment at 4 field sites on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales on 11 occasions. Soil samples were collected from each core and the cores placed in the glasshouse. Sulfur was applied to one core of each pair and basal nutrients applied to all cores which were then oversown with white clover (Trifolium repens L. cv. Haifa). The extractable S in the soil was analysed using the following techniques: 0.1 mol Ca(H2PO4)2/L (MCPt); 0.1 mol Ca(H2PO4)2/L, treated with activated charcoal (MCPi); water (H2O); 0.25 mol KCl/L, heated at 40°C for 3 h (KCl-40); 0.25 mol KCl/L, heated at 100°C for 4 h (KCl-100); 0.5 mol NaHCO3/L (NaHCO3); and an acid digestion of the soil (total). Dry matter yield and S content of the pasture shoots were measured for each 2-month growth period. The relationship between the various soil S extraction techniques and the response of pasture to applied S varied over time and was influenced by the level of inorganic S present in the soil and the amount of organic S extracted. When the level of MCPi-extractable S ranged between 2 and 22 µg S/g soil due to the application of fertiliser (summer 1987–88 and autumn 1988), or after a period of high mineralisation rates (spring 1988), the MCPi, MCPt, H2O and KCl-40 techniques had the highest correlation with the increase in S content of the pasture when S was applied. The higher correlation for the MCPt, H2O and KCl-40 techniques than the MCPi technique indicates that plants obtained some S from the organic S pool. In contrast, when the levels of MCPi-extractable S ranged between 2 and 10 µg S/g soil and the rate of mineralisation increased in response to an increase in soil temperature (June 1988 and June 1989) or moisture (September 1989) upon transfer of samples from the field to the glasshouse, the MCPt, H2O and KCl-40 techniques underestimated the available S pool and had lower r2 values than either the KCl-100 or NaHCO3 techniques.

A scheme for preliminary study of soil fertility in a district

1970 ◽  
Vol 10 (43) ◽  
pp. 196
Author(s):  
WM McArthur ◽  
K Spencer
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
New South ◽  
Strong Correlations ◽  
South Wales ◽  
The Status ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Distribution Of Components ◽  
Edaphic Variables ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Field Plots

A scheme is proposed as a basis for soil fertility studies in areas where little information is available. The first stage consists of sampling the area on a grid and determining the patterns of variation in the status of those nutrient elements likely to be deficient. These patterns are then compared with intensity patterns of environmental (including edaphic) variables. Where the two sets of variables can be quantified, regression analysis may be used to estimate the closeness of the relationship ; otherwise the relationship must be assessed visually from the degree of conformity between patterns. Those environmental variables that relate, causally or otherwise, to the distribution of components of chemical fertility are identified by strong correlations. Information so gained may be used in subsequent agronomic studies, both as a guide to number and location of field plots and as a framework for studies in soil chemistry and pedology. The scheme is illustrated using data derived from studies on the Dorrigo Plateau of New South Wales. Factors relating closely to phosphorus, sulphur, molybdenum, and nitrogen distribution were identified. In no case could one factor be used to predict the adequacy of all nutrients.

