The Victorian Naturalist
Volume 124 (3) June 2007
Published by The Field Naturalists Club of Victoria since 1884 From the Editors
It has been observed often that the pursuit of natural history encompasses a wide range of areas. This diversity is nowhere more apparent than in this issue of The Victorian Naturalist. Here we have papers on grasslands, the behaviour of birds and mammals in wooded areas, the dietary preferences of one reptilian species, as well as observations on another, and comments on small mammals. This is biodiversity, indeed. This issue also demonstrates another long-running feature of the FNCV’s journal. The Victorian Naturalist has long provided an avenue to publish natural history research that either includes historical aspects of the subject matter, or takes history as the major focus. The Editors are always pleased to include articles that explain how the state of play in any natural science area was reached. That is not to say that we turn away from what is the main thrust of the journal - the publication of research in natural history - but, rather that we recognise that intellectual disciplines are constantly changing, and some account of these changes also should be recognised. In this issue we offer two papers that bear out this point. There is a paper that consid- ers a major change that has taken place in natural history studies. In addition, the paper on native grasslands on the Momington Peninsula is an excellent example of the use of history as an element within a good natural history study.
The Victorian Naturalist
is published six times per year by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria Inc.
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.Victorian Naturalist
Volume 124 (3)2007 June
Editors: Anne Morton, Gary Presland, Maria Gibson Editorial Assistant: Virgil Hubregtse
From the Editors 130
Research Reports Native grassland at Safety Beach, Momington Peninsula, Victoria by Steve Sinclair 132
Use by birds and mammals of habitats of different complexity in remnant and revegetated sites in the Wannon Catchment, Daniel Jamieson and Western Victoria by Anne M Wallis , Robert L Wallis 149
Contributions How Aboriginal studies ceased to be part of natural history by Gary Presland 157
Dietary preferences of captive Eastern Long-necked Turtles Chelodina longicollis by Catherine E Meathrel and Sharon Reid 1 63
Observations of diurnal activity in the Striped Legless Lizard Delma impar by Grant S Turner 167 Book Reviews Regardfully Yours: Selected Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller Volume 111: 1876-1896 edited by RW Home, AM Lucas, Sara Maroske, DM Sinkora, JH Voight and Monika Wells, reviewed by Linden Gillbank 169
Cronin’s Key Guide: Australian Wildlife by Leonard Cronin, reviewed by Ian Endersby 173
Crocodile: Evolution’s Greatest Survivor by Lynne Kelly, reviewed by Nick Clemann 174
The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia by Gunther Thieschinger and John Hawking, reviewed by Richard Marchant 175
Grasses of South Australia: An illustrated guide to the native and naturalized species by John Jessup, Gilbert RM Dashorst and Fiona M James, reviewed by Maria Gibson 177 Naturalist Notes Mayfly Sonnet by Christopher Palmer 178
Possible Evidence of the Southern Brown Bandicoot Isoodon obesulus, from Deal Island, Kent Group, Bass Strait, Tasmania, by Mark Wapstra and Niall Doran 179
Tributes Arthur James Farnworth MBE, PhD, by Sheila Houghton 181
Dr Gretna Margaret Weste AM, by Linden Gillbank 1 83 ISSN 0042-5184
Front cover: Striped Legless Lizard Delma impar. Photo by Sid Larwill. Back cover: Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae. Photo by Mr Taylor. Both the front and back cover photos are from the FNCV collection. Research reports
Native grassland at Safety Beach, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Steve Sinclair
Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research 123 Brown St, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3084 [email protected]
Abstract Small patches of remnant vegetation at Safety Beach, on the Mornington Peninsula, are described, rloristic and historical evidence are examined, in an attempt to reconstruct the vegetation ol'this area before colonisation. There is strong evidence that the plains between the slopes of Mt Martha and Arthurs Seat once supported patches of seasonally ‘boggy’ natural grassland sparsely timbered with Blackwood Acacia melanoxylon. The plain also supported patches of Swamp Paperbark Melaleuca ericijoha scrub, and numerous wetlands. Previous mapping exercises have not identified grasslands on the Mornington Peninsula. The observations presented here add to a growing awareness that patches of grassland were once scattered through low-lying areas of South Gippsland. The ecology of these areas is discussed, along with the prospects for their conservation on the Mornington Peninsula. This paper records the presence of several significant plant taxa, including Golden Cowslips Duins behrii (vulnerable in Victoria) and Purple Blown-grass Lachnagrostis punicea subsp. punicea (rare in Victoria). ( The Victorian Naturalist 124 (3), 2007, 132-149)
Introduction
Safety Beach occupies the coastal flat neither as it appears today, nor how it was between the prominent granitic hills of before urbanisation. Calder (1972, 1974, Arthurs Seat and Mt Martha, on the 1975), in her studies of vegetation across Mornington Peninsula (Gippsland Plain the Mornington Peninsula, makes little Bioregion). The low, near-coastal land sur- mention of the area, but suggests that the face is composed largely of heavy, dark- low-lying flat was once a large scrub of coloured clays, derived from Quaternary Swamp Paperbark Melaleuca ericifolia. swamp and stream deposits. In places, low The available broad-scale (1:100 000) rep- prominences of sand and gravel occur. The resentation of the deduced pre-1750 vege- plain extends eastward over a kilometre tation (Department of Sustainability and inland, before the land surface gently rises Environment (DSE) 2001a) did not make at the commencement of the ‘Baxter sand- specific allowance for this heavy-soil flat. stone', which extends across much of the Instead, the area is represented as a transi- northern half of the Mornington Peninsula tional zone between Coast Banksia (Geological Survey of Victoria, 1967a,b). Woodland (Ecological Vegetation Class Safety Beach has largely been urbanised (EVC) 2, see Table 1) and Grassy for many years; however, on several Woodland (EVC 175, which occurs on the ‘vacant’ blocks, remnant native vegetation Baxter Sandstone and the granitic areas; has survived. This vegetation is see fable 1). Even cursory examination increasingly under threat of destruction. confirms that the remnant vegetation pre- Some was destroyed in -2004 with the sent at Safety Beach is markedly different construction of the new Mt Martha Marina, from either of these vegetation types. The while other patches were developed for most recent mapping of current vegetation housing between 2000 and 2007. did not capture these remnant areas at all, During a recent project undertaken for due to the broader scale of this mapping the Mornington Peninsula Shire (Sinclair (1:25,000) (DSE 2001b; Oates and et al . it , 2006) was necessary to map all Taranto, 2001). native vegetation on the Mornington Detailed investigation of the flora of Peninsula at a scale which captured these Safety Beach was thought warranted now, remnant patches (1:10,000). It was evident since future opportunities for understand- that previous studies had not adequately ing the natural vegetation of this area will considered the vegetation of Safety Beach. become increasingly limited as urban
132 The Victorian Naturalist Research reports development proceeds This project used these sites, quadrats were taken. These ; Information information from historical survey maps data are held in DSE’s Flora and old aerial photographs along with System (FIS) (quadrats E03403-E03412). detailed field investigations in an attempt Vegetation description to reconstruct former natural vegetation Victoria’s DSE currently uses EVCs to patterns. This approach has been very use- describe native vegetation. This typology is ful in other studies aimed at reconstructing employed in this report. All EVCs men- native vegetation in long-modified areas of tioned in the text are summarised in Table southern Victoria (e.g. Lunt 1997; lowland specific vegeta- 1 . For clarity, however, the Cook and Yugovic 2003; Yugovic and tion patterns of Safety Beach are generally Mitchell 2006). described here in as much detail as possible Methods without reliance on the EVC typology. Historical Information and GIS work Results Historical survey plans (drawn between Historical information 1803 and 1857, Results and Reference sec- Due to its position on the coast of Port tions) of Safety Beach were viewed on Phillip, Safety Beach is well represented on microfilm at the State Library of Victoria. early Victorian survey maps. The earliest Aerial photographs taken before urbanisa- maps of the area that make reference to its tion were also consulted (State Rivers and vegetation were drawn well before extensive Water Supply Commission, State Aerial settlement of the area, although they provide Survey of Victoria. Photographs prepared few annotations of ecological interest. by Department of Lands and Survey from Charles Grimes, who explored Port Phillip photographs taken on 12 January 1957. in 1802, simply labels the area between Sheets: Westemport Al, A3; Sorrento B4). Arthurs Seat and Mt Martha as ‘Swamp’ These historical sources were examined (Grimes, 1803). Tuckey (1804) provides a alongside modem GIS (geographical infor- slightly more detailed rendering of the vege- mation system, Arcview 3.2.) data, provid- tation, and delineates a crescent-shaped area ed by DSE, including hydrological, topo- extending along the coast and about a kilo- graphic and cadastral features; and soil metre inland, and labels it ‘extensive maps (Geological Survey of Victoria, swamp’. Further inland, at the base of Mt 1967a, b). Where necessary, aerial pho- Martha, Tuckey draws a Targe lagoon’. tographs and images of the historic plans Cross (1827), shows three small creeks, and were scanned and introduced into a GIS again labels the area as ‘swampy’. environment using TmageWarp’ to geo- The first detailed survey of the area was reference the images. made in 1841 by Thomas Nutt, for the Field examinations squatter Hugh Jamieson, who took up one The remnant vegetation at Safety Beach is of the first runs on the Peninsula. The often treeless, and not easily detected on boundary of Nutt’s survey was marked aerial photographs. Every street in Safety with blazed trees, and these boundaries are Beach was travelled, and all ‘vacant’ house faithfully retained in today’s property and blocks were briefly examined from the infrastructure layout. The certainty with road. Over 50 were found to contain some which these bounds can be recognised native vegetation. Most of these areas were today, along with the sketched courses of on private land. These were examined some creeks, allow the annotations on veg-
closely where it was clear that public entry etation to be accurately positioned in dis- was frequent and/or unhindered, while crete portions of the landscape. Along the those blocks which were fenced were not coast, Nutt (1841) shows a narrow ‘Sandy examined. Most blocks contained few Beach’, with a ‘swampy flat’ immediately native species in low abundance, and were inland, marked with small dots and sketch- not investigated in detail. Twenty-seven es of tussocks. This area is drained by accessible sites were identified that were three small creeks, one of which (Brokil considered to be informative in recon- Ck (or Tassel Ck)) is labelled ‘salt water’. structing the pre-settlement flora. At ten of Further inland, he records a ‘Fine Flat’,
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 133 ^
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Vol. 124 (3) 2007 135 Research reports
Fig 1. The survey plan of Smythe (undated). The text on this image has been sharpened by hand. This is one of two near-identical hand-drawn plans, both of which were used in composite. The word ‘Baggamanjarrawah’ (or ‘Baggamahjarrawah’) is of unknown significance, but may be a place name. The dotted line around the word ‘paddock’ roughly corresponds to the mapped sandy rises, (see Fig. 2) but probably shows only a fence line, and may not correspond to any natural feature.
Field Sites • Grassland + Swamp Scrub a Sandy Rises
jjfr (woodland site - see text) Areas shown in Figures 4 and 5 Major Roads /V t EVC identification locally tentative Former Vegetation ~1 SANDY RISES (inc. beach) VARIOUS TERRESTRIAL VEGETATION (not assigned here) WM SWAMP SCRUB MARSH (and streams) ] GRASSLAND
1000 Meters
Fig. 2. The deduced pre-settlement patterns of native vegetation present at Safety Beach. The twenty -seven field sites examined during this study are marked on the map, assigned to different vegetation types. These include the 10 quadrats, for which the precise location details are held by the author and
in the FIS database. Major roads are also shown for the purpose of orientation. Figs 1 and 2 are pre- sented in the same orientation (but are cropped slightly differently to better include certain details).
The sloping line Fig. 1 represents on the edge of Nutt’s (1841 ) earlier survey, and this line is retained exactly in the present alignments of Nepean Flwy and Dunns Ck Rd. Mt Martha is immediately north, and Arthurs Seat immediately south, of both Figs. 1 and 2.
136 The Victorian Naturalist Research reports
is densely stippled, and possibly represents a wetland or scrub. The most informative early map is an undated map drawn by George Smythe (Fig. 1). It shows the boundary of Nutt’s pre-existing survey (1841), but shows less developed infrastructure than in 1857, sug-
gesting that it was surveyed between 1841 and 1857. On this map, comments on the vegetation relate to clearly defined areas. Patches of ‘Tea Tree Scrub’ and ‘Marshy Plains’ are shown with detailed boundaries. Given the great precision with which the courses of all the creeks are plotted across the Peninsula, as seen when Smythe’s plan is aligned to modern GIS layers, these boundaries are likely to be reliable. All the maps agree in the basic layout of the vegetation at Safety Beach, allowing the information to be brought together into a coherent whole. Behind the narrow sandy coastal strand, on the heavy clay soils, extending about a kilometre inland and covering several hundred hectares, was a Fig. 3.. Grassland at Safety Beach. The grass ‘flat’, variously represented as being sward at one relatively high-quality site (FIS Quadrat E03403) is shown. The letter (d) ‘swampy’, ‘fine’ or ‘grassy’, and clearly shows the most conspicuous example in the distinct from areas of ‘tea tree scrub’. photograph of a gilgai depression, supporting Smythe describes this area as being ‘rich Coast Tussock-grass and Prickfoot, and the black soil timbered with lightwood’ (dis- lower letter (r) shows a raised area, supporting cussed below), while no other reference is Kangaroo Grass, as discussed in the text. made to trees or shrubs on this area. Three with areas of ‘Tea Tree Scrub’ flanking it or four small creeks entered Port Phillip This ‘Fine Flat’ is to the north and south. from this flat, at least one of which (Brokil located coast-ward of the present-day Creek) was brackish. All around this flat Moorooduc Hwy. Further inland, Nutt were areas of ‘tea tree scrub’ along land, records various areas of ‘Swampy’ drainage lines, and further areas of ‘marsh’. forests and woodlands. Further inland (roughly beyond the The Crown Lands Office produced Mornington Peninsula Freeway, north of another detailed map in 1857 (Anon. Bruce Rd and south of Nepean Hwy, see 1857). This map shows the boundary of Figs 1 and 2) vegetation descriptions most- represents the Nutt’s previous survey, and ly relate to woodlands and scrubs, remnants present. near- infrastructure then The of which persist in various condition states coastal flat is again labelled ‘swampy flat’ across the Peninsula, while most of the lines of dots. inland and marked with The ‘flat’ has been cleared. The focus of this this flat is flanked by an area side of paper is the original vegetation of the ‘flat’ labelled ‘Tea tree scrub’. It is bounded to (Figs 1 and 2), which remains undocu- the north on the lower slopes of Mt Martha mented. a ‘fine flat moderately timbered with by Given these descriptions and its position Honeysuckle [probably tree form Banksia in the landscape, the ‘flat’ probably support- to the south near Arthurs marginata]' and ed vegetation referrable to Plains Grassland rise’ and an area ‘thickly Seat by a ‘sandy (South Gippsland) (EVC 132_62) and/or with ‘Oak [Allocasuarinci spp.] wooded’ Brackish Grassland (EVC 934) along with and Honeysuckle’. Near the coast, at the Plains Grassy Wetland (EVC 125, in the and junction of Nepean Hwy Dromana broad sense) (Frood, 1991; Oates and area (now urbanised) Pde, an un-annotated Taranto, 2001). Such grassland communi-
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 137 '
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ties not previously have been mapped on apogon , and the herbs Slender Speedwell the Mornington Peninsula, and will be the Veronica gracilis. Milky Beauty-heads focus of this paper. Calocephalus lacteus. Wiry Buttons Leptorhvnchos tenuifolius. Varied Raspwort Vegetation of the coastal flat at Safety Haloragis heterophylla. Small Loosestrife Beach - past anti present Lythrum hyssopifolia, Wood-sorrel Oxalis Among the 22 sites examined in detail, sp aff. exilis (glabrescent), and Tall Sundew areas representative of several distinct Drosera peltata subsp. peltata. Shrubs are vegetation types were found, corresponding rare, the most common being Hop closely to the vegetation described in the Goodenia Goodenia ovata and Swamp historical record. As described below, each Paperbark Melaleuca ericifolia. of these is generally assignable to one or According to the present EVC typology, more EVCs. Table 2 presents species lists these areas are accommodated largely for the these mapped ‘zones’. These lists are within the broad conception of Plains each derived from several sites examined Grassland (South Gippsland) (EVC within each zone, shown on Fig. 2. 132 62) (Frood, 1991; Oates and Taranto, Grassland 2001; Cook and Yugovic, 2003). Fourteen sites support native grasslands, on Some grassland areas dominated by heavy soils with an undulating or ‘gilgai Coast-tussock grass also include species surface that tends to be waterlogged in win- characteristic of (sub-)saline areas, such as ter and deeply cracking in summer. Across Shiny Swamp-mat Selliera radicans and most of the sites investigated (FIS quadrats Australian Salt-grass Distichlis disti- E03403-E03408), the native graminoid chophylla. Some of these areas are proba- layer is dominated by a combination of bly best described as Brackish Grassland Coast Tussock-grass Poa poiformis (dis- (EVC 934). in the more pronounced cussed below), Wetland Wallaby-grass depressions, the vegetation is probably Notodanthonia semiannularis, and best described as wetland, as discussed Kangaroo Grass Themeda triandra. Even in below. the small remaining patches, the floristic Swamp Scrub composition varies notably at a fine spatial The survey plans all show areas of ‘Tea scale (several metres). This variation seems Tree Scrub’. This vegetation is unequivo- to be determined largely by surface micro- cally identifiable as Swamp Scrub (EVC topography. Fig. 3 shows the grass sward at 53) (Oates and Taranto, 2001). Two large the largest remaining site at Safety Beach. areas (7.3 ha and 1 ha) of mature Swamp The labels show a raised area (gilgai ‘puff) Paper-bark remain in Safety Beach, and and a slight gilgai depression. On the raised clearly correspond to areas delineated as area, Kangaroo Grass dominates strongly, ‘Tea tree Scrub’ by Smythe (undated). and is accompanied by other species usual- Only one of these areas was able to be visit- ly found in drier habitats, including ed, and was found to be highly modified by Creeping Bossiaea Bossiaea prostrata and weeds. Two of the smaller ‘house’ blocks Cranberry Heath Astroloma humifusum. In surveyed in detail also support remnants of the depression. Coast Tussock-grass and Swamp Scrub (FIS quadrats E03409 and Wetland Wallaby-grass dominate, along E03410). They contain species typical of with several herbs tolerant of seasonal Swamp Scrub (such as Swamp Paperbark, waterlogging, such as Prickfoot Eryngium Prickly Moses Acacia verticillata and vesiculosum and Pennywort Centella Slender Tussock-grass Poa tenera), but cordifolia. As discussed below, some of also a few species more typical of open, these low-lying areas approach wetlands in grassy wetlands, notably Common Blown their ecology and composition. Grass Lachnagrostis filiformis. This is Despite weed invasion, many native readily explicable, given that much of the species in addition to those noted are rela- Swamp Paperbark cover has been tively common throughout these grassland removed and suppressed by mowing, leav- patches, including Mat Grass Hemarthria ing these swampy areas open to uncinata Common Bog-rush Scheonus invasion by open wetland species, and
138 The Victorian Naturalist Research reports
Table 2. Plant Species found at Safety Beach in 2005-6. All names are used according to Ross and Walsh (2003). ‘r’ indicates taxa rare in Victoria, ‘v’ vulnerable in Victoria. The lack of a check mark for any species against a given vegetation type show ONLY that the species was not recorded in that type on this survey, NOT that the species would never have occurred there.
