The effects of a low-intensity fire on small mammals and lizards in a logged, burnt forest

2003 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela M. Penn ◽  
William B. Sherwin ◽  
Daniel Lunney ◽  
Peter B. Banks
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
North West ◽  
Hazard Reduction ◽  
Low Intensity ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Antechinus Agilis ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Positive Effect

This study summarises the results of a patchy, low-intensity hazard-reduction burn on the small mammals and lizards of Mumbulla State Forest and Biamanga National Park. About half of the study sites in the patchwork of alternate logging regrowth and unlogged forest had been burnt in April 1999. Prior to burning (winter 1998), there were significantly more Antechinus agilis in those north-west-facing sites that burnt in 1999, than in the south-east sites that burnt. By 15 months post-burning this trend had reversed, with more A. agilis in the burnt south-east sites. In contrast, burning had an initially positive effect on the abundance of Rattus fuscipes, with significantly more in the burnt south-east than burnt north-west sites four months post-burning compared with 1998 (pre-burning). This influence of aspect may be attributable to the fact that fires generally burn more intensely on the drier north-west slopes, removing more of the leaf litter and vegetative cover and making post-fire conditions harsher. Antechinus swainsonii became extremely scarce in the forest after the burning. Twenty months post-burning (summer 2000), there were significantly more Lampropholis delicata in the unburnt sites than in the burnt sites compared with 1999 (10 months post-burn). Lampropholis guichenoti were affected to a much lesser extent and recovered quickly, and Eulamprus heatwolei were generally unaffected by the burning. The hazard-reduction burn came 19 years after a high-intensity bushfire and logging operation in this forest. The results of the two fires were similar for the two Antechinus species and the Eulamprus species but contrasted for the other species. Hazard-reduction burning is widespread and accepted as a management tool and, following the New South Wales bushfires of 1994–95 and 2001–02, will probably increase in use. Our results, however, suggest that the biodiversity impacts of burning are complex and multidirectional, posing a significant challenge to conservation managers.

The long-term effects of logging for woodchips on small mammal populations

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Lunney ◽  
Alison Matthews ◽  
Peggy Eby ◽  
Angela M. Penn
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
North West ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Species Specific

Context. Long-term studies are internationally recognised as an essential component of achieving ecologically sustainable forest management with respect to fauna. Aims. This study aimed to assess longer-term responses of small mammals to logging by returning in 1998 to our 1980–83 study sites in south-eastern New South Wales, Australia. Methods. Three age-classes of forest were surveyed: unlogged; 18–19-year-old regrowth; and 26–34-year-old regrowth. Key results. Rattus fuscipes remained affected by logging, and there were significantly fewer R. fuscipes males in logged, north-west-facing sites than at other sites, although the effect was less pronounced in 1998 than in 1980–83. Antechinus agilis females were significantly less numerous in south-east-facing, unlogged forest. This was not expected from the 1980–83 results. Antechinus swainsonii, which had disappeared following a fire in 1980, had returned to the forest by 1998. A. swainsonii females showed a significant preference for south-east-facing slopes and this relationship was consistent between logged and unlogged forest. No members of Mus musculus or Sminthopsis leucopus, which were present in 1980–83, were caught in 1998. Conclusions. As in the 1980s study, the responses of small mammal species to logging history were varied and species specific. Implications. In our study area, we predict that sustained logging for woodchips will continue to deplete its populations of small mammals. This adds to the case for a more robust and sustained approach to researching and managing our forest fauna.

Powerline Easements: Do They Promote Edge Effects in Eucalypt Forest for Small Mammals?

1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross L. Goldingay ◽  
Robert J. Whelan
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Edge Effects ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Eucalypt Forest ◽  
Hair Sampling ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Antechinus Stuartii

The distribution and abundance of small terrestrial mammals were assessed in forest adjacent to powerline easements at three different sites in New South Wales. At each site, four transects of 300 m length extended into the forest from the edge of the easement. The abundances of two native species (Antechinus stuartii, Rattus fuscipes) did not differ significantly with distance from the easement but abundances differed markedly among sites. Mammals were captured in only one easement where dense vegetation was present. Feral carnivores, which may mediate edge effects on small mammals, were surveyed by using hair-sampling tubes. Cats and dogs were detected only 50–200 m inside the forest. Foxes were not detected by hair-tubes but were observed on two easements. These results suggest that powerline easements may not create edge effects in eucalypt forest for some native mammal species, although further studies are needed to determine the generality of this conclusion. We recommend that easement management should be more benign to native mammals, given the ubiquity of this form of habitat fragmentation. Promotion of dense vegetative cover and habitat linkages within easements could achieve this.

