scholarly journals Aves, Booderee National Park, Jervis Bay territory, south-eastern Australia

Check List ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 479 ◽  
Author(s):  
David B. Lindenmayer ◽  
Christopher MacGregor ◽  
Darren Brown ◽  
Rebecca Montague-Drake ◽  
Mason Crane ◽  
...  

A large-scale, long-term study is being conducted to describe the bird assemblages inhabiting a 6500 ha area at Booderee National Park, south-eastern Australia. In this paper, we provide a list of birds recorded within rainforest, forest, woodland, shrubland, heathland and sedgeland during surveys conducted each spring between 2003 and 2007. Of particular interest was the contrast between the birds of sites burned in a wildfire in 2003 and sites that remained unburned. We recorded a total of 103 species from 35 families. We found that after the major fire, the vast majority of individual species and the bird assemblage per se in most vegetation types recovered within two years. Exceptions occurred in structurally simple vegetation types such as sedgeland and wet heathland in which reduced levels of species had not returned to pre-fire (2003) levels by 2007.

2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (7) ◽  
pp. 555 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Forsyth ◽  
Andrew M. Gormley ◽  
Luke Woodford ◽  
Tony Fitzgerald

Context Despite large mammals being an important component of many ecosystems, there is little information on the impacts of fire on large mammal populations. Aims We evaluated the effects of the large-scale high-severity ‘Black Saturday’ fires of 7 February 2009 on occupancy and abundances of an invasive large mammal, the sambar deer (Cervus unicolor), in south-eastern Australia. Methods The effects of the Black Saturday fires on the abundance of sambar deer were assessed using repeated annual counts of faecal pellets during 2007–11 in Kinglake National Park, which was burnt, and in Mount Buffalo National Park, which was not burnt. Pre-fire occupancy was modelled from data collected at 80 4-km2 cells using three survey methods. The same survey methods were used at 15 burnt (n = 9 sampled pre-fire) and 15 unburnt (n = 5 sampled pre-fire) cells 16–24 months after Black Saturday. Because multiple surveys were performed in each cell, we used a Bayesian state–space site-occupancy model to partition changes in the probability of occupancy from changes in the probability of detection. Key results Counts of sambar deer pellets increased linearly during 2007–11 in the unburnt Mount Buffalo National Park. Pellet counts also increased linearly in Kinglake National Park from 2007 to 2008, and then decreased (to zero) following Black Saturday; pellet counts increased again in 2010 and 2011. Sambar deer occupancy was weakly reduced (from 0.99 to 0.88) in burnt cells 16–24 months after Black Saturday, but was little changed in unburnt cells (from 0.99 to 0.98). Conclusions We conclude that the abundance of sambar deer was substantially reduced by the large-scale high-severity Black Saturday fires, but that most burnt habitat was reoccupied 16–24 months later. Implications There is concern about the negative impacts of invasive sambar deer on native biodiversity, particularly immediately post-fire. Our study suggests that it takes at least 8 months before sambar deer recolonise areas burnt by a large-scale high-severity fire; however, a risk-averse approach would be to act (e.g. by erecting fences or culling) sooner than that.


Author(s):  
Aelita Pinter

Cyclic fluctations in the popu]ation density of rnicrotine rodents have been known since antiquity. However, factors responsible for this phenomenon are not known. The objectives of this long term study are essentially threefold: 1. characterize those environmental variables that might affect Microtus montanus in different seasons of the year; 2. record the growth, maturation and reproductive activity of the voles under natural conditions; and 3. determine the maturational, as well as, the seasonal pelage changes of these rodents. The data resulting from the execution of the above objectives would be correlated in an attempt to determine the causes undedying the multiannual fluctuations in the population density of these microtine rodents in Grand Teton National Park.


2001 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 329 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. D. Li ◽  
K. R. Helyar ◽  
M. K. Conyers ◽  
B. R. Cullis ◽  
P. D. Cregan ◽  
...  

A long-term trial, known as ‘managing acid soils through efficient rotations’ (MASTER), commenced in 1992 to develop and demonstrate a cropping system that is economically viable on the highly acid soils of the traditional permanent pasture region in south-eastern Australia, so that their fertility is sustained or improved. There were 2 permanent pasture systems and 2 pasture–crop rotations, each with and without lime. This paper reports the effect of lime on crop production over the first cycle (6 years). On annual pasture–crop rotations, lime significantly increased the dry matter production at anthesis and grain yields of wheat (cv. Dollarbird) compared with the unlimed treatments. Averaged across years from 1992 to 1997 (excluding the severe drought year 1994), wheat crops produced 1.6 t/ha more grain on the limed treatments than on the unlimed treatments (3.6 v. 2.0 t/ha). On perennial pasture–crop rotations, the lime effects varied with crops grown at each phase and year. For example, despite being tolerant of acidity, oats (cv. Yarran) responded to lime in 1996. Likewise, triticale (cv. Abacus) responded to lime in 1997. Wheat (cv. Dollarbird) that is moderately tolerant to acidity responded to lime in phase 6 from 1992 to 1997 excluding 1994 (3.5 v. 1.7 t/ha). Acid-tolerant wheat varieties, triticale, and narrow-leaf lupins are considered the most viable crops for the soil and climatic conditions encountered in this high rainfall (5000—800 mm per annum) area of south-eastern Australia.


