Disjunctions of Needle-leaved Sedge (Carex duriuscula) and Thread-leaved Sedge (Carex filifolia) in the Husky Lakes area of Northwest Territories—first records for the Canadian true Arctic and possible Pleistocene relicts

Disjunctions are reported for Needle-leaved Sedge (Carex duriuscula) and Thread-leaved Sedge (Carex filifolia) into the Arctic region of Northwest Territories at the Husky Lakes south of Tuktoyaktuk. These are significant additions to the Canadian Arctic flora and may be part of a group of relicts of the Arctic vegetation of the Pleistocene, specifically the Tundra-steppe. The occurrence of relict vegetation east of the Mackenzie Delta is east of its frequently cited eastern limit in North America.

The Pteridophyta of the Kundalila Falls, Zambia

40 species of <i>Pteridophyta</i> occur at the Kundalila Falls, near Serenje in the Central Province of Zambia. Many of them have disjunct geographical distributions. Hygrophilous plant communities of wet rocks and evergreen fringing forests, in which these species grow, seem to represent a relict vegetation type.

The origin of grassy balds in the Bunya Mountains, southeastern Queensland, Australia

Montane grasslands, or grassy balds, are enigmatic features of mountains worldwide. Their origins are often obscure. Pollen, phytolith and charcoal analysis of Dandabah Swamp in the Bunya Mountains in southeastern Queensland, Australia suggest that there, grassy balds comprise a relict vegetation maintained in the face of postglacial tree invasion by fire. The balds are not the product of edaphic phenomena or natural or anthropogenic cataclysms and will require intensive management efforts to be conserved in a world of increased woodiness, rising atmospheric CO2 and changing climate.

Datos sobre la vegetación relicta con Gymnocarpium robertianum (Hoffm.) Newman en el sur de la Península Ibérica.

Relict vegetation with Gymnocarpium robertianum (Hoffm.) Newman in the south of the Iberian PeninsulaPalabras clave. Gymnocarpium, asociación, Andalucía, España.Key words. Gymnocarpium, association, Andalusia, Spain.

Distribution, habitat and satus of the Carpentarian rock-rat, Zyzomys palatalis

A survey was conducted in the Northern Temtory and Queensland to determine the distribution, status and habitat use of the recently described Carpentarian rock-rat, Zyzomys palatalis. The species was previously known from two localities in the Gulf of Carpentaria, and this survey added only one new population to its known range. The species is restricted to monsoon rainforest on scree slopes. In the Gulf region this habitat is very limited and highly fragmented. The only areas where suitable habitat exists are in relatively inaccessible gorges where permanent springs provide enough moisture to maintain the monsoon rainforests. These patches of relict vegetation may be threatened by feral animals and changing fire regimes. Because of the low population size of Z. palatalis and the small size of suitable habitat available, the species is considered to be critically endangered.