Common Swamp Sandy Species Name Grassland Marsh Scrub rises FERNS Dennstaedtiaceae Pteridium esculentum Austral Bracken o MONOCOTYLEDONS
Cyperaceae Baumea articulata Jointed Twig-sedge 0 0 Carex appressa Tall Sedge 0 0 0 Carex brevicnlmis Common Grass-sedge 0 0 Eleocharis acuta Common Spike-sedge 0 0 Ficinia nodosa Knobby Club-sedge Gahniafilum Chaffy Saw-sedge 0 0 Isolepis cernua var. Broad-fruit Club-sedge 0 platycarpa Isolepis inundata Swamp Club-sedge 0 Isolepis marginata Little Club-sedge 0 0 0 Lepidosperma laterale Variable Sword-sedge 0 var. majus Lepidosperma ?gunnii Sword Sedge 0 Schoenus apogon Common Bog-sedge 0 0 0 Schoenus tesquorum Soft Bog-sedge 0 0
Juncaceae Juncus amabilis Hollow Rush 0 0 Juncus holoschoenus Joint-leaf Rush 0 0 Juncus pallidus Pale Rush 0 0 Luzula meridionalis var. Common Wood-rush 0 densiflora
Juncaginaceae Triglochin striata Streaked Arrow-grass 0
Liliaceae Caesia calliantha Blue Grass-lily 0 Caesia parvifolia var. Pale Grass-lily parvifolia Dianella brevicaulis Small-flower Flax-lily 0 0 Dianella laevis Smooth Flax-lily 0 Dianella revoluta Black-anther Flax-lily 0 subsp. revoluta s.l. Hypoxis hygrometrica Golden Weather-glass 0 Hypoxis vaginata Yellow Star 0 var. vaginata Tricoryne elatior Yellow Rush-lily 0
Orchidaceae v Diuris behrii Golden Cowslips 0 Microtis arenaria Notched Onion-orchid 0 Microtis parviflora Slender Onion-orchid 0 Microtis unifolia Common Onion-orchid 0 0 0 Thelymitra antennifera Rabbit Ears 0 Thelymitra pauciflora s.l. Slender Sun-orchid 0
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 139 Research reports
Table 2 (cont.) Common Swamp Sandy Species Name Grassland Marsh Scrub rises I’oaceae A ustrodanthonia Common-Wallaby-grass 0 caespitosa Austrodanthonia geniculata Kneed Wallaby-grass 0 Austrodanthonia laevis Smooth Wallaby-grass 0 Austrodanthonia racemosa Slender Wallaby-grass 0 0 var. racemosa Austrodanthonia setacea Bristly Wallaby-grass 0 var. setacea Austrostipaflavescens Coast Spear-grass 0 Austrostipa pubinodis Tall Spear-grass 0 Austrostipa semibarbata Fibrous Spear-grass 0 Dislichlis distichophvlla Australian Salt-grass 0 Elymus scaber Common Wheat-grass 0 Eragrostis brownii Common love-grass 0 Hemarthria uncinata Matt Grass 0 Lachnagrostis filiform is Common Blown-grass 0 0
var. 1 r Lachnagrostis punicea Purple Blown-grass 0 subsp. punicea Microlaerta stipoides Weeping Grass 0 0 Notodanthonia semianmdaris Wetland Wallaby-grass 0 0 Phragmites australis Common reed 0 Poa labillardierei Common Tussock-grass 0 0 Poa ‘poiformis’ Coast Tussock-grass 0 0 Poa tenera Slender Tussock-grass 0 Pentapogon quadriftdus Five-awned Spear-grass 0 Themeda triandra Kangaroo Grass 0 Xanthorroeaceae Lomandra longifolia Spiny-headed Mat-rush 0 0 0 DICOTYLEDONS
Aizoaceae Carpobrotus sp. Pigface 0 Apiaceae Centella cordifolia Pennywort 0 Eryngium vesiculosum Prickfoot 0 0 Asteraceae Brachyscome graminea Grass Brachyscome 0 Calocephalus lacteus Milky Beauty-heads 0 Cassinia aculeata Common Cassinia 0 Cass in ia longifolia Shiny Cassinia 0 Euchiton involucratus s.s. Star Cudweed 0 Ozothamnus ferrugineus Tree Everlasting 0 0 Pseudognaphalium Jersey Cudweed 0 luteoalbum Leptorhynchos tenuifolius Wiry Buttons 0 Senecio glomeratus Annual Fireweed 0 Solertogyne dominii Smooth Solenogyne 0 Convolvulaceae Dichondra repens Kidney Weed 0 0 Droseraceae Drosera peltata Pale Sundew 0 subsp. peltata
Epacridaceae Astroloma humifusum Cranberry Heath 0
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Table 2 (cont.) Common Swamp Sandy Species Name Grassland Marsh Scrub rises Euphorbiaceae Amperea xiphoclada Broom Spurge Fabaceae Bossiaea cinerea Showy Bossiaea Bossiaea prostrata Creeping Bossiaea Kennedia prostrata Running Postman Viminariajuncea Golden Spray o Geraniaceae Geranium retrorsum s.l. Grassland Cranesbill o Geranium sp. 2 Variable Cranesbill o o Goodeniaceae Goodenia ovata Hop Goodenia o o Selliera radicans Shiny Swamp-mat o o Haloragaceae Haloragis heterophylla Varied Raspwort o o Lythraceae Lythrum hyssopifolia Small Loosestrife o o o Mimoscaeae Acacia melanoxylon Blackwood o o Acacia verticillata Prickly Moses o Myrtaceae Eucalyptus ovata Swamp Gum o Eucalyptus viminalis Manna Gum o Leptospermum laevigatum Coast Tea-tree o o Leptospermum continentale Prickly Tea-tree o Melaleuca ericifolia Swamp Paperbark O o Onagraceae Epilobium billiardierium Variable Willow-herb o subsp. intermedium Oxalidaceae Oxalis sp. aff. exilis Shady Woodsorrel o o (glabrescent) Proteaceae Banksia integrifolia Coast Banksia o Ranunculaceae Clematis microphylla Small-leaved Clematis o Rosaceae Acaena ovina var. velutina Australian Sheep’s Burr o Acaena novae-zelandiae Bidgee-widgee o O Rubiaceae Asperula conferta Common Woodruff o o Opercularia ovata Broad-leaf Stinkweed o Opercularia varia Variable Stinkweed o Santalaceae Exocarpos strictus Pale-fruit Ballart o Scrophulariaceae Gratiola peruviana Austral Brooklime o Veronica gracilis Slender Speedwell 0 0 0 Solanaceae Solanum laciniatum Large Kangaroo Apple o ALGAE (incomplete) Chara sp. Stonewort o
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 141 Research reports numerous weeds. Most of the Swamp Scrub Banksia Banksia integrifolia, along with is attributable to Swamp Scrub (Freshwater) Austral Bracken Pteridium esculentum and (EVC 53_61), although some areas of several shrubs, herbs and grasses including Swamp Scrub (Estuarine) (EVC 53_62) Coast Spear-grass Austrostipa flavescens. may have occurred near the creek mouths. Broom Spurge Amperea xiphoclada and Showy Bossiaea Bossiaea cinerea. These Marshes areas are clearly remnants of either Damp- The survey plans (Nutt, 1841; Anon 1857; sands Herb-rich Woodland (EVC 3) or Smythe, undated) show areas of treeless Coast Banksia Woodland (EVC 2) (Oates wetland, labelled by terms such as ‘marshy and Taranto, 2001), two EVCs which both plain’ and ‘swampy flat’. Unfortunately, occur on near-coastal sandy flats. These no open wetlands are now preserved in the vegetation types were probably scattered area. However, numerous wetland plant along the beach and throughout the Safety species occur in several of the deeper Beach area, on small patches of sand (FIS depressions within the grassland, and on Quadrat E03411). The aerial photographs the road verge of Nepean Hwy (between from 1957 clearly show wooded sandy Marine Drive and Mornington Peninsula rises scattered across the otherwise almost Freeway; see Fig. 2). Although the soils treeless plain (Fig. 4). and hydrology have been altered greatly since settlement by earthworks, this road- Eucalypt ‘woodlands ’ on heavier soil side preserves several flora species which In addition to the sites supporting trees on may show something of the character of sandy rises, one other treed site occurs on the wetland vegetation that was once pre- heavier soil (FIS Quadrat E03412). It sent locally. It is dominated by sedges and shares many of the species of the sites rushes (Common Spike-sedge Elaochaeris described above, but also supports a mix of acuta, Jointed Twig-sedge Baumea articu- species characteristic of woodlands across lata. Streaked Arrow-grass Triglochin stria- the wider Mornington Peninsula. For ta, Common Bog-rush Schoenus apogon. example, the lower layer includes Prickly Tall Sedge Carex appressa and Club Tea-tree Leptospermum continentale, Grey Sedges Isolepis spp.) and some grass and Parrot Pea Dillwynia cinerascens and herb species, including Prickfoot. In stand- Hedge Wattle Acacia paradoxa. The tree ing water, algae of the genus Chara are layer includes Swamp Gum Eucalyptus prominent. ovata and Black Wattle Acacia mearnsii. Under DSE’s current typology (Frood This small, isolated site is difficult to unpublished.), several wetland EVCs proba- assign confidently to an EVC under the bly once occurred in the Safety Beach area. current typology, but it clearly supports Judging from the known characteristics of floristic elements of Grassy Woodland the landscape and the little remaining physi- (EVC 175), Swampy Woodland (EVC cal evidence, the most common EVC was 937) and Swampy Riparian Woodland probably Plains Grassy Wetland (EVC (EVC 83). The presence of trees and 125). This is a broadly defined EVC with shrubs at this site, in contrast to the other several floristic communities, including sites on heavier soils, is possibly due to
Herb-rich Plains Grassy Wetland, which is this site experiencing less severe drought characterised by many of the herb species stress in summer. The site is directly adja- still found at Safety Beach (SAC, 1996). cent to one of the major drainage channels, This community occurs on the margins of giving larger trees direct access to perma- the former Carrum Swamp, which occurred nent water. Furthermore, the site sits on a in a landscape very similar to Safety Beach. slightly raised natural levee, composed of slightly coarser material than the surround- Woodlands on sandy rises ing heavy-soil plain, ameliorating the Several raised, sandy areas are present at severity of soil cracking in summer, which Safety Beach (see Fig. some of which 2), otherwise disadvantages the establishment still support a few indigenous plants, of woody species. The aerial photographs including the trees Narrow-leaved taken in 1957 show other trees clustered Peppermint Eucalyptus radiata and Coast along the stream channels (Fig. 5). The
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Fig. 4. Grassland interrupted by Sandy Rises and Swamp Scrub, 1957. The area shown is covered by the vegetation map (The lower rectangle on Fig. 2). The area at the top of the photograph is clearly delineated by Smythe (undated) as Swamp Scrub. By 1957, this area had been largely drained.
Brokil Ck Mouth Trees near I- * Stream channel
isslahd
Swamp 100m (appro: v Scrub
Fig. 5. The mouth of Brokil Creek with associated stream channels, scrub and grassland, 1957. The area shown is covered by the vegetation map (the upper rectangle on Fig. 2). Several patches of Swamp Scrub are apparently expanding. Their circular shape probably results from the radial sucker- ing of the dominant Swamp Paperbark.