Koedoe ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A.J Hall-Martin ◽  
L.A Van der Walt

A long-term study of the behaviour and ecology of the African elephant Loxodonta africana was begun in the Addo Elephant National Park in 1976. During the period June 1976 to March 1979 regular observations were made on all animals. Every individual elephant could be recognised (the population was less than 100 animals) and every individual was seen several times a month. From the start of the study records were kept of whether the temporal gland was secreting or not for every animal at every observation.


2006 ◽  
Vol 57 (10) ◽  
pp. 1057 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. D. Li ◽  
K. R. Helyar ◽  
M. K. Conyers ◽  
L. J. C. Castleman ◽  
R. P. Fisher ◽  
...  

‘Managing Acid Soils Through Efficient Rotations (MASTER)’ is a long-term pasture–crop rotation experiment commenced in 1992. One of the objectives was to demonstrate the extent of crop, pasture, and animal responses to lime application on a typical acidic soil in the 500–800 mm rainfall zone of south-eastern Australia. Two types of pastures (perennial v. annual pastures) with or without lime application were established in 1992. Fifteen- to eighteen-month-old Merino hoggets were used as test animals and were changed annually. This paper reports the results of sheep responses to liming from the 4 continuous pasture treatments over 6 years from 1992 to 1997. The stocking rate was the same on all plots within a treatment during each rotation period, but was varied between treatments based on the pasture availability and sheep body condition. The most important findings from this study are that the limed treatments carried 29% and 27% more stock (up to 4 DSE/ha) than the unlimed treatments for perennial and annual pastures, respectively. As a result, the limed perennial pastures produced 27% more liveweight gain (62 kg/ha.year) and 28% more greasy wool (13 kg/ha.year) than unlimed perennial pastures, whereas the limed annual pastures produced 34% more liveweight gain (77 kg/ha.year) and 24% more greasy wool (11 kg/ha.year) than unlimed annual pastures. The significant responses to lime in liveweight and wool production were detected from the second growing season after the pastures were established. The increased sheep productivity on the limed treatment was due to a combination of increased pasture production and improved pasture quality. Perennial pastures showed a slight advantage in wool production, but not in liveweight gain. However, the seasonal variation of liveweight was greater on annual pastures than on perennial pastures. The larger variation in liveweight change could lead to more adverse effects on wool quality especially at high grazing pressures. Grazing management can be used to manipulate pasture and animal productivity to increase profits from lime use.


1975 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 135 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Myers

Rabbits in subalpine areas in south-eastern Australia show a marked avidity for sodium salts during the spring and early summer months. During that period rabbit populations may be controlled by allowing access to soft wooden meranti pegs impregnated with sodium chloride and sodium luoroacetate (poison 1080). If the pegs are left out as permanent bait stations they produce long-term effective control. The method should be applicable to other areas in Australia where soil sodium is very low.


2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross A. Bradstock

Large fires coincident with drought occurred in south-eastern Australia during 2001–2007. Perceptions of large, intense fires as being ecologically ‘disastrous’ are common. These are summarised by four hypotheses characterising large fires as: (i) homogenous in extent and intensity; (ii) causing large-scale extinction due to perceived lack of survival and regeneration capacity among biota; (iii) degrading due to erosion and related edaphic effects; (iv) unnatural, as a consequence of contemporary land management. These hypotheses are examined using available evidence and shown to inadequately account for effects of large fires on biodiversity. Large fires do not burn homogeneously, though they may produce intensely burnt patches and areas. The bulk of biota are resilient through a variety of in situ persistence mechanisms that are reinforced by landscape factors. Severe erosive episodes following fire tend to be local and uncertain rather than global and inevitable. Redistribution of soil and nutrients may reinforce habitat variation in some cases. Signals of fire are highly variable over prehistoric and historic eras, and, in some cases, contemporary and pre-European signal levels are equivalent. The most important effects of large fires in these diverse ecological communities and landscapes stem from their recurrence rate. Adaptive management of fire regimes rather than fire events is required, based on an understanding of risks posed by particular regimes to biota.


2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney van der Ree

The geographic range of the squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis) in south-eastern Australia largely corresponds with fertile soils highly suited for agriculture. As a consequence of extensive clearing for agriculture, the conservation of P. norfolcensis in south-eastern Australia is now reliant on a mosaic of many fragmented and isolated patches of woodland and forest. In this study, I investigated the population dynamics of P. norfolcensis in an agricultural landscape where most remnant woodland occurs as linear strips along roadsides, unused road reserves and watercourses. A total of 251 gliders were trapped 1343 times within the linear habitats between December 1996 and November 1998. Gliders were resident within the linear strips at 0.95–1.54 individuals ha–1, a density equal to, or greater than, that recorded elsewhere for the species in continuous forest. All adult females were reproductively active and the mean natality rate was 1.9 young per adult female per year. Overall, the population age-structure appeared to be stable. While currently supporting a stable, high-density population, the long-term viability of these remnants as habitat is not assured because roadside reserves are narrow, easily fragmented and subjected to a host of deleterious processes causing ongoing habitat loss and degradation.


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