Factors influencing herbicide efficacy when removing lucerne prior to cropping

2006 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 1301 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. L. Davies ◽  
A. M. Storrie ◽  
A. S. Cook ◽  
R. A. Latta ◽  
A. D. Swan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
New South ◽  
Residual Activity ◽  
Management Guidelines ◽  
Herbicide Treatment ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Root Reserves ◽  
Herbicide Mixtures ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Farmers often experience inconsistent responses when using herbicides to terminate an established lucerne pasture prior to cropping. In an attempt to redress this problem, a series of field experiments were conducted between 1999 and 2002 at various locations in southern and northern New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, and south Western Australia that aimed to identify management guidelines that improved the efficacy of herbicide mixtures commonly used to remove lucerne. Collectively, these studies indicated that herbicides were generally less effective when applied either early (less than 2 weeks) or late (6 weeks or more) in the regrowth cycle of lucerne after defoliation. Herbicide efficacy tended to be greatest if applied to regrowth 3–5 weeks after defoliation, which corresponds to a time when the lucerne crown and root reserves are likely to be in the process of being replenished by photoassimilates transported from the shoot. The impact of timing of herbicide application in relation to season was compared at a number of locations. Across all the sites and years, spring herbicide applications were generally the most effective, removing on average 87% of the lucerne (range 53–100%) compared with 72% in summer (24–100%) and 60% in autumn (7–92%). Spring applications were also more consistent in their effect, removing >80% of the lucerne plants in 9 out of 12 experiments, whereas similar rates of removal occurred on 4 occasions in 9 summer applications and only twice in 8 autumn applications. Some of the seasonal variation could be explained by differences in the amount of rainfall prior to herbicide applications. It was assumed that the relationship between rainfall and herbicide efficacy reflected the stimulation of lucerne shoot and root growth by the additional soil moisture before herbicide treatment. Herbicide mixtures that contained ingredients such as picloram that retain residual activity in the soil tended to be more effective and were less influenced by lucerne growth and season than those herbicides with little or no residual activity. However, such chemicals could potentially restrict which crops can subsequently be grown after a lucerne pasture has been removed. It was concluded that >80% of lucerne plants were likely to be removed using herbicides provided that the herbicide treatment was applied to actively growing lucerne 3–5 weeks after defoliation, and when greater than 70–95 mm rain had fallen in the 6–8 weeks prior to application.

"They Know Not What They Do" — on William Rodier and his Mission to Exterminate Rabbits and other Vertebrate Pests

2002 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 431 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Noble ◽  
G. H. Pfitzner
Keyword(s):  
Family Background ◽  
New South ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Informal Knowledge ◽  
Southeastern Australia ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Vertebrate Pests ◽  
Late Nineteenth ◽  
The Relationship

William Rodier (1859–1936) became well known throughout much of southeastern Australia during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, mainly through the vigour with which he expressed his contentious views on how best to control certain vertebrate pests. Much of his 'plan', particularly in regard to rabbits, was based on his experience as a pastoralist in western New South Wales. In this article, we examine what is known about Rodier's family background, his occupations, preoccupations, and particularly, the effectiveness of his endeavours to convince a largely sceptical public as to the wisdom and practicality of his method for vertebrate pest control. Some of the circulars and flyers printed by Rodier are also reproduced for illustrative purposes. These were designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Rodier Method, especially for controlling the rabbit, perceived by him to be the most serious threat then facing landholders in Australia. Rodier's activities are appraised in light of the relationship then existing between community-based science and more orthodox, academically-based science in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Finally, this relationship is further explored in an historical context by examining the importance attached to local, informal knowledge in contemporary ecological research where landholder collaboration is now often regarded as an integral component.

A survey of native grasses in the Goulburn District and factors influencing their abundance.

1991 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 118 ◽  
Author(s):  
DJ Munnich ◽  
PC Simpson ◽  
HI Nicol
Keyword(s):  
Species Differences ◽  
New South ◽  
Acid Tolerance ◽  
Trifolium Subterraneum ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Native Grasses ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Cent Increase ◽  
Annual Grasses ◽  
Microlaena Stipoides

A survey of natural and improved paddocks on 34 farms was conducted over winter within a 60 km radius of Goulburn on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales. Seventeen of the properties which were found to have significant (greater than 10 per cent) proportions of potentially useful native grasses were resurveyed in the subsequent summer to identify specific Danthonia spp. The survey revealed that useful native yearlong green species such as Microlaena stipoides and Danthonia spp. were relatively abundant in natural paddocks surveyed over winter (16 per cent and 10 per cent respectively), Danthonia being represented by four common species. These natural paddocks, most of which contained Trifolium subterraneum and had some superphosphate input, carried 80 per cent as many stock as their improved counterparts in terms of average DSE/ha. Factors such as cultivation and the presence of naturalized or sown species influenced the abundance of these species, but species differences were apparent. Cultivation reduced the abundance of Danthonia spp. but did not affect the abundance of M. stipoides, which was thus more prevalent than Danthonia spp. in improved pastures. Microlaena stipoides was also more prevalent in uncleared than cleared paddocks. The frequency of Danthonia spp. was negatively associated with high percentage frequencies of annual grasses (principally Vulpia spp.), declining by approximately 2.5 per cent for each 10 per cent increase in annual grasses over winter. The proportion of M. stipoides observed in paddocks appeared to be more influenced by sown pasture species, with lowest percentages recorded where species such as Phalaris aquatica had been sown and highest percentages where no exotic species had been introduced. The abundance of M. stipoides was affected by pH, with percentage frequency increasing as pH declined (down to pH 4 (Cacl~)), indicating the possible acid tolerance of this species. Species' percentages recorded changed with season. For example, Danthonia percentages recorded were considerably greater over summer when flowering heads were obvious than those recorded in winter. This aspect highlights the importance of recording different species during specific seasons to increase the accuracy of frequency estimates.