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additional species recorded at this site have of minor extent, along stream channels and not been recorded in Table 2, since the site associated with Swamp Scrub. is transitional, and includes elements more characteristic of Grassy Woodland (EVC Terrestrial vegetation- various: On the map, this unit is used to 175), which has not otherwise been inves- account for the vegetation not discussed in this tigated in any detail here. paper. It includes areas labelled by Smythe or Nutt Mapping the past patterns of vegetation at (1841) as ‘heathy plain’, ‘stringybark’, or Safety Beach ‘thickly wooded oak, scrubby and rushy Fig. 2 presents an attempt to map the for- land’. These areas still support patches of mer patterns of native vegetation at Safety Damp Heathy Woodland (EVC 793), Beach. The map was created using both cur- Grassy Woodland (EVC 175) and Damp rent and historical data, and is necessarily Heathland (EVC 710) (Sinclair et al., ‘coarse’. Several ‘zones’ are represented 2005). on the map, each corresponding to the veg- Discussion etation types already discussed. Safety Beach in context - Grasslands in Grassland: Most areas mapped as ‘grass- south-eastern Victoria land’ are (almost) treeless on the 1957 When Victoria was colonised, a large part photographs, on heavy soils, and in areas of the state’s lowlands was covered by marked as ‘swampy’, ‘grassy’, ‘fine’, or Plains Grassland (EVC 132). This vegeta- ‘open’ (and distant from any comments tion is best documented for the basalt plains mentioning scrub or trees) on Smythe’s of Western Victoria, where detailed botani- map. While these areas can be delineated cal and ecological studies have been under- readily in some areas, in others the precise taken over a number of decades (e.g. Sutton boundaries of the ‘grassland’ are difficult 1916-1917; Patton, 1935; Willis 1964; to determine. These are often areas where Stuwe and Parsons, 1977; Lunt 1990; the soil boundaries are now obscure, and Morgan and Rollason, 1 995). Large areas of Smythe provides no boundary line on his grassland also occurred in northern Victoria map. These areas only tentatively assigned (Carter et al., 2003; Kirkpatrick et al., to ‘grassland’ are marked with question 1995). These grasslands were important in marks (?) on Fig. 2. The area of ‘grass- the history of Victorian agriculture and land’ was locally between -300 and 560 settlement, and have long been well known hectares. (Howitt, 1855; Powell, 1970). The smaller grasslands of lowland east- Swamp Scrub: Areas of Swamp Scrub ern Victoria, in contrast, are less well have been traced directly from Smythe’s known, with relatively few studies into (undated) map, which clearly delineates their floristic composition, distribution or this EVC. Some boundaries have been ecology (Lunt 1997; Cook and Yugovic, modified slightly with reference to the 2003; Yugovic and Mitchell, 2006). The 1957 aerial photographs. historical evidence for their existence is Marshes: These areas have been traced fragmentary, and very little physical evi- directly from Smythe’s map, with some dence of them remains. For example. Cook minor alterations with reference to the and Yugovic’s recent work (2003) on the 1957 aerial photographs. former Clyde-Tooradin grassland was par- tially concerned with simply demonstrat-
Woodlands on Sandy Rises: These areas are ing its existence, after all memory or evi- not apparent on Smythe’s map, presumably dence was apparently lost. because they are relatively small. However, Grasslands occur under conditions they are clearly visible on the 1957 aerial favouring grasses, but precluding the photographs (Fig. 4), and are often evident establishment or survival of shrubs and today, even in the urban environment. trees. The combination of factors creating these conditions differ from area to area, Eucalypt Woodland on Heavy Soils: This and are sometimes difficult to interpret. In vegetation, discussed above, is NOT western and northern Victoria, it has long MAPPED on Fig. 2, since it was probably
144 The Victorian Naturalist Research reports been recognised that the formation of this name differs from the present usage. It grasslands is promoted by heavy clay soils is probable that Smythe was instead refer- in combination with relatively low rainfall, ring to the very similar Blackwood, which which make water stress too severe for the still occurs scattered in Safety Beach, and establishment of trees. In winter, the heavy which tolerates inundation and drought. soil swells, while in summer it opens into This alternate usage of the name deep cracks that cause severe drought- ‘Lightwood’ also appears in other reports stress (Sutton, 1916-17; Patton, 1930, of the 1800s, according to Yugovic and 1935, Willis 1964). Lunt (1997) also sug- Mitchell (2006). gested a role for drought-stress in prevent- Smythe’s use of the word ‘timbered’ is ing tree growth on the (now-extinct) grass- also worth discussing. Was this area a tree- lands around Sale, most of which occurred less plain, or a woodland? The historic in a rain-shadow area. In their discussion plans and the floristic evidence suggests of the Clyde-Tooradin grassland, which that the trees were present but sparse (and exists in an area of relatively higher rain- may have occurred ‘in mosaic’ with tree- soil fall, Cook and Yugovic (2003) suggested less areas, depending on subtle that burning by aboriginal people was nec- changes, see below). Certain species (such essary to maintain this area as an open as Milky Beauty-heads and Prickfoot) are grassland, to prevent the encroachment of grassland/grassy-wetland-specific and the adjacent Swamp Paperbark. They also rarely occur on sites with an appreciable suggested that other low-lying, swampy canopy (pers. obs.). Their presence strong- places in southern Victoria were also regu- ly suggests that these sites have long sup- larly burnt before colonisation, leading to ported very open, grassy vegetation. The the maintenance of a number of small Blackwoods noted probably occurred with grasslands in lowland Gippsland, including several other species of small tree and Brokil Ck at Safety Beach. These com- shrub, possibly including Drooping sheoak ments of Cook and Yugovic (2003) Allocasuarina verticillata. Black Wattle encouraged on-ground investigation at Acacia mearnsii, and Golden Spray Safety Beach. Viminaria juncea (the latter species only around depressions and wetlands), all of grasslands Timber on the which are today present in Safety Beach, grass country’ on the flat shown The ‘good probably as remnant populations. It is by Smythe (undated) is described as being worth noting that the term ‘Plains ‘timbered with lightwood’. Lightwood Grassland’ is regularly applied to partially generally occurs in dry Acacia implexa treed areas across Victoria. sites with shallow or rocky soils (Costermans 1983, Entwisle et al., 1996) Factors influencing vegetation patterning and does not usually occur in seasonally at Safety Beach waterlogged soils like those at Safety Cook and Yugovic (2003) suggested that Beach. Smythe’s reference to it in this fire was important in maintaining the environment requires explanation. No boundary between open plains and patches Lightwoods were observed in Safety of suckering Swamp Paperbark at Clyde- Beach during field-work for this paper, and Tooradin. A similar explanation has been there are no records of Lightwood from offered to explain the maintenance of other this area (when all databases available on grasslands in South Gippsland (Yugovic the FIS, including herbarium data, are and Mitchell, 2006). This was based on the searched). Other woody species (including observation that the grassland occurred Coast Banksia Banksia integrifolia and under the same conditions as the adjacent
Blackwood Acacia melanoxylon ) remain in wet Swamp Scrub, making water-stress an suburban Safety Beach, so that if apparently untenable argument for the tree- Lightwood ever occurred here, it has been lessness of such grassland. A few patches entirely and preferentially removed. of Swamp Scrub at Safety Beach apparent- Together, these observations suggest that ly expanded between the 19th century Lightwood may never have occurred at (Smythe, undated) and 1957 (Fig. 5), sup- Safety Beach, and that Smythe’s usage of porting the idea that fire management once
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role played a in maintaining some grass- is important to note that soil type and fire land boundaries. Cook and Yugovic (2003) history are not mutually exclusive explana- also noted the obvious benefit for the tions for patterns of treelessness, and that indigenous people in keeping the area open these factors may interact (for example, and free from scrub. At Safety Beach, the drier areas of relatively heavy soil may be benefit to be gained by Aboriginal people less rapidly colonised by Swamp from keeping the area open would have Paperbark, and these areas would be the been similarly great. Plant and animal foods most naturally promising areas to maintain would be accessed more easily (and may as open plains via burning). While the his- have been more plentiful), and an open toric vegetation boundaries reflect physical plain would have allowed easy access to the differences in soil texture and hydrology beach, which is otherwise difficult locally they may have been further accentuated because of the steep cliffs of Mt Martha and through the judicious human use of fire. Arthurs Seat. Unfortunately, there is no reli- Small depressions in the grassland would able record of Aboriginal burning practices have supported pools in winter. These prob- detailed enough to confirm these ideas. ably suffered minor or severe drought stress Several lines of evidence also suggest that in summer, depending on their depth and fire was not necessarily the only (or even soil structure. These areas presumably con- the major) factor maintaining the open tained various types of open ‘marshes’ now grassy vegetation at Safety Beach. Firstly, referred to as Plains Grassy Wetlands. the former presence of Blackwood suggests Small sandy rises provided growing condi- that fire intensity was probably lower than tions that are different again, the sandy sub- that needed to suppress vigorous, suckering strate being well-drained and non-cracking. Swamp Paperbark. Secondly, most patches As noted above, these areas supported of Swamp Scrub at Safety Beach corre- Damp-sands Herb-rich Woodland (EVC 3) sponded to drainage lines and depressions and Coast Banksia Woodland (EVC 2). (unlike Clyde-Tooradin or Koo-Wee-Rup), Salinity is also undoubtedly a factor influ- and some patches have maintained essen- encing vegetation patterns at Safety Beach, tially the same boundaries for about 150 both through salt spray and through the influ- years (as deduced from Smythe (undated), ence of saline ground-water and (in isolated the old aerial photographs (1957) and cur- areas) tidal inundation. Again, relief plays a rent observations), suggesting that Swamp major role in determining whether plants are Scrub was often restricted by relief, not exposed to salinity. Depressions in areas with predominantly by fire (although relief may saline ground-water, or the banks of the salty influence fire behaviour). creeks, expose plants to salt stress, and Small changes in local relief and soil- would have carried vegetation referrable to type were probably of key importance in Brackish Grassland (EVC 934). In this way, determining patterns of treelessness at the coastal flat at Safety Beach resembles an Safety Beach, through their interactions estuary, where patterns of saltmarsh, wetland with water availability. Drainage lines and grassland are intricately patterned were presumably best able to support according to elevation. It is possible that Swamp Paperbark and Swamp Gum small patches of typically estuarine vegeta- because they remained moist most of the tion (such as Coastal Saltmarsh (EVC 9), year, while the slightly higher plains would Estuarine Wetland (EVC 10), Estuarine Flats have been moist in winter, but probably Grassland (EVC 914), Swamp Scrub dry enough in summer to crack and disad- (Estuarine) (EVC 53_62) and Brackish vantage woody plants, as on the western Sedgeland (EVC 13), Oates and Taranto, and northern plains (Sutton, 1916-17; 2001; Frood unpubl.) occurred at the mouths
Patton, 1930, 1935, Willis 1964). In these of the small salty creeks, although there is no areas today, large, deep soil cracks several physical evidence of any such communities centimetres wide can be observed in sum- now. Port Phillip has lost many of its small mer; although these must be interpreted ‘estuarine’ creek mouths since settlement, with caution, since the hydrology has prob- with few (e.g. Balcombe Creek.) surviving. ably changed markedly since settlement. It
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A note on plant identification Golden Cowslips Diuris behrii is consid- The dominant Tussock-grass was identified ered vulnerable in Victoria. This orchid here as Coast Tussock-grass Poa poiformis. has not previously been recorded on the In his description of Plains Grassland Mornington Peninsula. At Safety Beach, (South Gippsland) Frood (1991) notes only three plants were noted (FIS quadrat The form of Poa labillardierei is of compa- E03404). rable morphology (viz. Compact tussock Purple Blown-grass Lachnagrostis with bluish inrolled foliage which is some- punicea subsp. punicea is considered rare times quite prickly, and superficially resem- in Victoria and Australia. A single previ- bling P. poiformis to the form which occurs ous record of this species exists on the on black soils of the western volcanics (e.g. Mornington Peninsula, from Pt Leo (1996, Men'i Creek grasslands and Skipton area). FIS T17503). It remains on many of the Several quadrats taken by others at Carrum remnant patches at Safety Beach. in open, grassy vegetation resembling the Several other species should be consid- moist grasslands of Safety Beach record the ered regionally or locally significant, being dominant grass as Poa labillardierei var. relatively rarely encountered on the (Basalt Plains) (FIS quadrats N02206- Momington Peninsula (pers. obs.), includ- N02209). This informal varietal name ing Grass Brachyscome Brachyscome includes several entities with stiff, bluish, graminea. Milky Beauty-heads prickly leaves (N. Walsh, pers. comm.). Calocephalus lacteus, Prickfoot, Varied Given the ecological similarities between Raspwort Haloragis heterophylla. Rabbit all these sites, it is tempting to conclude Ears Thelymitra antennifera, and Common that essentially identical plants dominate at Woodruff Asperula conferta. all sites, but are difficult to determine using Despite these significant biological fea- the current taxonomy, and which are treat- tures, the prospects for conserving grass- ed differently by different observers. Such land at Safety Beach are poor. All of the difficulty in placing plants into described sites described here are on unreserved taxa is not unusual or unexpected in Poa, urban blocks that will probably be devel- which has long been recognised as a genus oped in accordance with their current resi- with much variation that is difficult to deal dential zoning. One site was destroyed dur- with taxonomically (Vickery, 1970). ing the preparation of this report. Due to the small size of the properties (<0.4 ha), prospects Biological significance and for Victorian laws regulating removal and off- conservation setting of native vegetation do not apply. at Safety Beach The vegetation communities Since the sites do not typically contain in terms of their are highly significant, woody vegetation, council laws relating to Conservation Status Bioregional removal or lopping of trees do not apply. Plains Grassland (www.dse.vic.gov.au). Aside from clearing, the major threat to the is endangered throughout (South Gippsland) remaining native vegetation at Safety Beach its range, and is also listed as endangered is weed invasion. Most sites are already Guarantee Act under the Flora and Fauna severely invaded by numerous weeds. The Brackish Grassland has 1988 (SAC, 1994). most serious weeds are the grasses Sweet not been mapped anywhere else in the Port Vernal-grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, Philip area. However, it is understood that it Paspalum Paspalum dilatatum, Kikuyu of the arra once occurred near the mouth Y Pennisetum clandestinum, Yorkshire Fog at Phillip Island (Oates and and possibly Holcus lanatus. Tall Fescue Festuca arundi- It is considered rare in the Taranto, 2001). nacea. Rat-tail Grass Sporobolus africamis, Bioregion. Swamp Scrub, Gippsland Plain Canary Grass Phalaris spp. and Buffalo still abundant in some areas while relatively Grass Stenotaphrum secundatum. As the of the Momington Peninsula, is considered focus of this paper was the former vegeta- endangered in the Gippsland Plain tion of this area, weed species are not listed Bioregion. Several plant taxa are also con- in Table 2; however, weeds are fully record- sidered worthy of note, given their conserva- ed in the quadrat data held by the author and (Ross and Walsh, 2003). tion status on the FIS.