Effects of fenced seed production areas and restoration treatments on the size and composition of the native grass seedbanks in moderately degraded rangelands in semiarid Australia

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Judith M. Bean ◽  
Gavin J. Melville ◽  
Ronald B. Hacker ◽  
Sharon Anderson ◽  
Alicia Whittington ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Production ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Native Grass ◽  
North West ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Red Earth ◽  
Preferred Species ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Production Areas ◽  
And Control

Seed production areas containing populations of native grasses were fenced on topographically high areas at two study sites in the semiarid rangelands of north-west New South Wales, Australia. The surrounding slopes were initially almost bare of pastorally preferred grasses. Three restoration treatments (control, mechanical pitting, and contour-aligned branch piles) were established on these surrounding slopes and the size and composition of the native grass seedbanks determined. A positive influence of the seed production areas mostly occurred within 15 m of the fence and was probably insignificant beyond 33 m at both sites. On a hard-setting red earth site, the size of the native grass seedbank in all three treatments increased over 2 years with the greatest increase under the piles of branches and smaller increases in the pitting and control treatments. The piles of branches preferentially incorporated seed of the pastorally preferred species Monachather paradoxus Steud into the seedbank whereas pits preferentially incorporated seed of the pastorally unpreferred species Aristida jerichoensis (Domin) Henrad. Evidence generally pointed to incoming seed rain rather than the seedbank as the main source of new seedlings. On a medium-textured lithosol site neither the pits nor the branches treatment was effective in enhancing either the size or composition of the seedbank; in fact the piles of branches resulted in a decrease in its size.

scholarly journals Modelling the Quality of Bathing Waters in the Adriatic Sea

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1525
Author(s):  
Christian Ferrarin ◽  
Pierluigi Penna ◽  
Antonella Penna ◽  
Vedrana Spada ◽  
Fabio Ricci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Sea Temperature ◽  
Bathing Water Directive ◽  
Bathing Waters ◽  
Diffusion Dynamics ◽  
Study Sites

The aim of this study is to develop a relocatable modelling system able to describe the microbial contamination that affects the quality of coastal bathing waters. Pollution events are mainly triggered by urban sewer outflows during massive rainy events, with relevant negative consequences on the marine environment and tourism and related activities of coastal towns. A finite element hydrodynamic model was applied to five study areas in the Adriatic Sea, which differ for urban, oceanographic and morphological conditions. With the help of transport-diffusion and microbial decay modules, the distribution of Escherichia coli was investigated during significant events. The numerical investigation was supported by detailed in situ observational datasets. The model results were evaluated against water level, sea temperature, salinity and E. coli concentrations acquired in situ, demonstrating the capacity of the modelling suite in simulating the circulation in the coastal areas of the Adriatic Sea, as well as several main transport and diffusion dynamics, such as riverine and polluted waters dispersion. Moreover, the results of the simulations were used to perform a comparative analysis among the different study sites, demonstrating that dilution and mixing, mostly induced by the tidal action, had a stronger effect on bacteria reduction with respect to microbial decay. Stratification and estuarine dynamics also play an important role in governing microbial concentration. The modelling suite can be used as a beach management tool for improving protection of public health, as required by the EU Bathing Water Directive.

scholarly journals Prescribed burning in a mediterranean-climate region mitigates the disturbance by bushfire to a critical food resource for an endangered bird, the Carnaby’s cockatoo

Fire Ecology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie S. Densmore ◽  
Emma S. Clingan
Keyword(s):  
Seed Production ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Hazard ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
Prescribed Burns ◽  
Low Intensity ◽  
Percentage Survival