scholarly journals Drought, Wellbeing and Adaptive Capacity: Why Do Some People Stay Well?

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (19) ◽  
pp. 7214
Author(s):  
Emma K. Austin ◽  
Tonelle Handley ◽  
Anthony S. Kiem ◽  
Jane L. Rich ◽  
David Perkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
New South ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Drought Condition ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
The Relationship

Drought is a threat to public health. Individual and community adaptive capacity is crucial when responding to the impacts of drought. Gaps remain in the understandings of the relationship between wellbeing and adaptive capacity, and whether increased wellbeing can lead to improved adaptive capacity (or vice versa). This paper explores the relationship between drought, wellbeing and adaptive capacity to provide insights that will inform actions to enhance adaptive capacity, and hence increase opportunities for effective drought adaptation. The theory of salutogenesis and the associated sense of coherence (SOC) are used to measure adaptive capacity and to explain why some individuals remain well and adapt to adversity while others do not. An online survey of rural residents (n = 163) in drought-affected New South Wales (NSW), Australia, was conducted from November 2018 to January 2019. Linear regression was used to model the relationships between SOC, sociodemographic factors, drought and wellbeing. Findings demonstrate that SOC is strongly correlated with wellbeing. Drought condition did not influence adaptive capacity, although adaptive capacity and drought-related stress were only weakly correlated. Increased wellbeing was found to be associated with stronger adaptive capacity and therefore, an individuals’ capacity to cope with adversity, such as drought.

The herpetofauna of Kioloa, New South Wales: baseline observational data collected 30 years ago and inspired by R. E. Barwick

2014 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Henle ◽  
Will Osborne ◽  
Frank Lemckert
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Eastern Coast ◽  
Field Station ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Anthropogenic Habitat ◽  
Reptile Species ◽  
Frog Species

There is increasing concern about the global decline of amphibians and reptiles. One problem with documenting declines and identifying underlying causes is the absence of historical data to compare to current data. Here we provide historic data for Kioloa on the south-eastern coast of New South Wales. In this region considerable clearing of natural forest and woodland and creation of farmland ponds took place during the second half of the 20th century. The Australian National University has a field station at Kioloa and R.E. Barwick introduced us to the field station and what was known of the herpetofauna in the mid-1980s. We undertook detailed observational surveys of the herpetofauna at this time and we revisited the area at other times, focusing on the coastal habitats. We found 13 species of frogs and 11 species of reptiles. Three further frog species and one reptile species known to occur in the area in the 1980s were not detected by us. More recently, one further frog species and six reptile species were added to the list, raising the total to 17 frog and 18 reptile species. The number and composition was similar to other locations of coastal New South Wales, except for some of the rarely encountered species. No strictly forest-dependent species were observed in the partially cleared survey area and such species presumably had already disappeared from these areas already before we commenced our observations. The frog Pseudophryne bibronii was still common in tall open-forest but was uncommon in partially cleared areas. Six species of frogs and one species of reptile presumably benefited from the anthropogenic habitat modifications. No declines of common species of reptiles occurred between the mid-1980s and 1993 but all species of frogs were very rare in 1993 due to very dry conditions. Litoria aurea, a threatened species of frog that was widespread in the mid-1980s, survives (2012) only at one site in the area.

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