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Several very small areas of land managed Dicotyledons Winteraceae to Myrtaceae. Ed. Walsh NG, Entwisle TJ (National Herbarium by local government exist in the area, of Victoria/ Inkata Press: Melbourne) which would once have supported native Frood D. (1991) Grasslands and grassy woodlands of grasslands. Although re-creating native the Yarram district. Unpublished report to DSE. Frood D. (unpubl.) Typology for wetlands and related grasslands is apparently near-impossible, vegetation in Victoria. EVC descriptions: Existing, representative plants from the local grass- proposed amendments and new descriptions. lands could be used for revegetation. If Unpublished report to DSE. Geological Survey of Victoria weeds were adequately controlled, and (1967a) Sorrento sheet No. 867 Zone 7. several of the more showy species planted Geological Survey of Victoria (1967b) Western Port (e.g. Milky Beauty-heads), such sites may sheet No. 868 Zone 7. Grimes C' (1803) Port Phillip [map]. be able to effectively display - albeit as a Howitt W (1855) Land, labour and gold: or two years
somewhat artificial exhibit - some of the in Victoria with visits to Sydney and Van Diemen ’s Land (Longman, Brown, original character of Safety Beach. , Green and Longmans: London) Acknowledgements Kirkpatrick J, McDougall K, Hyde M (1995) Australia’s most threatened ecosystems: the south- I thank Jeff (Biosis Yugovic Research), Gidga eastern lowland native grasslands. (Surrey Beatty Walker, Garrique Pergl (Mornington Peninsula and Sons, In assoc, with the World Wide Fund for Shire Council), Doug Frood (Pathways Nature Australia (WWF): Chipping Norton, NSW) Bushland Experiences), Matt White, Alison Lunt ID (1990) Impact of an autumn fire on a long- Oates (both DSE), Graham Whittaker, Tom grazed Themeda triandra (Kangaroo Grass) grass- land: Implications for management McCullough (both Safety Beach Foreshore of invaded, rem- nant vegetations. The Victorian Naturalist 45-51. Landscape Committee), and an anonymous 107, Lunt ID (1997) The distribution and environmental reviewer for useful input. I also acknowledge relationships of native grasslands on the lowland the assistance of David Cheal, David Cameron, Gippsland Plain, Victoria: an historical study. Michael Duncan and Gary Backhouse (all DSE) Australian Geographical Studies 35, 140-152. in assisting with plant identification. Judy Morgan JW, Rollason TS (1995) Base-line monitoring of a significant grassland remnant at Downe (DSE) is thanked for her help in the field Evans St, Sunbury Victoria. The Victorian 148- with vegetation mapping of the broader Naturalist 112, 159. Dromana-Mt Martha Area. Judith Scurfield Nutt TH (1841) Plan of special survey cont. five thou- (State Library is of Victoria) thanked for her sand, one hundred and twenty acres selected by Hugh generous assistance in locating early survey Jamieson esq. In the Parish of Kangerong, County plans. The Mornington Peninsula Shire Council of— . (duplicate copies) partially funded this work. Oates A, and Taranto M (2001) Vegetation mapping of the Port Phillip and Westernport Region. Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, References Department of Natural Resources and Environment Anon (1857) Plan of the Parishes of Kangerong and (now DSE; available on www.dse.vic.gov.au ). Wannaue, County of Mornington. Lands Crown Patton RT (1930) The factors controlling the distribu- Office. July 13th 1857. tion of trees in Victoria. Proceedings of the Royal Calder WB (1972) The natural vegetation pattern of the Society of Victoria 42, 1 54-2 1 0. Mornington Peninsula with particular reference to the Patton RT (1935) Ecological studies in Victoria. Part genus Eucalyptus. Unpublished thesis. Botany MA IV- Basalt plains association. Proceedings of the Department, University of Melbourne. Royal Society of Victoria 48, 1 72- 191. Calder WB (1974) A History of the Mornington Powell JM (1970) The public lands of Australia Felix: Peninsula as it relates to the vegetation. Victorian Settlement and land appraisal in Victoria 1834-91 Historical Magazine 5-29. , with special reference to the western plains. (Oxford Calder Peninsula WB (1975) perspectives: Vegetation University Press: Melbourne) on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. Hedges and Ross JH, Walsh, NG (2003) A census of the vascular Bell, PL, Sponsored by National Trust of Australia plants of Victoria. 7th Edition. (Royal Botanic (Victoria), Victorian State Government. Gardens: Melbourne) Carter O, Murphy A, Cheal Natural D (2003) temperate SAC (1994) Final recommendation on a nomination for grassland. Department of Natural Resources and listing: plains grassland (South Gippsland) communi- Environment, Heidelberg. ty. Scientific Advisory Committee, Flora and Fauna Cook, D, Yugovic J (2003) Clyde-Tooradin grassland Guarantee. Department of Sustainability and re-discovered. The Victorian Naturalist 120, 140-146. Environment, Melbourne. Costermans LF Trees shrubs (1983) and ofsouth-east- SAC (1996) Final Recommendation on a nomination ern Australia. Publishing: (Weldon Sydney) for listing: herb-rich plains grassy wetland (west Cross J (1827) Chart of part of New South Wales with Gippsland) community. Scientific Advisory plans of the harbours. (Released 1857, London). Committee, Flora and Fauna Guarantee. Department DSE (2001a) Pre-1750 EVC map layer (1:100,000). of Sustainability and Environment, Melbourne. Available as ‘Biodiversity interactive maps’ at Sinclair SJ, Tonkinson D, Downe J, Taranto M, vic.gov. www. dse. au. Kefford E, and White M (2006) Remnant native veg- DSE (2001b) Extant EVC map layer (1:25,000). etation on the Mornington Peninsula: Mapping and Available as ‘Biodiversity interactive maps’ at condition assessment. Final report to Mornington www. dse. vic.gov. au. Peninsula Shire Council. (Arthur Rylah Institute for Entwisle TJ, Maslin BR, Cowan RS, Court AB (1996) Environmental Research: Melbourne). Mimosaceae. In Flora of Victoria vol II:
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review of the Smythe GD (undated) Survey of the coast of Port Yugovic J, Mitchell S (2006) Ecological grasslands. Phillip from the mouth 6f Tangenong Creek to Koo-Wee-Rup Swamp and associated Arthur’s seat with the internal features (duplicate The Victorian Naturalist 123, 323-334. information for copies). Yugovic J (unpublished). EVC Momington Peninsula Shire. Provided by the author Stuwe J, Parsons RF (1977) Themeda australis grass- on lands on the basalt plains, Victoria: floristics and (Available in modified form Planting management effects. Australian Journal of Ecology www. mornpen.vic.gov. aw, under ‘Shire 2, 467-476. Guides’) Sutton CS (1916-1917) A sketch of the Keilor Plains flora. The Victorian Naturalist 33, 112-123, 128-143.
Tuckey JH (1804) Port Phillip in Bass’s Strait sur- Received 1 7 August 2006; accepted 18 January 2007 veyed by JH Tuckey 1st Lieutenant of HMS Calcutta Oct 1804. (London) Vickery JW (1970) A taxonomic study of the genus Poa L. in Australia. Contributions from the NSW National Herbarium 4, 145-243. Willis JH (1964) Vegetation of the basalt plains in western Victoria. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 77, 397-418.
Use by birds and mammals of habitats of different complexity in remnant and revegetated sites in the Wannon Catchment, Western Victoria
2 1 Daniel 1 and Robert L Wallis Anne M Wallis , Jamieson
‘School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Warmambool, Victoria 3280 J Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Deakin University, Warmambool, Victoria 3280
Abstract Extensive land clearing in western Victoria has lead to land degradation, loss of natural habitat and poor water quality. Tree planting has been used to combat these problems and improve biodiversity, but whether these programs aremeeting their nature conservation objectives is equivocal. Here we examined the presence of birds and mammals in 12 revegetated sites of different ages and habitat complexity and four remnant habitat sites. We found remnant sites had the greatest abundance in species richness of both birds and mammals, and that use of revegetated sites increased as the sites aged and became more structurally complex. (The Victorian Naturalist 124 (3), 2007, 149-156)
Introduction Land clearing has contributed to degrada- Revegetation is one strategy used to tion of land and water resources, increased reduce these deleterious effects of land greenhouse gases and the decline of biodi- clearing. However, most revegetated versity. Soils are especially affected by patches are small, fragmented and linear clearing and over-use, with acidity, ero- with high edge to area ratios. Their value sion, salinity and fertility loss lowering (and those of small and often linear rem- agricultural production (Gretton and Salma nants) in terms of mammal and bird con- 1996). Clearing has also changed land- servation has only recently received atten- scapes, often with few remaining patches tion, and the conclusions have been equiv- of vegetation present in a larger matrix of ocal (Bennett 1990; Lynch and Saunders crops or pasture grasses. Such patchiness 1991; Hobbs 1993; Crome et al. 1994; may limit movements of fauna, thus reduc- Downes et al. 1997; Deacon and Mac ing genetic diversity (Merriam and Nally 1998; Rossi 2001). Recent studies of Saunders 1993; Deacon and Mac Nally this kind that have been undertaken in 1998). Habitat destruction and fragmenta- south-eastern Australia have included tion is considered a leading cause of the Ryan (2000), Rossi (2003) and Loyn decline of biodiversity in Australia (Hobbs (2005). and Hopkins 1990; Recher 1993).
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Here we report on a study designed to spp. and Allocasuarina spp. are common measure presence of mammals and birds in middle-storey plants. The species used in remnant vegetation patches and in revege- revegetation include eucalypts listed above tated sites of different ages and structural as well as some Swamp Gum E. ovata. Blue complexity to see if revegetation can Gum E. globulus. Sugar Gum E. cladocalyx indeed help to provide suitable habitat for and Scent Bark E. aromaphloia. Shrubs vertebrates, thus ameliorating the effects of were also usually planted or grew naturally land clearing on biodiversity. once fencing excluded stock. These included Salt Paperbark Melaleuca Methods halmaturorum Scrub She-oak Allocasuarina paludosa. We conducted the study in the catchment Slaty She-oak Allocasuarina muelleriana. of the Wannon River in western Victoria Woolly Teatree Leptospermum lanigerum, where only 1.9% of the catchment area Blackwood Acacia melanoxylon. Black consists of remnant forest blocks (Glenelg- Wattle Acacia mearnsii Hopkins Catchment Management and Silver Wattle A. dealbata. Authority 2000). There has been a program At each site a 200 m transect line was of revegetation in the area for over 20 laid out using a 50 m tape and yellow flag- years, principally on private land in the ging tape to identify 25 m intervals. form of windbreaks, grown along fence Transect lines were located in the centre of lines or in rows of less than 30 m width. the sites in the large patches (e.g. remnant Sixteen sites were chosen, four of which sites 2, 3 and 6) at no less than 5 m from were remnant sites at least 200m long. the vegetation edge. At 25 m intervals 'Remnant' here refers to patches of vegeta- along the transect the following attributes tion left uncleared after European settle- were measured: plant species present, per- ment and having a natural structural com- centage of vegetation cover (% cover plexity (Kimber et al. 1999). Sites were observed in overstorey, understorey and selected from a small pool of possibilities ground cover), vegetation structure (num- using the following selection criteria: size, ber of touches on a ranging pole), presence accessibility, age of revegetation, of tree hollows, hollow logs and ground- availability of historical information, and cover (leaf litter and grasses). We also connectivity. measured the ‘patchiness’ of the vegetation The revegetated sites were grouped into along the 200 m transect as the number of four age classes: 0-5 years (3 sites), 5-10 gaps in vegetation that exceeded 10 m years (3), 10-15 years and over 15 (3) length. years (3). All sites were fenced to prevent Each transect was walked three times for access to stock and thus allow for regener- one hour in early morning and late after- ation of grasses and shrubs, and were at noon over a 10 week period, covering least 200 m long. All sites were within 20 spring and summer in 2001/2002. Birds km of each other and within 15 km of the seen or heard within 5 m of the transect Wannon River. Geology, soils and climate line were identified and recorded. were thus similar (Jamieson 2002). Evidence of breeding and presence of nests The vegetation community is best were recorded. described as Dry Red Gum Woodland Mammals were detected at the same (Land Conservation Council 1979) domi- time, using direct observation or indirect nated by River Red Gum Eucalyptus signs (scats, footprints, diggings, skeletal camaldulensis. Yellow Gum E. leucoxylon remains) using Triggs (1998). Elliott fold- and Manna Gum E. viminalis with a ing aluminium traps baited with peanut ground cover of Austral Bracken Pteridium butter, rolled oats and honey were also esculentum and various species of Poaceae. used. Each site was trapped five times (60 Drier patches of Dry Heathy Forest (Land trap-nights per site). Traps were placed Conservation Council 1979) have Brown randomly along the transect lines at least Stringybark E. baxteri and Messmate E. 25 m apart. Each transect line was spotlit obliqua with Austral Grass Tree once for nocturnal mammals. Xanthorrhoea australis and Smooth Parrot Pea Dillwynia glaberrima abundant. Acacia We used an ordinal scaling system
150 The Victorian Naturalist Research reports instead of habitat component counts to 2002). SIMPER (similarity percentage) determine average abundances. This sys- analysis (Clark and Gorley 2001) showed tem is a useful way of standardising data that for the three youngest revegetated when making statistical comparisons (e.g. sites, microhabitat components contributed for comparing habitat components with the most to the structural differences bird abundances). between these sites and remnant sites, Weeds and introduced mammals can while vegetation density was the most sig- deleteriously affect the presence of native nificant feature that distinguished the older species (Hobbs 1993, Panetta and Hopkins revegetated sites (>15 years old) from the 1991). We noted the relative abundance of remnant sites (Jamieson 2002). these exotic species. Birds Results Table 1 shows 45 species of birds were structure Habitat recorded (5 most abundant, 0 absent). The The remnant sites were found to be more most frequently detected species are wide- complex than the revegetated sites (Fig. 1). spread and common and include the Willie The microhabitat components (native Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys. Crimson grasses, leaf litter and rocky areas), vegeta- Rosella Platycercus elegans. Sulphur- hollow tion densities, and the number of crested Cockatoo Cacatua tenuirostris. that logs were the structural components Eastern Rosella P. eximus, Australian contributed most to this difference. The Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen and Little to allow compari- data have been modified Raven Corvus mellori. Six species of par- arcsine transformation (Krebs son using rots were seen. 1999). The percentage values recorded for The remnant vegetation sites had the the variables were normalised and convert- highest abundance of birds and highest 10- ed to a 0-5 abundance scale (1: 10%; 2: species richness. Abundance of birds 25%, 3: 25-50%, 4: 50-75%, 5: >75%). increased with age of revegetation. More (Krebs Pair wise tests using ANOSIM species were found in the remnant sites indicated the younger classes of 1999) (38) than the revegetated ones, although the vegetation (<10 years old) showed interestingly more were also found in the structural complexity greatest difference in younger revegetated sites (27 in the <5 compared with the remnant sites (Jamieson
Fig. 1 . Comparison of the mean ratings (max. 5) for structural habitat components found in the rem- nant and the combined revegetated sites.
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Table 1 . Species of birds found in each age group Estimated level of abundance (0 low - 5 high score). Refer to methods on scoring system. Columns show vegetation age classes.
Common name Scientific name Remnant 1-5 5-10 10-15 15+ Family CASUARIIDEA Emu Dromaius novaeholtandiae 4 0 0 0 0 Family PHAS1ANIDAE Brown Quail Coturnix ypsilophora 3 0 0 0 0 Family ANATIDAE Australian Shelduck Tadorna tadornoides 0 1 1 0 0 Australian Wood Duck Chenonetta jubata 2 1 1 0 0 Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa 0 1 1 0 0 Family ARDEIDAE White-faced Heron Egretla novaeholtandiae 1 1 1 0 0 Family THRESKIORNITH1DAE Straw-necked Ibis Threskiomis spinicollis 0 0 0 4 0 Family ACCIPITRIDAE Wedge-tailed Eagle Apuila audax 2 0 0 1 0 Little Eagle Hieraaetus morphnoides 2 0 0 0 2 Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus 2 2 2 2 2 Family FALCON1DAE Brown Falcon Falco berigora 0 2 2 3 2 Family CHARADRIIDAE Masked Lapwing Vane/lus miles 0 1 1 0 0 Family CACATUIDAE Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo Calyptorphynchus funereus 2 2 2 0 2 Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Caeatua galerila 5 4 4 2 3 Family PSITTACIDAE Little Lorikeet Glossopsilta pusilla 3 0 3 0 4 Crimson Rosella Platycems elegans 5 3 3 4 5 Eastern Rosella Platycercus eximius 4 3 3 4 4 Red-rumped Parrot Psephotus haematonotus 2 5 5 0 3 Family CUCUL1DAE Pallid Cuckoo Cuculus pallidus 2 0 0 0 0 Family TYTONIDAE
Barn Owl Tyto alba 0 0 0 1 0 Family STRIGIDAE Southern Boobook Ninox novaeseelandiae 2 0 0 0 0 Family PODARGIDAE
Tawny Frogmouth Podargus strigoides 1 0 0 0 0 Family HALYCONIDAE
Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae 1 2 2 2 2 Family CLIMACTERIDAE White-throated Treecreeper Cormobates leucophaeus 0 0 0 0 2 Family MALURIDAE Superb Fairy-wren Malurus cyaneus 4 2 2 0 3 Family PARDALOTIDAE Yellow-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza chrysorrhoa 2 2 2 3 0
Brown Thornbill Acanthiza pusilla 3 1 1 3 0 Family MELIPHAGIDAE White-naped Honeyeater Melithreptus lunatus 2 0 0 2 2
Yellow-faced Honeyeater Lichenostomus chrysops 4 1 1 3 0 New Holland Honeyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae 3 3 3 3 3 Little Wattlebird Anthochaera chrysoptera 3 0 0 2 0
152 The Victorian Naturalist Research reports
Table 1. (Cont.)