Abstract Background Prescribed burning is used to reduce fire hazard in highly flammable vegetation types, including Banksia L.f. woodland that occurs on the Swan Coastal Plain (SCP), Western Australia, Australia. The 2016 census recorded well over 1.9 million people living on the SCP, which also encompasses Perth, the fourth largest city in Australia. Banksia woodland is prone to frequent ignitions that can cause extensive bushfires that consume canopy-stored banksia seeds, a critical food resource for an endangered bird, the Carnaby’s cockatoo (Calyptorynchus latirostris, Carnaby 1948). The time needed for banksias to reach maturity and maximum seed production is several years longer than the typical interval between prescribed burns. We compared prescribed burns to bushfires and unburned sites at three locations in banksia woodland to determine whether low-intensity prescribed burns affect the number of adult banksias and their seed production. Study sites were matched to the same vegetation complex, fire regime, and time-since-fire to isolate fire intensity as a variable. Results Headfire rates of spread and differenced normalized burn ratios indicated that prescribed burning was generally of a much lower intensity than bushfire. The percentage survival of adult banksias and their production of cones and follicles (seeds) did not decrease during the first three years following a prescribed burn. However, survival and seed production were significantly diminished followed high-intensity bushfire. Thus, carrying capacity for Carnaby’s cockatoo was unchanged by prescribed burning but decreased markedly following bushfire in banksia woodland. Conclusions These results suggest that prescribed burning is markedly different from bushfire when considering appropriate fire intervals to conserve canopy habitats in fire-resilient vegetation communities. Therefore, low-intensity prescribed burning represents a viable management tool to reduce the frequency and extent of bushfire impacts on banksia woodland and Carnaby’s cockatoo.

Effects of logging and fire on small mammals in Mumbulla State Forest, near Bega, New South Wales

1987 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Lunney ◽  
B. Cullis ◽  
P. Eby
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
First Year ◽  
Severe Effect ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Antechinus Stuartii ◽  
Rattus Fuscipes

This study of the effects of logging on small mammals in Mumbulla State Forest on the south coast of New South Wales included the effects of a fire in November 1980 and a drought throughout the study period from June 1980 to June 1983. Rattus fuscipes was sensitive to change: logging had a significant impact on its numbers, response to ground cover, and recapture rate; fire had a more severe effect, and drought retarded the post-fire recovery of the population. The three species of dasyurid marsupials differed markedly in their response to ground cover, canopy cover, logging and fire. Antechinus stuartii was distributed evenly through all habitats and was not affected by logging, but fire had an immediate and adverse effect which was sustained by the intense drought. A. swainsonii markedly preferred the regenerating forest, and was not seen again after the fire, the failure of the population being attributed to its dependence on dense ground cover. Sminthopsis leucopus was found in low numbers, appeared to prefer forest with sparse ground cover, and showed no immediate response to logging or fire; its disappearance by the third year post-fire suggests that regenerating forest is inimical to the survival of this species. Mus musculus showed no response to logging. In the first year following the fire its numbers were still very low, but in the next year there was a short-lived plague which coincided with the only respite in the 3-year drought and, importantly, occurred in the intensely burnt parts of the forest. The options for managing this forest for the conservation of small mammals include minimising fire, retaining unlogged forest, extending the time over which alternate coupes are logged and minimising disturbance from heavy machinery.

Responses of four soybean varieties to foliar zinc fertilizer

1981 ◽  
Vol 21 (109) ◽  
pp. 236 ◽  
Author(s):  
IA Rose ◽  
WL Felton ◽  
LW Banks
Keyword(s):  
Oil Content ◽  
Phosphorus Content ◽  
Zinc Concentration ◽  
New South ◽  
North West ◽  
Yield Increase ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Zinc Fertilization ◽  
Zinc Fertilizer ◽  
Fertilization Experiments

The soybean varieties Lee, Forrest, Bragg and Dodds were studied in zinc fertilization experiments at three sites in central and north-west New South Wales. At each site foliar sprays of ZnSO47H2O were applied before flowering. At Narrabri one spray of 4 kg ha-1 gave a yield increase of 13%. At Trangie and Breeza, two sprays each of 4 kg ha-1 increased yield by 57% and 208%, respectively. Lee was the least responsive variety at each site and Dodds or Forrest the most responsive to applied zinc. Zinc fertilizer increased plant height, foliar zinc concentration, oil content (at two sites) but decreased leaf phosphorus content. Leaf concentrations of phosphorus in untreated plots were indicative of varietal sensitivity to zinc deficiency both within and between sites. The yield increases at Narrabri were obtained even though no visual symptoms were observed. Improvement of soybean yields with zinc fertilizer in seemingly healthy crops is worthy of further investigation.