Common name Scientific name Remnant 1-5 5-10 10-15 15+
Family PETROICIDAE Flame Robin Petroica phoenicea 5 1 1 0 2 Jacky Winter Microeca fascinans 0 0 0 0 2 Family PACHYCEPHALIDAE Grey Shrike-thrush Colluricincla haromica 3 2 2 0 0 Family D1CRUR1DAE Willie Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrvs 5 5 5 3 4 Grey Fan tail Rhipidura fuliginosa 3 1 0 4 4 Magpie-lark Grallina cyanoleuca 2 0 1 0 2
Family CAMPEPHAGIDAE Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Coracina novaehollandiae 2 0 0 0 0
Family ARTAMIDAE Grey Currawong Strepera versicolour 3 0 1 3 3 White-browed Woodswallow Artamus superciliosus 3 0 0 0 0 Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen 4 1 2 3 3 Family CORVIDAE Little Raven Corvus mellori 3 4 4 3 4 Family CORCORACIDAE Apostle Bird Struthidea cinerea 2 0 0 0 0 Family PASSERIDAE Red-browed Finch Neochmia temporalis 3 0 0 0 0
year old sites, 28 in the 5-10 year old sites) M. rufogriseus. Brush-tailed Phascogale than in the older ones (21 species in the Phascogale tapoatafa and Swamp Rat 10-15 year old sites and 23 in the >15 year Rattus lutreolus. Evidence of four mammal old sites). Nine species were only ever species was found in sites of all ages: seen in remnant sites. Birds were often Eastern Grey Kangaroo M. giganteus, Red seen flying from one site to another of a Fox Vulpes vulpes. Rabbit Oryctolagus different age. For example, a New Holland cuniculus and House Mouse Mus domesti- Honeyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae cus. Other introduced species (Cats Felis was seen to nest in a 12-year-old site and catus and Black Rats R. rattus) were wide- forage in a nearby 8-year-old site. Nests spread and common, being absent from were detected only in sites that were >15 only one (Cat - 1-5 year old) or two (Black years old or remnant sites. However, for- Rat - remnant and > 15 years old) age aging occurred in all sites. classes of vegetation. While bird nests were found only in the A number of species were found only in remnant sites and the older revegetated remnant sites and in revegetation that was ones, all sites were found to provide forag- >10 years old: Black Wallaby Wallabia for birds. Nine species bicolor Common Ringtail Possum ing habitat , occurred only in the remnant sites; some, Pseudocheirus peregrinus, Common such as the Emu and Brown Quail, in rea- Brushtail Possum Trichosurus vulpecula. sonably high numbers. Yellow-bellied Glider Petaurus australis. Koala Phascogale cinereus, Agile Mammals Antechinus Antechinus agilis (as well as the Table 2 shows that more mammal species four detected only in remnant sites). The the remnant sites than were detected in (15) Short-beaked Echidna Tachyglossus aculea- in the revegetated sites 1 1 and 9 for (5, 7, tus was found in the 5-10 and 10-15 year the four groups of sites in order of increas- age class sites as well in remnant vegetation. ing age). Four species were detected only in the remnant sites: Western Grey Kangaroo Macropus fuliginosus, Red-necked Wallaby
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Table 2. Presence/absence survey results on mammal species at study sites. X = present, - = absent * = Listed as found in the study area by the Atlas of Victorian wildlife.s = sighted, c = scat identi- fied, h = heard call, t = trapped, d = digging/tracks
Common Scientific Detection Name Name method Remnant 1-5 5-10 Native mammals Eastern Grey Kangaroo (s,c) Macropus giganteus * s,c X X X Western Grey Kangaroo (s) Macropus fuliginosus s X _ _ Swamp Wallaby (s, c) Wallabia bicolor s,c X _ _ Red-necked Wallaby (s) Macropus rufogriseus s X - _ Common Ringtail Possum (s, c) Pseudocheirus peregrinus * s,c X _ _ * Common Brush-tail Possum (s,c) Trichosurus vulpecula s,c X _ _ Brush-tailed Phascogale (c) Phascogale tapoatafa * c X - _ Yellow-bellied Glider (h, s?) Petaurus australis h,s X _ _ Koala (s, c) Phascolarctos cinereus * s,c X _ _ Agile Antechinus (t) Antechinus agiiis t _ _ _
Swamp Rat (t) Rattus lutreolus t X _ _ Short-beaked Echidna (d, s) Tachyglossus aculeatus d,s X - X
Introduced mammals Red Fox (s, c, d) Vulpes vulpes * s,c,d X X X Cat (s, c) Felis catus * s,c X _ X Rabbit (s, c) Orvctolagus cuniculus s,c X X X _ Black Rat (t) Rattus rattus t X X House Mouse (t) Mus domesticus t X X X
Total No. of species 15 5 7
Relationship between habitat complexity Cocksfoot Dactylis glomerata were the andfauna abundance most common weeds present, along with As the complexity of the habitat increased, Patterson's Curse Echium plantagineum the average number of birds and mammals and Serrated Tussock Nassella trichotoma. seen on each survey increased. When Discussion Spearman’s rank correlation was used to Over $6 million is spent annually on reveg- assess if a relationship existed between rela- etation of degraded lands in Victoria tive structural complexity values and abun- (Griffin 1999). Bennett (2000) has noted dance of all animals seen, there was a strong that whilst tree planting has been extensive correlation for birds but not for mammals in rural Australia over the last 15 years, (Table 3). However, we found there was a only of plantings have had their main positive relationship between vegetation 2% as purpose conservation of flora and fauna. density and abundance of native mammals Nonetheless, most proponents of revegeta- (p=0.03). Factors which produced signifi- tion will state biodiversity conservation is cant correlations for birds were vegetation an important consequence even if it is not density (p=0.03), tree hollows (p=0.05) and the main purpose of such habitat improve- microhabitat components (p=0.04). ment (Hobbs 1993, Bennett et al. 2000). Exotic species Thus, some authors have questioned ANOSIM (Bray Curtis) analysis indicated whether revegetation in small patches is of there were no significant differences in the value, mainly because the patchiness numbers of introduced carnivorous mam- impedes free movement of populations. mals (foxes, dogs, cats), herbivorous mam- Our results show that in the Wannon mals (rabbits), and weeds between the four catchment, revegetated areas do indeed different aged revegetated sites and the provide habitat for mammals and birds as remnant sites. However, weeds were suggested by Bennett et al. (2000) and observed to be most abundant in the Hobbs (1993). This result concurs with younger sites. Introduced pasture grasses work by Loyn (2005) who examined use of such as Smooth Meadow-grass Poa praten- plantations by wildlife in north-eastern sis, Yorkshire Fog Holcus lanatus and Victoria. Importantly, we found that as the
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the five groups of sites, remnant sites had Table 3. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient foxes and rats than the early stages of the relationship between species presence fewer surprising, and habitat features. Upper number is correla- of revegetation. This is hardly tion co-efficient, lower number level of signifi- as disturbance enhances colonisation by cance. * indicates correlation is significant at introduced species (Krebs 1999). 0.05 level. The bird species we detected have been found to be common in revegetated ripari- Habitat Feature Class Aves Class Mammalia an strips in the same region (Merritt and Gaps .301 .000 Wallis 2004). There were no introduced .258) 1.000 bird species detected. In their similar study Tree hollows .499* .688 in the nearby Dundas Tablelands, Merritt .049 .199 and Wallis (2004) found only four intro- bird species) and Hollow logs .493 .688 duced species (from 43 .052 .199 these constituted only 63 of 5075 bird sightings. More birds and more species of Micro-habitat components .519* .825 birds were found in the remnant sites than .040 .086 in the revegetated ones. However, the rela- tionship between age of vegetation and Veg. Densities .538* .918* .032 .028 species richness was not linear, as more species were seen in the younger than the % Upper .260 .395 .331 .511 older revegetated sites. Only two native mammal species (Eastern % Middle -.096 -.564 Grey Kangaroo and Short-beaked Echidna) .725 .322 were detected in sites <10 years old. On the Ground -.176 -.821 % other hand, there were nine species that .514 .089 were only found in sites >10 years old. The detection of Yellow-bellied Gliders P vegetation aged, its structural complexity ( australis) in regrowth years old) is increased and this provided for more (15+ especially significant given the gliders’ species and higher numbers of animals. dependence on hollows that usually devel- Remnant and revegetated sites mainly dif- op only in mature trees (Smith and Hume fered structurally in terms of vegetation In turn, this indicates that adequate densities and microhabitat components 1984). shelter, hollows and/or food are found only such as percentage cover by native grasses in the older sites. These observations are and leaf litter. In the early stage, plants in consistent with those of other workers. For the upper and middle vegetation strata example, Rossi concluded that rich- grow close together; as the plot ages and (2001) ness and abundance of small mammals in the upper layers become less dense, more south-eastern Australia depended on the light is able to reach the ground. Bennett et age and structural complexity of the vege- al. (2000) have noted the importance of tation, while Deacon and Mac Nally (1998) microhabitat features such as leaf litter, found a direct correlation between the num- mossy patches, rocks and grasses in pro- ber of arboreal mammals and the viding habitat for invertebrates and small number of tree hollows in central Victoria as vertebrates. To date, revegetation schemes demonstrated by Wilson et al. in the Wannon catchment have ignored (1990). Connectivity of vegetation microhabitat features. However, even as well as com- plexity is also important for the presence though there has been no deliberate con- and abundance of small sideration of the establishment of a grassy mammals. Thus Crome et al. (1994) found no mammals understorey, we found that sites > 1 0 years used planted windbreaks that were isolated old had a substantial level of litter and native grasses (Poaceae), especially from remnant vegetation, while Rossi found mammals did use Themeda triandra. Furthermore, as vegeta- (2001) revegetated sites providing they were tion aged, weed levels decreased. While connected to established vegetation. In our study ANOSIM did not detect significant differ- area, there were sufficient proximate ences in the number of exotic mammals in remnant
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 155 Research reports
sites to allow for colonisation of mammals Jamieson D (2002) A comparison of habitat complexity and fauna use, between and certainly birds. remnant vegetation and revegetated sites within the Wannon catchment. We conclude that revegetated, fenced and (Unpublished BSc Hons Thesis, Deakin University) relatively wide (at least 20 m) plantations Krebs CJ (1999) Ecological Methodology (Benjamin Cummings: Merlo Park) can provide habitat for native birds and Kimber SL, Bennett AF and Ryan PA (1999) mammals in western Victoria and that their Revegetation and Wildlife: What do we know about value in terms of biodiversity conservation revegetation and wildlife conservation in Australia? A report to Environment Australia. (School of increases as the patches become older and Ecology and Environment, Deakin University: more structurally complex. Burwood) Land Conservation Council (1979) Report on the Acknowledgements South-Western Area, District 2. (Land Conservation We thank the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Council: Melbourne) Loyn R (2005) Plantations can benefit wildlife. Victorian Management Authority for financial support, Landcare and Catchment Management 34, 10-11. and especially Peter Waldron for assisting with Lynch JF and Saunders DA (1991) Responses of bird site selection. Landholders Bruce and Lyn species to habitat fragmentation in the wheatbelt of Milne, Dan Dalohoy and the Waggs family are Western Australia: interiors, edges and corridors. In thanked for allowing access to their properties. Nature Conservation 2: The Role of Corridors, pp Gordon Blake and Sarah Halligan are thanked 143-158. Eds DA Saunders and RJ Hobbs (Surrey Beatty: for field assistance. Chipping Norton, NSW) Merriam G and Saunders DA (1993) Corridors in restora- References tion of fragmented landscapes. In Nature Conservation 3: Reconstruction of Fragmented Ecosystems, 71- Bennett AF (1990) Land use, forest fragmentation and pp 87. Eds DA Saunders, RJ Hobbs and PR Ehrlich the mammalian fauna at Naringal, south-western (Surrey Beatty: Chipping Norton, NSW) Victoria. Australian Wildlife Research 17 325-347. , Merritt B and Wallis R (2004) Are wide revegetated Bennett AF (2000) Future directions in revegetation: riparian strips better for birds and frogs than narrow Will biodiversity issues receive greater considera- ones? The Victorian Naturalist 121 288-292. tion? In Directions in revegetation and regeneration , Panetta FD and Hopkins AM (1991) Weeds in corri- in Victoria: Proceedings ofa forum held at Greening dors: invasion and management. In Nature Australia , May 5 and 6, Heidelberg, Victoria, pp Conservation 2: The Role of Corridors, 341-351. 101-107. Eds MJ McDonnell and NS Williams pp Eds DA Saunders and RJ Hobbs (Surrey Beatty: (Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology: Chipping Norton, NSW) Cranboume) Recher HF (1993) The loss of biodiversity and land- Bennett AF, Kimber S and Ryan P (2000) Revegetation scape restoration: conservation, management, survival. and Wildlife - A guide to enhancing revegetated An Australian perspective. In Nature Conservation 3: habitats for wildlife conservation in rural environ- The Reconstruction of Fragmented Ecosystems, ments. Bushcare National Projects Research and pp 141-151. Eds DA Saunders, RJ Hobbs and PR Ehrlich Development Program, Research Report 2/00, (Surrey Beatty: Chipping Norton, NSW) Melbourne. Rossi S (2001) The use of revegetated habitats by Clark KR and Gorley RN (2001) Primer v5: User mammals at Yellingbo Nature Reserve. (Unpublished Manual/Tutorial. (Primer-E: Plymouth) BSc Hons Thesis, Deakin University) Crome F, Isaacs J and Moore L (1994) The utility of Rossi S (2003) Birds, mammals and their habitat in a birds and mammals of remnant riparian vegetation variegated landscape in the Western Strzelecki and associated windbreaks in the tropical Queensland Ranges. (Unpublished MSc Thesis, Monash uplands. Pacific Conservation Biology 1 328-343. , University) Deacon JN and Mac Nally R (1998) Local extinction Ryan PA (2000) The use of vegetated areas by verte- and nestedness of small mammal faunas in fragment- brate fauna in Australia: a review. In Temperate ed forest in central Victoria. Pacific Conservation Eucalypt Woodlands in Australia: Biology, Biology 4 122-131. , 8- Conservation, Management and Restoration, pp 3 1 Downes SJ, Handasyde KA and Elgar (1997) The MA 335. Eds RJ Hobbs and CJ Yates (Surrey Beatty: use of corridors by mammals in fragmented Chipping Norton, NSW)
Australian eucalypt forests. Conservation Biology’ 11 , Smith A and Hume I (1984) Possums and Gliders 718-726. (Surrey Beatty: Chipping Norton, NSW) Glenelg-Hopkins Catchment Management Authority Triggs B (1998) Tracks, Scats and Other Traces: a (2000) Draft Glenelg-Hopkins Native Vegetation Field Guide to Australian Mammals. (Oxford Plan (Glenelg-Hopkins Catchment Management University Press: Melbourne) Authority: Hamilton) Wilson BA, Robertson D, Moloney DJ, Newell GR and Gretton P and Salma U (1996) Land Degradation and Laidlaw WS (1990) Factors affecting small mammal the Australian Agricultural Industry (Commonwealth distribution and abundance in the Eastern Otway of Australia: Canberra) Ranges, Victoria. Proceedings of the Ecological Griffin NRM (1999) Native Vegetation National Society ofAustralia 16 , 379-394. Overview (Commonwealth of Australia, Environment Australia: Canberra) Hobbs RJ (1993) Can revegetation assist in the conser- vation of biodiversity in agricultural areas? Pacific Conservation Biology 1 29-38. , Received 23 June 2005; Accepted 22 March 2007 Hobbs RJ and Hopkins AJM (1990) From frontiers to fragments: European impact on Australia's vegeta- tion. Proceedings of the Ecological Society of
Australia 16 , 93-1 14.
156 The Victorian Naturalist Contributions
How Aboriginal studies ceased to be part of natural history
Gary Presland
School of Social and Environmental Enquiry The University of Melbourne, 3010
Abstract It was once common to include studies of Aboriginal culture and history within the purview of natur- al history studies. This perspective changed in Victoria from the early 1970s, with the concurrent development of a number of avenues for professional fieldwork and publication related to studying the Aboriginal past. These developments are detailed here along with the long-term impacts they had for the involvement of the FNCV in Aboriginal studies. (The Victorian Naturalist 124 (3), 2007, 157 -162)
Introduction Today, many of the interests of the Field include a chapter, usually near the begin- Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV) are ning, about local indigenous culture in local given effect through its Special Interest history studies, greater attention is paid to Groups, which collectively take in the fitting this detail into the context of the widest gamut of natural history. Within the wider work. history of the FNCV, however, such Within the National Museum of Victoria, groups are relatively recent and represent the state’s primary natural history muse- only the latest configuration of members’ um, Aboriginal culture was an integral part interests (Houghton and Presland 2005). In of public exhibitions for most of the twen-
all areas of intellectual pursuit, from time tieth century. This aspect of the Museum’s to time the constitutant parts change. So it work was perhaps largely due to the influ-
is within the field of ‘natural history’ and ence of Baldwin Spencer, Director of the this paper is about one such change. Museum from 1899 to 1927. Spencer’s
Once upon a time, it was not unusual to interest in anthropology had developed think of the study of Aboriginal culture as from his involvement in the Horn expedi- part of the purview of natural history. From ton of 1894 and he soon formed new col- the earliest days of natural history study in lections on behalf of the Museum
this country, it was commonplace for natu- (Rasmussen 2001). ralists to include aspects of Aboriginal cul- The attitudes that are evident in such ture within their range of interests (Finney practices would strike naturalists today as 1993). This was largely a function of the old-fashioned at best, and perhaps as European view of so-called ‘primitive’ cul- something far worse. This is so because tures as being more closely related to the accepted view of the place and worth nature than those of the western world. It of Aboriginal studies has changed substan- was partly due also to the fact that, at the tially in the past 30 years. It is clear we no time of European settlement of Australia, longer think of Aboriginal culture as part the discipline of anthropology had not been of natural history; but when did we stop developed. These perspectives regarding doing that, and why? What brought about Aborigines remained influential, if not this change? This paper addresses these widely current, however, well into the questions and looks, briefly, at the reasons twentieth century, as is evident in both aca- why the study of Aboriginal culture was demic and popular writing, as well as in lifted out of the realm of natural history museum practice. For example, works pub- and achieved its more rightful place among lished in the 1970s, such as The natural other human-centred fields of study. In history of Sydney (Various authors 1972), what follows, the activities and publishing Natural history of the Adelaide region of the FNCV are used as primary exam- (Twidale et al. 1976) and Sense of place ples, firstly of the previous views, and sec- (Seddon 1972), all included chapters on the ondly, of the changes that have taken indigenous people of the respective studied place.
areas. Today, while it is not unusual to
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 157 Contributions
Anthropology and the FNCV for such trips included the Aboriginal The inclusion of Aboriginal culture within stone quarries at Mount William and Cape the scope of naturalist studies was sympto- Liptrap, and shell middens and stone tool matic of the wider, societal view of scatters along the south Gippsland coast. A Aborigines, through most of the 20“' centu- number of sites closer to Melbourne were
ry. It is not surprising, then, that it was also visited frequently also. It is a matter of apparent in the various interests of the some regret that the number and frequency FNCV. Since its formation in 1880, the of visits to these Aboriginal sites (not club has been a central force in maintain- always by members of the FNCV, of ing both the practice and intellectual course), ironically, did them more harm framework of natural history in this state. than good. In the absence of any legislative Thus, as the premier natural history body, protection, many visitors ‘collected’ exam- in its programme of activities and through ples of Aboriginal stone artefacts from the pages of its journal. The Victorian sites. This occurred in the Altona area
Naturalist, the FNCV can be said to exem- when an FNCV group visited shell mid- plify the practice of natural history. dens in April 1918 (Anon, 1918) and In keeping with attitudes within broader November 1921 (Anon 1922). The Mount society in Australia at the time, papers in William stone quarry was another Aboriginal studies were regular fare for favourite site for those people interested in members of the FNCV for the first century Aboriginal artefacts; it was visited by of the Club’s existence. Indeed, during the FNCV members in February 1908 (Anon 1920s and ’30s, interest amongst members 1908) and in May 1929 (Kenyon 1929). in anthropology in general and Aboriginal This collecting activity occurred to the subjects in particular was sufficient to war- point where, today, the smaller sites such rant forming a special interest group. The as coastal middens have been virtually Ethnological Section of the FNCV had its denuded of any artefactual material. An inaugural meeting on 7 June 1928, with archaeological survey of Aboriginal sites Alfred Kenyon presiding; Charles Daley in the Melbourne area in 1983, found that was appointed Honorary Secretary (Anon stone tool collectors had long-since 1928). Both of these men were active at stripped these sites clean of any useful the highest levels of the parent body: scientific data (Presland 1983, 1984). Daley had been President of the club from Further indications of the long-standing 1922 to 1924, and Kenyon was to hold that connections between natural history and position from 1934 to 1935 (Houghton and Aboriginal studies can be seen in the Presland 2005). The Ethnological Section numerous articles on Aboriginal culture had a pre-cursor in a group called the that have appeared in the Club’s journal. Prehistoric Club, which had been formed Although articles and shorter pieces on by Kenyon in the previous year and which Aboriginal studies were published regular- met at his home in Heidelberg (Griffiths ly throughout this period, the subject mat- 1996). In the first year of its life as part of ter was never a major focus for the journal. the FNCV, the Ethnological Section met In the 100 years of its publication, from on a monthly basis, mostly at Latham 1884 to 1983, The Victorian Naturalist House in Swanston Street, Melbourne. carried 342 articles relating to Aboriginal There, members heard lectures and took culture (Hall 1979). From the beginning of part in discussions on a wide range of sub- the twentieth century these articles aver- jects of anthropological and archaeological aged just over three per year, except for interest, including the early history of man, two peak periods - during the 1920s this native cultures of South Africa and North average lifted to about six per annum; and America, and Aboriginal art and artefacts during the 1960s it reached eight per (Anon 1929). annum. In addition to these lecture meetings, A few of the writers of these pieces were which were open to all members of the specialists in Aboriginal studies or in FNCV, field trips to Aboriginal sites with- anthropology, but the great majority were in Victoria were organized regularly. not; they were individuals with an interest Destinations outside of the Melbourne area in the natural world, and who thought of
158 The Victorian Naturalist The Victorian
Naturalist
Index to
Volume 123, 2006
Compiled by KN Bell Australian Natural History Medal Hurley V et al., 68
Medallionist 2005, Pauline Reilly, 47 Hynes D, 1 17 Medallionist 2006, Ian Fraser, 400 Jenkin J and Dell M, 255
Trust Fund, 406 Johnson M and Kirkwood R, 1 46 Johnston P, al., Authors et 68 Jolly H, 215 Adams R and Meers T, 29 Joyce EB, 55 (book review) Allen G et al., 68 Kcllar C. Short M and Milne J, 222 Almond E, 345 (book review) Kelly LT, 91 Amos N, Anderson H and Mansergh 1, 4, Kirkwood and Johnson M, 146 288 M 1 1 Kloot T, 1 (Tribute) Anderson H, Amos N and Mansergh I, 4, Koehler S and Endersby 1, 362 288 Kubiak PJ, 352 Awal S, 84 McCann D, 100, 113 (Tribute) Barrow G et al., 68 McLean N, 395 Beckmann K, Milne J and Short M, 195 Maloney KS and Harris JM, 157, 376 Beech P, 321 (book review) Mansergh I, Anderson H and Amos N, Belvedere M, 407 (book review) 4, 288 Biggs L and Gibson M, 270 Martin AA, JK and SM, 1 15 Bird E, 49 May T and Sommerville K, 366 Black D, et al., 68 Meagher D, 4 1 , 1 66, 2 1 2, 236, 247 Bouma S, 341 (book review) Meers T and Adams R, 29 Carrigan C, 279 Milne J, Short M and Beekmann K, 195 Clarke R, 184 (book review) Milne J, Short M and Kcllar C, 222 Clemann N, 59 (book review), 383 Mitchell S and Yugovic J, 323 Cooke R, 54 (book review) Monger A, 403 (Tribute) Dell M and Jenkin J, 255 New TR, 405 Dolby T, 176 Overeem R, Wallis R and Salzman S, Dunn KL, 319 (book review), 342 (book 390 review) Palmer CS, 412 Editors, The Victorian Naturalist, 2, 66, Pierson R, 182 (book review) 126, 190, 286,350 Presland G, 1 86 (book review) Endersby I 47, 57 (book review), 400 Robertson P, et al., 68 Endersby I and Koehler S, 362 Salzman S, Overeem R and Wallis R, Fitzsimons JA, Williams C and 390 FitzSimons P, 134 Sinclair S, 75 FitzSimons P, Fitzsimons JA and Short M, Milne J and Beckmann K, 195 Williams C, 134 Short M, Milne J and Kellar C, 222 Floyed AB and Gibson M, 229 Sommerville K and May T, 366 Gaskett AC and Herberstein ME, 128 Taylor IR and Hamilton AJ, 38 Geering D, 58 (book review) Tyshing C and Gibson M, 203 Gibson M, 120 (book review), 122 Wallis R, Salzman S and Overeem R, (software review), 183 (book review), 390 192 Wainer J, 347 (book review) Gibson M and Biggs L, 270 Williams C, Fitzsimons JA and Gibson M and Floyed AB, 229 FitzSimons P, 134 Gibson M and Tyshing C, 203 Yugovic J and Mitchell S, 323 Gillbank L, 174 (Tribute)
Grey MJ, 1 1 8 (book review) Birds Hamilton AJ and Taylor IR, 38 Aythya australis, diving behaviour, 38 Harley D, 170 Eudyptula minor, sexing by bill Harris JM and Maloney KS, 157, 376 measurement, 390 Heard GW, et al., 68 Hardhead, diving behaviour, 38 Herberstein ME and Gaskett AC, 128 Little penguins, sexing by bill Hewish M, 3 14 measurements, 390 Homan P, 181,317,335 Twitchathon, 176 Hubregtse V, 339 (book review), 344 (book review), 409 (book review) 8
Book Reviews Botany A Naturalist’s Life, R Erickson (I Atrichum androgynum, reproduction, Endersby), 57 270 Albatross: elusive m'ariners of the Banksiamyces, taxonomy, ecology, 366 Southern Ocean, A Terauds (R Bazzania, 41 Clarke), 184 Blackwoods, bryophyte distribution on, Australia’s Volcanoes, R Ferrett (EB Otway Ra., 255 Joyce), 55 Bryophytes Backyard Insects, P Home and D Bazzania, 41 Crawford (J Wainer), 347 Bryophyte distribution in Blackwood Birds of South-eastern Australia, Gould forests, Otway Ra., 255 League Series, revised by Alan Reid, Dicksonia antarctica, epiphytes on, (V Hubregtse), 339 229 Butterflies of the Solomon Islands: Epiphytes on D. antarctica, 229 systematics and biogeography, J Epiphytes on N. cunninghamii and E. Tennant (K Dunn), 319 regnans, 222 Climate change; turning up the heat, AB Fabronia, 212 Pittock (P Beech), 321 Glossary of Bryophyte terms, 282 Fossil Invertebrates, PD Taylor and DN Introducing Bryophytes, 192 Lewis (R Pierson), 182 Key to leafy liverworts, 236 Ocean shores to desert dunes: the native Key to thallose liverworts and horn vegetation of New South Wales and the worts, 247 ACT, D Keith (M Gibson), 183 Leptodon, 161 Owls - Journeys around the World, D Melbourne’s marvellous mosses, 215 Hollands (R Cooke), 54 Occurrence in soil crust. Little Desert Rhythms of the Tarkine: a natural NP, 195 history adventure, S Lloyd (V Peristomal architecture, 203 Hubregtse), 344 Sexual reproduction, Atrichum andro- Snakes, Lizards and Frogs of the gynum, 270 Victorian Mallee, M Swan and S Stream bryophytes, 279 Watharow (N Clemann), 59 Cryptostylis, flowering, pollination, 128 Spiders of Australia, an introduction to Ecological review, Koo-wee-rup Swamp, their classification, biology and distri- 323 bution, Ti Hawkeswood (K Dunn), Eucalyptus regnans, epiphytes on, 222 342 Fabronia, 212 Successfully Growing Australian Native Flora of Highbury Park, 75 Plants, and, Colour your garden with Flowers visited by Aust. Painted Lady, Australian Natives, G and B Rigby (M 352 Belvedere), 407 Leptodon, 161 Tasmanian Devil: a Unique and Nothofagus cunninghamii, epiphytes on, Threatened Animal, D Owen and D 222 Pemberton (S Bouma), 341 Peristomal architecture of bryophytes, The Big Twitch, S Dooley (D Geering), 203 58 Tongue orchids, flowering, pollination, The Gilded Canopy, Botanical Ceiling 128 Panels of the Natural History Museum, Vegetation changes in powerline ease- S Knapp and B Press (E Almond), 345 ments, 29 The Nature of Plants: habitats, chal- Victoria’s living natural capital, 4, 288 lenges and adaptations, J Dawson and (errata 311) R Lucas (M Gibson), 120 Errata Wedge-tailed Eagle, P Olsen (V Victoria’s living natural capital. Part 1, Hubregtse), 409 311 Wildlife of the Box-Ironbark Country, C
Tzaros (M Grey), 1 1 Geomorphology Yarra: A diverting history of Higher sea levels effects, Port Phillip Melbourne’ s murky river, K Otto Bay, 49
(G Presland), 1 86 7 1
History Gymnobelideus leadbeateri, Yellingbo Brittlebank, Charles and Thomas, 314 NCR, 170 FNCV Geology Group 1880-2005, 100 Koala, sex, age bias in road kills, 395 Victoria’s living natural capital, 4, 288 Leadbeaters Possum at Yellingbo NCR (errata 311) 170 Petauroides volvans Insects , records, 376 Acripeza Phascolarctos cinereus, sex, age bias in reticulata , visitor to Wilsons Promontory?, 405 road kills, 395 Sminthopsis Australian Painted Lady, flowers visited, murina using artificial habi- 352 tat, 317 Golden Sun Moth, new Melbourne popu- Terrestrial mammals, Phillip and French Islands, lations, 362 146 Mountain Katydid, 405 Trichosurus cunginghami, blind sur- Synemon plana new vival, 1 15 , Melbourne popu- lations, 362 Trichosurus cunninghami, at the Gurdies, 117 Vanessa kershawi, flowers visited, 352 Yellow- footed Antechinus, distribution, Invertebrates habitat, 9 Fauna of soil crusts. Little Desert NP, 195 Miscellaneous Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act, Localities additions to, 187, 318 Barwon estuary management, 84 Author guidelines, 61,410 Central Highlands, epiphytic bryophytes, Ecological attributes of strategic land 229 acquisitions, 134 French Island, terrestrial mammals, 146 Haiku (C Palmer), 412 Highbury Park, Burwood East, flora, 75 74 years ago, 165 (Pygmy Flying Koo-wee-rup Swamp, ecology of, 323 Possum) Little Desert NP, bryophytes, inverte- 100 years ago, 90 (Black Spur), 112 brates in soil, 195 (Black Spur), 173 (Wallaby at sea), Melbourne, Golden Sun Moth popula- 346 (Wildflower exhib.), 365, 375, tions, 362 399, 402 (all Wilsons Prom) Otway Ranges, bryophytes in 1 14 years ago, 283 (Mosses) Blackwood forest, 255 1 19 years ago, 254 (Victorian mosses) Phillip Island, terrestrial mammals, 146 Reptiles Port Phillip Bay, effects of higher sea Egernia coventryi, levels, 49 new records, 335 Eulamprus tympanum birthing, 181 Sydney bushland, Australian Painted , Inland Lady food, 352 Carpet Python, canid predation on, 68 The Gurdies, Bobucks, 1 17 Morelia spilota Yarra Ranges NP, epiphytes on N. cum- metcalfei, canid predation on, 68 minghamii, E. regnans, 222 Yellingbo NCR, Leadbeaters Possum, Snake catchers, practices, experiences, 170 383 Southern Water birthing, Wilsons Promontory, Mountain Katydid Skink, 181 occurrence, 405 Reptiles, new locality records, 335 Mammals Software Forgotten Flora Resource Kit, J Milne, Acrobates pygmaeus , records, 157 T Lebel, A Veenstra-Quah and G Antechinus flavipes , distribution, habitat, Shadford 91 (M Gibson), 122
Bobuck, blind survival, 1 15 Tributes
Bobuck at The Gurdies, 1 1 Neil Wilfred Archbold (D McCann), 1 13 Canid predation on Inland Carpet David Hungerford Ashton (L Gillbank), Python, 68 174 Common Dunnart using artificial habitat, Ellen Margery McCulloch (T Kloot), 317 111 Feathertail glider, records, 157 Brian John Smith (A Monger), 403 Greater Glider, records, 376 Note: Volume 123 part 4 comprises the Bryophyte special issue. Contributions
Aborigines and their culture as a part of that world. W Hanks, 'for example, had 12 articles published in The Victorian Naturalist in an eight-year period from 1930 to 1937. Of these, only one was about Aboriginal culture, relating to a campsite on the Merri Creek in Coburg (Hanks 1933). Similarly, in the mid 1960s, Percy Gressler published three short pieces on Aboriginal cemeteries, rock carvings and campsites, plus one on the regenera- tion of River Oak Casuarina cunninghami- ana (Gressler 1965, 1966a, 1966b and 1966c). The most prolific writer on the subject of Aborigines was Aldo Massola, a curator in the Anthropology section at the National Museum of Victoria, from 1954 to 1964. He published 64 articles in The
Victorian Naturalist, from volume 73 Fig. 1. Australian Natural History Medallion, - (1956) to volume 91 (1974), single-hand- 1940 1980 . edly accounting for the peak in Aboriginal However, the attitude that allowed such material in the 1960s. inclusion within natural history had clearly An interesting sidelight on the relationship changed by the early 1980s. The between Aboriginal studies and natural his- Ethnological Section had long-since tory is cast by consideration of the ceased to operate, dissolving in the early Australian Natural History Medallion. This 1930s (Griffiths 1996). Although lectures award was instigated by the FNCV and has on anthropological or Aboriginal subjects been presented annually since 1940 in continued to be delivered at general meet- acknowledgement of outstanding work in ings of the FNCV, their frequency was any of the range of fields encompassed by sporadic. If we are to judge from the con- the term ‘natural history’ (Houghton 1987). tents of The Victorian Naturalist, from the The Medallion has had three fonns, the first end of the 1970s Aboriginal studies waned of which was used from its beginnings until as a subject that found favour with the 1980 (Fig 1). This original design, which journal’s editors. During the 1980s there explicitly connects natural history and were only five articles relating to an indigenous people, was the work of RH Aboriginal subject published in The Croll who was President of the FNCV at the Victorian Naturalist, and this number time (Houghton 1987). His more-than-pass- dropped to zero during the 1990s. Since ing interest in Aboriginal culture extended volume 104 (1988), which contained a to an active membership of the Ethnological paper on the Woi wurru name for the Tuan Section and the Victorian Aboriginal (Scarlett 1988), there has been only one Group, which was formed in 1930 to pro- Aboriginal-related item published by the mote better conditions (and Christianity) for FNCV. That paper was included as part of Aborigines in the northern parts of Australia the issue on fire (McLoughlin 2004). (Griffiths 1996). In the 40 years that the Medallion bore this Developments in Aboriginal studies
Aboriginal design, it was awarded, on four What had occurred to bring about this occasions, to individuals for their contribu- change in thinking? In the case of articles tions in the field of anthropology. These published in The Victorian Naturalist, awards were made to Charles Mountford in Archer (2005) identified two factors that 1945; Stan Mitchell in 1955; Norman may have impacted on the range of subject Tindale in 1968; and Edmund Gill in 1973 areas published, including anthrop-
(Houghton 1987). It is evident from these ology/Aboriginal material. The first of instances that anthropology was considered these, the influence of the journal’s edi- a commendable part of natural history. tors) at any given period, was perhaps of a
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 159 .