Cycad killer, qu'est-ce que c'est? Dieback of Macrozamia communis on the south coast of New South Wales

2021 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 102
Author(s):  
Keith L. McDougall ◽  
Penelope J. Gullan ◽  
Phil Craven ◽  
Genevieve T. Wright ◽  
Lyn G. Cook
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Scale Insect ◽  
South Coast ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Sufficient Evidence ◽  
Cultivated Plants ◽  
The South ◽  
Extreme Caution ◽  
South Wales

The association of an armoured scale insect (a diaspidid) with dieback of a population of a native cycad (Macrozamia communis L.A.S.Johnson) was investigated on the south coast of New South Wales. The diaspidid was found to be undescribed but morphologically similar to oleander scale – here we call it Aspidiotus cf. nerii. It is probably native to Australasia and its current known distribution is within Murramarang National Park (MNP). Aspidiotus cf. nerii has been abundant on symptomatic M. communis at MNP over at least the past decade and has spread to new parts of the park. In population studies of infested and uninfested areas we found that, although both areas had populations with reverse J curves showing dominance of seedlings, mortality of seedlings and caulescent plants was significantly higher in infested sites. Infested areas had been burnt less frequently than uninfested areas. Fire does not appear to eradicate the diaspidid but may reduce its effects enough for plants to recover. We recommend further research into the use of fire as a management tool. Although other factors may be contributing to the severity of the dieback, we suggest there is sufficient evidence for the diaspidid to be regarded as the primary cause of dieback in M. communis in MNP, regardless of its origin. Given the occurrence of similar diaspidids on cultivated plants in botanic gardens, translocation of threatened Macrozamia species using plants grown in nurseries should be undertaken with extreme caution.

2. On a New Species of Manna, from New South Wales.

1851 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 239-240
Author(s):  
Thomas Anderson
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Chemical Constitution ◽  
A New Species

About thirty years ago a species of manna, obtained from the Eucalyptus Mannifera, was brought from New South Wales, and was examined by Dr Thomas Thomson, and afterwards by Professor Johnston, both of whom ascertained it to contain a new species of sugar, different from the mannite which exists in ordinary manna. The author had, through the kindness of Mr Sheriff Cay, an opportunity of examining a very different species of manna, remarkable both from its chemical constitution, and from its possessing a definitely organised structure. This substance was discovered by Mr Robert Cay in 1844, in the interior of Australia Felix, to the north and north-west of Melbourne, where it occurs at certain seasons on the leaves of the Mallee plant, Eucalyptus Dumosa, and is known to the natives by the name of Lerp.

Changes in small mammal communities after logging in north-central Ontario

1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 970-980 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur M. Martell
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
North Central ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Small Mammal Community ◽  
Small Mammal Communities ◽  
Mammal Community ◽  
Mammal Communities

Changes in small mammal communities following logging were monitored in clear-cut and strip-cut upland black spruce (Picea mariana) stands and in selectively cut mixed wood stands in north-central Ontario. Clear-cutting and subsequent scarification essentially eliminated the vegetative cover. Much of the ground cover recovered within 5 years and shrubs within 12 years, but mosses and lichens took much longer. The small mammal community in both clear-cut and strip-cut stands changed over the first three years after logging from one dominated by southern red-backed voles (Clethrionomys gapperi) to one dominated by deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and then remained relatively stable for up to 13 years after harvest. That shift was not apparent in selectively cut mixed wood stands where the composition of the small mammal community was similar between uncut stands and stands 4–23 years after harvest. There was relatively little change in total numbers of small mammals after logging. In general, the diversity and evenness of small mammals increased or remained stable in the first 1–3 years following harvest, decreased on older (3–16 years) cuts, and then increased to values similar to those in uncut stands on the oldest (19–23 years) cuts.

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