Contributions
lesser importance in the time considered and to a degree facilitated activities by here. The effect of editorial control was researchers from interstate. An increasing diminished, firstly because none of the interest in Aboriginal archaeology at uni- editors of The Victorian Naturalist in the versities in Sydney, Canberra and periods when the subject areas appeared Armidale meant that more fieldwork was most often was especially involved with being undertaken in widespread areas, the subjects. Indeed, none of the major including Victoria (Presland 2001). protagonists for anthropology within the In this state, the Archaeological and FNCV — in the earlier days Kenyon, Aboriginal Relics Preservation Act was Mitchell, and Croll; and later Gill and proclaimed in May 1972, in order to give Massola — served as Editor of the Club’s legislative protection to Aboriginal sites journal. Secondly, the subject was one that within Victoria. Among the groups that had (as with a couple of others) didn’t com- campaigned for such protection was the mand a sufficiently large following to war- Anthropological Society of Victoria, which rant promotion by an editor. As Archer included in its membership Stan Mitchell, (2005) observes, in comparison with other Robert Croll and Aldo Massola, names that areas of interest ‘Geology and anthropolo- were familiar to the FNCV. The primary gy have never featured heavily as topics in impact of this legislation was the creation, The Victorian Naturalist’ in April 1973, of the Archaeological and The second factor suggested by Archer as Aboriginal Relics Preservation Office an influence on the content of the journal (AARO). This state government instrumen- was the existence of other suitable publish- tality was originally located administrative- ing opportunities, and this was particularly ly within the Premier’s Department but was applicable in the case of anthropology/ relocated a number of times over its 22 Aboriginal material. A more likely cause year history. It also changed its name once
of the decline in these subjects on the — from July 1976 onwards it was called pages of The Victorian Naturalist lies in Victoria Archaeological Survey (VAS) the emergence of other avenues where (Presland 2000). such material could be printed. The occur- At the time, the Archaeological Society rence of these new possibilities was itself of Victoria (ASV) was the major interest closely bound up in wider developments in group active in archaeological fieldwork in the area of Aboriginal studies. It is neces- Victoria, although its activities in this sary to consider these developments here, regard were not extensive. The ASV was even briefly, because it was they, in fact, formed at the beginning of 1965, on a that impacted on the general area of natural wave of enthusiasm by people who had history, leading ultimately to Aboriginal attended a series of lectures on the broad studies being separated as an independent subject of ‘archaeology’ over the previous field of enquiry. five years. The series was run by Ron The study of Australia's indigenous cul- Ridley and Bill Culican, both of whom tures, particularly through the application were in the Department of Classics at The of archaeology, blossomed in the 1970s. University of Melbourne (Presland, 1998). Perhaps nowhere was this movement more The society was formed at the instigation evident than in Victoria, where a number of Culican, and he remained an important of crucial initiatives occurred. Locally, the figure in the group until his sudden death early part of the decade was a period of in 1984. expansion in interest, even occasioning Sandor Gallus was another important fig- some excitement in local archaeological ure in the ASV’s activities whose connec- circles. These circles were small at the tion stemmed from that series of lectures. time but about to grow rapidly. Within the Dr Gallus was an Hungarian-trained space of a few years, three separate devel- archaeologist who was digging in his spare opments took place within Victoria that time on a series of sites at Dry Creek near saw a great deal more attention paid to Keilor. Beginning in 1966, members of the Aboriginal sites in this state. The first of ASV worked with him on Sundays at these, the establishment of a state govern- Keilor until the work was brought to a sud- ment department in April 1973, coincided den halt in 1973 by the almost simultane-
160 The Victorian Naturalist Contributions ous establishment of AARO and a major man and environment in southeast flood in the Maribyrnong River. However, Australia: recent developments in it was not this fieldwork that became a sig- Victorian prehistory’. The conference took nificant factor in the shift in Aboriginal place at The University of Melbourne in studies but, rather, the publication by ASV November 1975, and was jointly spon- of a research journal, beginning in 1976. sored by the Continuing Education section The third major development relating to of the university and the AARO. The fact Aboriginal studies (particularly archaeolo- that a conference on such a topic could gy) in Victoria was the establishment in take place successfully was symptomatic 1976 of the Prehistory Division, within the of the state of play in the discipline at the History Department, at La Trobe time and also helps explain something of University. From a small beginning of a the genesis of the new-style The Artefact. staff of two, this Division expanded rapid- Thus began a publishing venture that con- ly and became a separate Department of tinues to this day (Presland 2001). Archaeology in 1980. While The Artefact doesn’t have the long In the mid-1970s the existence of both history of The Victorian Naturalist, from VAS and La Trobe University Archaeology the beginning of its new form it became a Department presented possibilities for more likely avenue for the publishing of fieldwork and practical involvement in Aboriginal research. Although there was a Aboriginal studies to an extent that had greater amount of research to be published, been unavailable previously. And, along with the appearance of specialist journals with the ASV, each created an avenue for of the kind described, there was less reason the publication of research in this subject to offer this output to The Victorian area. In the case of the VAS a new publica- Naturalist. Herein lies the cause of the tion series. Records of the Victorian waning of Aboriginal material published in the journal of the FNCV. Archaeological Survey , was created. Primarily set up to publish the results of Of perhaps greater impact on the FNCV VAS fieldwork, the first issue in the series was the effect that VAS and LaTrobe appeared in April 1 976 (Coutts et al. 1 976). University had on those field activities of From its beginnings the ASV had a the club that might be related to the study newsletter, from the third issue titled ‘The of Aboriginal culture or history. Charged Artefact’, the purpose of which was to keep with giving effect to the legislation pro- members informed of Society activities and tecting Aboriginal sites, from the begin- to carry news items of archaeological inter- ning VAS exercised a tight control over est. With an increased interest in archaeolo- access to those sites, thereby severely lim- gy and a greater number of professionals iting the possibilities for non-professional employed in the area, by 1975 the time was involvement in Aboriginal studies in right to turn this chatty newsletter into Victoria. Activities such as excavating something that was both more serious and Aboriginal middens and campsites, and more widespread. The dominant influence even collecting artefacts at such places — within the ASV at the time was Dr Wayne something field naturalists had done over Orchiston, who was bent on making the many years — became illegal. Even the Society a major player in Victorian archae- ASV had to cease its long-running excava- ology. With more material available for tions at Dry Creek, near Keilor. The site publication, and a seemingly boundless was considered of great importance by energy, Orchiston transformed the Society’s VAS and was one of the first sites to be newsletter into a research journal in anthro- declared an Archaeological Area under the pology and prehistory. The focus of the new Archaeological and Aboriginal Relics series of The Artefact, beginning in March Preservation Act (Coutts, 1974). 1976, in the words of the Editor was to be on ‘the ethno history and archaeology of the Conclusion
Pacific region’ (Orchiston, 1976). In such an environment, it is not surprising A contributing factor in the availability that the study of Aboriginal culture ceased of suitable material to publish came with to be a viable area of interest within the the staging of a conference on ‘Aboriginal gamut of subjects encompassed by the
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 161 Contributions
FNCV and other natural history groups. Gressler PG (1965) Small camp-sites of the Aborigines Central Western New Aboriginal studies had been effectively South Wales. The Victorian Naturalist 82, 233-236. elevated to the level of an independent dis- Gressler PG (1966a) Aborigine cemeteries and graves cipline. In the museum context this change disturbed whilst digging out rabbit burrows. The Victorian Naturalist 83, 10-12. took place in 1983 when the state’s two Gressler PG (1966b) The regeneration of the River Oak major museums — the National Museum Casuarina cunninghamiana. The Victorian of Victoria and the Science Museum of Naturalist 83, 79. Gressler PG (1966c) Aboriginal rock carvings at Victoria — were amalgamated to form the Turondale. The Victorian Naturalist 83, 269-210. Museum of Victoria. The internal structure Griffiths T (1996) Hunters and collectors: The anti- of the new institution included a Division quarian imagination in Australia. (Cambridge University Press: Melbourne) of Human Studies, one part of which was Hall KE (1979) The Victorian Naturalist Subject Index the Indigenous Studies department 1884-1978 (FNCV: Melbourne) Hanks (Rasmussen 2001). Thus, within the W (1933) Aboriginal camp at Coburg. The Victorian Naturalist 50, 34. Museum, the study of Aboriginal culture Houghton S ( 1987) A history of the Australian Natural was lifted out of its natural history frame- History Medallion. (Field Naturalists Club of work. Victoria: Melbourne) Houghton S and Presland G (2005) Leaves from our Essentially, this shift in attitude was history: The Field Naturalists Club of Victoria 1880- symptomatic of a wider, social movement, 2005. (FNCV: Melbourne) Kenyon, AS (1929) Excursion to Mount William. The one that had many contributing factors. Victorian Naturalist 46, 46. Notable among these was the realisation McLoughlin LC (2004) Patterns of pre-European that Australia’s indigenous population had Aboriginal vegetation management by fire in South- eastern Australia: What do we know? The Victorian been in this country for a very long time 1 Naturalist 2 1 , 99- 1 06. indeed (Mulvaney and Joyce 1965; Flood Mulvaney DJ and Joyce EB (1965) Archaeological and 1990), and the winning of the 1967 Federal geomorphological investigations on Mt Moffatt Station, Queensland, Australia. Proceedings of the Referendum that gave Aborigines basic Prehistoric Society 31,1 47-2 1 2. civil rights (Attwood and Markus 1997). Orchiston DW (1976) Editorial comment. The Artefact 1,3. One of the more important aspects of this Presland G (1983) An archaeological survey of the development, which has been considered Melbourne metropolitan area. Victoria here, was its corollary — that Australia’s Archaeological Survey Occasional Report Series 15. (Ministry for Planning indigenous population could be considered and Environment: Melbourne) Presland G (1984) The archaeology of Melbourne. The in its own right and not simply be studied Victorian Naturalist 101, 170-177. as a part of natural history. Presland G (1998) A.S. Gallus and the Archaeological Society of Victoria. The Artefact 21,9-13. References Presland G (2000) Scratching the surface: A brief his- tory of the Victoria Archaeological Survey 1972- Anon (1908) Excursion to Mount William, Lancefield. 1994. (Unpublished souvenir booklet) The Victorian Naturalist 25, 9-11. Presland G (2001) Artefact of history: a history of The Anon (1918) Report of activities. The Victorian Artefact. The Artefact 24, 5-9. Naturalist 35, 17. Rasmussen C (2001) A museum for the people. (Scribe Anon (1922) Report of activities. The Victorian Publications: Melbourne) Naturalist 38, 84. Scarlett NH (1988) Ta-jerr and Tarm-nin - two squirrel Anon (1928) Ethnological Section. The Victorian brothers in Woi wurru mythology The Victorian Naturalist 45, 86. Naturalist 105, 146-149. Anon (1929) Report of the Ethnological Section. The Seddon G (1972) Sense place. (University of Victorian Naturalist 46, 57. of Western Australia Press: Nedlands) Archer MS (2005) Changes in the content of The Twidale CR, Tyler MJ and Webb BP (Eds) Victorian Naturalist between 1884 and 2004. The (1976) Natural history the Adelaide region. (Royal Victorian Naturalist 122, 340-348. of Society of South Australia: Adelaide) Attwood B and A Markus (1997) The 1967 referen- Various authors (1972) The natural history Sydney. dum, or, When Aborigines didn’t get the vote of (The Australian Museum: Sydney) (Aboriginal Studies Press: Canberra) Coutts PJF (1974) State Relics Office: progress for 1973/4. The Artefact 32, 1-3. Coutts PJF, Witter D, Mcllwraith M and Frank R (1976) The mound people of western Victoria: a pre- liminary statement. Records of the Victorian Received 04 May 2006 ; accepted 18 January 2007 Archaeological Survey 1. Finney C (1993) Paradise revealed: Natural history in nineteenth-century Australia (Museum of Victoria: Melbourne) Flood J (1990) The riches of ancient Australia: a jour- ney into prehistory (University of Queenland Press: St Lucia)
162 The Victorian Naturalist Contributions
Dietary preferences of captive , Eastern Long-necked Turtles Chelodina longicollis
Catherine E Meathrel and Sharon Reid
Department of Environmental Management and Ecology, La Trobe University, Wodonga, Victoria 3690. Email [email protected]
Abstract Fifteen adult Eastern Long-necked Turtles Chelodina longicollis (13 males, 2 females) were removed from billabongs located within the Ovens River floodplain, Victoria, during the summer of 1997/98 to examine their feeding preference in captivity, away from competitors, in a controlled environment. Four prey items were presented to the captive turtles: naucorids (Family Naucoridae), corixids (Family Corixidae), gudgeons (Hypseleotris klunzingeri) and caddisfly larvae (Family Leptoceridae). In total, 12.9% of prey was consumed without any dietary preference shown by tur- tles. It was concluded that turtles in captivity fed passively and opportunistically. Clearly, this may differ from their foraging strategy in the wild where the anti-predator behaviour of prey can differ greatly in the presence of refugia in a much larger and more complex habitat. (The Victorian Naturalist
124 (3), 2007, 163-166).
Introduction Methods Eastern Long-necked Turtles Chelodina Determination of the prey preference in longicollis. Broad-shelled River Turtles C. captivity of Chelodina longicollis formed expansa and Murray Turtles Emydura part of a larger study on the habitat prefer- macquarii in the Murray-Darling Basin ence and feeding ecology of freshwater exhibit habitat overlap and compete for turtles in billabongs in northeast Victoria prey. This is the case especially with the (see Meathrel et al. 2004). Permission was carnivorous, long-necked species, Chelo- obtained from the Victorian Department of dina longicollis and C. expansa (see Natural Resources and Environment (per- Meathrel et al. 2002, 2004 and references mit RP-97-170) and La Trobe University therein). The sympatric Murray Turtle has Animal Experimentation Ethics Committee a shorter neck, is omnivorous, grazes on (permit LSB96/24/V2) to place into short- periphyton, scavenges carrion and supple- term captivity (i.e. a period not to exceed ments its diet with aquatic insects and fish three weeks) 15 adults of the most com- carrion to meet metabolic requirements monly encountered species Chelodina (Chessman 1986; Spencer et al 1998). longicollis [13 males and 2 females, sexing Chelodina longicollis uses highly produc- followed Chessman (1978)] from the tive, ephemeral water bodies more often Ovens River floodplain (146°14’44” E, than the other two species (Chessman 36°14’05”S) between October 1997 and 1988), thereby lessening inter-specific February 1998. competition (Kennett and Georges 1990). Laboratory housing consisted of 1 .2 x 0.6 One of the major challenges for wildlife x 0.6 m fish tanks held at 22°C (i.e. the ecologists is understanding how wild average temperature of water in the bill- organisms perceive their environment and abongs, unpublished data) and filled to 2/3 how that environment might be measured - capacity and containing charcoal and fiber- the abundance and availability of prey, the glass water filters to maintain water quality. level of inter- and intra-specific competi- No substratum (i.e. gravel, vegetation) was tion, etc. For freshwater turtles, the included in the tanks as this facilitated the research relating habitat complexity with quantification of prey items remaining fol- habitat selection and dietary partitioning is lowing each trial. All turtles were in good scarce. This study, therefore, examined the health and allowed to habituate in individ-
dietary preferences of C. longicollis under ual tanks for 1 week prior to the commence- controlled laboratory conditions away from ment of feeding trials. They received food variable environments and competition. once every 24 hours for this period, but not within 24 hours of the feeding trials.
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 163 Contributions
Prey offered were chosen on the basis of each turtle’s two separate feeding trials 1 that which was common in the stomach (T i,ii 3 = 0.023, p>0.05) and these data contents of turtles examined in the field were combined. Prey preference did not (Meathrel et at. 2004). Naucorids (Naucor- differ between the various types of prey idae) were collected from the Doctor’s fed to turtles in the laboratory (F3 ll3 = Point billabong in Albury, New South 0.532, p>0.05) and suggested that the 15 Wales; whereas corixids (Corixidae), gud- Chelodina longicollis in captivity were
geons (Hypseleotris klunzingeri) and cad- non-selective foragers (Fig. 1). Statistical disfly larvae (Leptoceridae) were collected comparison of prey preference between the from a man-made lake located on the genders was not warranted because the Wodonga grounds of La Trobe University. data from only two females could not be The amount of each prey type collected validly tested against that of 13 males. was variable. Hence, we were unable to However, it appeared that there was little replicate trials by presenting equal numbers difference in prey preference between male of each prey type to each turtle for each of and female turtles. Generally, males ate a their two feeding preference trials. greater proportion of prey offered, but this For each experimental feeding trial, each may have been caused by males 4, 9 and turtle was presented with a range of prey 10 (Table 1) all of which ate approximate- items, totalling 40 to 60 individual prey ly 35% of the prey offered as compared to items each trial. The turtles were then just 5% for the other turtles. allowed 48 hours to consume prey (a pro- Discussion cedure modified from Serrouya et al. Long-held 1995). After this time the turtles were ecological principles of habitat removed and the tanks cleared of any use and foraging strategies suggest that organisms remaining prey. These prey were counted use optimality decision rules (= fitness maximising) to respond and any missing items were assumed to to changes in their feeding et have been eaten by the turtles. environment (Pyke al. 1977; Chesson 1983). can arise At the completion of the first feeding Changes from extrinsic, trial, turtles were placed back into their environmental factors such as annual and seasonal variation individual tanks and starved for 24 hours in prey abundance and availability, to increase their appetite prior to presenta- exacerbated by the presence of competitors for the food tion of a second group of prey (Serrouya et resource, thereby rendering the study of an al. 1995). At the completion of all 30 feed- organism’s preferred diet difficult. Hence, ing trials all turtles were released at their in this study 1 5 Chelodina longicollis were point of capture. No turtle was held in cap- taken into the laboratory in an attempt to tivity for more than two weeks in order to control for such change in order to simpl- meet the requirements of the animal ethics ify the permit. detection of the potential existence of prey preference in this species of fresh- Data were analysed with the statistical water turtle. package SPSS for Windows v. 12 using univariate ANOVA (Sokal and Rohlf The prey types and their relative propor- tions offered to the captive turtles in this 1995) comparing the preference of the tur- study were the same as those gathered for tles for different prey types. As we could a reference collection of aquatic fauna for not offer turtles the same number of each the billabongs at Killawarra (Meathrel et different prey type in both experimental al. 2004). The presence of these types of feeding trials, we converted the data to the prey within the guts of wild turtles merely proportion of prey eaten out of all prey may have represented the preys’ availa- offered (i.e. preference). bility and accessibility rather than any spe- Results cific preference the turtles may have had Of the total 1232 prey items offered to the for them in the wild. To determine whether 15 Chelodina longicollis, 159 (12.9%) captive turtles were feeding preferentially were consumed (Table 1). Prey preference, or opportunistically in this study, all prey measured as the number eaten out of the items were presented to the turtles without number offered, did not differ between refugia such as snags, macrophytes or tur-
164 The Victorian Naturalist Contributions
Table 1. The number of prey offered and eaten by captive Eastern Long-necked Turtles in captivity; data combined for the two trials per individual. F = female, M = male.
Turtle Prey type Naurcorids Corixids Gudgeons Caddisfly larvae
F- 1 # prey offered 26 40 9 20 # prey eaten 0 2 0 0 F - 2 # prey offered 16 40 9 8 # prey eaten 2 1 0 1
M- 1 # prey offered 25 40 10 24 # prey eaten 1 1 0 2 M - 2 # prey offered 25 40 10 24 # prey eaten 10 5 0 2 M - 3 # prey offered 15 40 15 9 # prey eaten 0 1 0 5 M - 4 # prey offered 17 40 7 7 # prey eaten 3 22 0 1 M - 5 # prey offered 16 40 7 7 # prey eaten 1 1 0 0 M - 6 # prey offered 16 40 7 7 # prey eaten 1 3 2 2 M - 7 # prey offered 15 40 14 5 # prey eaten 1 1 0 2 M - 8 # prey offered 16 40 19 4 # prey eaten 0 5 2 0 M - 9 # prey offered 20 40 26 9 # prey eaten 10 0 21 2 M - 10 # prey offered 20 40 26 10
# prey eaten 1 11 24 1 M - 11 # prey offered 20 40 21 10 # prey eaten 0 4 0 0 M - 12 # prey offered 16 40 9 6 # prey eaten 0 0 2 0 M - 13 # prey offered 16 40 8 6 # prey eaten 3 0 0 0 bid water, and so were readily available for numbers (approx. 5%) of prey were con- capture. No prey preferences were shown sumed in the laboratory experiments, with by the turtles which suggested that the tur- turtles in some trials consuming nothing at tles were passive, opportunistic feeders. all. This may have resulted from an insuf- Chessman (1978, 1984) and Georges et al. ficient habituation time due to permit (1986) also made this assumption, but restrictions. Although not observed, if sub- Onkonburi and Formanowicz (1997) cau- ject to stress the turtles may have abstained tioned that the distinction between passive from eating as they are capable of with- and active prey preference may be altered standing long periods with limited food by the interaction between forager behav- supplies (Kennett and Georges 1 990). iour and prey antipredator behaviour. Although inferences of dietary preference Meathrel et al. (2004) found that male in captivity can be applied only loosely to and female turtles in the wild appeared to management of a species’ natural habitat, consume the same prey items. Given the managers of Australia’s freshwater ecosys- disparate sample sizes between the two tems should be aware that the level of genders, no definitive statements were war- ‘pristine’ habitat retained must not only ranted in this study of turtles in captivity. meet the dietary metabolic requirements of The female turtles brought into captivity species, but their ecological requirements were approximately 15% larger and 40% as well. In the wild, with refugia and heavier than males (unpubl. data), and changing environmental conditions, more therefore should have consumed more than prey need to be retained to ensure that males. However, the two females con- predators have the opportunity to encoun- sumed less than the 13 males. In fact, low ter prey at levels sufficient to cover their
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 165 1 . 1 .
Contributions
Gender 0.25 -
I | Female 9 Male u - S3 0.20 o
Naurcorids Corixids Gudgeons Caddis fly larvae
Prey type
Fig. 1 Comparison of mean (± 1 standard error) prey preference for 2 female and 13 male adult Chelodina longicollis held in captivity. metabolic requirements. Further research Meathrel CE, Suter PJ and Radford NM (2002) Niche segregation between three species of freshwater turtle on the dietary preferences of Australia’s in a large billabong during flood. The Victorian
freshwater turtles needs to explore how Naturalist 1 9, 1 60- 1 73 prey preference may change over many Meathrel CE, Suter PJ, Reid S (2004) Habitat and dietary preferences of freshwater turtles in ephemeral seasons and years. billabongs on the Ovens River, north-east Victoria. 4-14. The Victorian Naturalist 121 , Acknowledgements Onkonburi J and Formanowicz DR Jr (1997) Prey We are indebted to Nicholas Chapman and Lucy choice by predators: effect of prey vulnerability. 19-25. Widdup for their invaluable help with the field- Ethology Ecology> & Evolution 9 , work. Pyke GH, Pulliam HR, Charnov EL (1977) Optimal foraging: a selective review of theory and tests. References Quarterly Review ofBiology; 52, 137-149. Serrouya R, Ricciardi A, Whoriskey FG (1995) Chessman BC (1978) Ecological studies of freshwater Predation on zebra mussels Dreissena polymorpha) turtles in south-eastern Australia. (Unpublished PhD ( by captive-reared map turtles Graptemys geographi- thesis, Monash University, Melbourne) ( ca). Canadian Journal ofZoology 73 , 2238-2243. Chessman BC (1984) Food of the snaked-necked turtle, Sokal RR and Rohlf FJ (1995) Biometry, 3 ed. (WH Chelodina longicollis (Shaw) (Testudines : Chelidae) Freeman: New York) in the Murray Valley, Victoria and New South Spencer R-J, Thompson MB, Hume ID (1998) The diet Wales. Australian Wildlife Research 1 , 573-578. and digestive energetics of an Australian short- Chessman BC (1986) Diet of the Murray turtle necked turtle, Emydura macquarii. Comparative Emydura macquarii (Gray) (Testudines : Chelidae). Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A 121 , 341-349.
Australian Wildlife Research 13 , 65-69. Chessman BC (1988) Habitat preferences of freshwater turtles in the Murray Valley, Victoria and New South
Wales. Australian Wildlife Research 15 . 485-491 Chesson J (1983) The estimation and analysis of pref- erence and its relationship to foraging models. Received accepted 8 March 2007 Ecology 64 . 1297-1304. 28 September 2006; Georges A, Norris RH and Wensing L (1986) Diet of the freshwater turtle Chelodina longicollis
(Testudines : Chelidae) from the coastal dune lakes of the Jervis Bay Territory. Australian Wildlife
Research 13 , 301-308. Kennett RM and Georges A (1990) Habitat utilisation and its relationship to growth and reproduction of the eastern long-necked turtle, Chelodina longicollis (Testudinata Chelidae), from Australia.
Herpetologica 46 , 22-33.
166 The Victorian Naturalist Contributions
Observations of diurnal activity in the Striped Legless Lizard Delma impar
Grant S T urner
103 Settlement Road, Bundoora, Victoria 3083
Abstract Five separate observations of diurnal activity of adult Striped Legless Lizard Delmar impar are described. Snout-tovent length, tail length and mass were recorded. As well, another five sightings of active/basking D. impar on rocks or perched on the peduncles of Kangaroo Grass Themeda triandra tussocks were recorded. (The Victorian Naturalist 124 (3), 2007, 167-169)
The Striped Legless Lizard Delma impar in grassland abutting the northern boundary has been the focus of considerable research of Derrimut Grassland Reserve (144°47’E, effort over the past 17 years, leading to a 37"48’S) (see Coulson (1990) for site recognition that its numbers have declined, description). The following abbreviations are due mainly to habitat modification and used: SVL = snout-to-vent length, TL = destruction (Coulson 1990; Kutt 1993; (original) tail length and M = mass. Shade O’Shea and Hocking 1997; Rohr and temperatures were recorded immediately Peterson 2003). Its preferred habitat, native after the observations. temperate lowland grasslands, are recog- 1. 5 October 1991, 1030 hrs, full sun, nised as threatened (Muir 1994; Kirk- 22”C. An adult D. impar was observed com- patrick et al. 1 995) and D. impar has been pletely exposed and perched on a large flat- classed as ‘endangered’ (DSE 2003). topped basalt rock (0.8 x 0.6 x 0.3 m) in However, many gaps still exist in the full sun. The lizard lay motionless close to knowledge of the basic biology of D. impar, the perimeter, apparently basking, and did particularly in relation to its habitat utilisa- not react to being approached until I was tion and behaviour in the wild. While the within arm’s reach. It responded with a general consensus is that D. impar is pri- rapid flick of the body and tail that resulted marily diurnal (Martin 1972; Coulson 1990; in it falling into relatively short grass (<0.15
Kutt 1993), it is evident that few individuals m) around the base of the rock, causing me have been observed away from cover in the to momentarily lose sight of it. I flushed it field. Instead, most are found beneath out across a bare patch of ground towards ground cover (stones) by day, and their another rock some 2 m away. Its move- diumality has been inferred from the timing ments were broadly S-shaped and saltatory. of their appearance in pitfall traps, and from It skirted around the rock edge, eventually daytime pigment tracking (Coulson 1990; seeking refuge beneath it; on lifting the rock Kutt 1993). Furthermore, a number of the lizard was revealed tightly curled-up. authors has inferred that D. impar is primar- The surface of the rock on which the lizard ily terrestrial (Coulson 1990; Kutt 1993; was originally perched was quite cool to Osmond 1994), though observations of the touch. Measurements were: SVL = 95 mm, species in captivity indicate that they are TL = 203 mm and M = 5.7 g. adept climbers and routinely climb bushes 2 . 25 January 1992, c.1400 hrs, overcast, and even sleep in them (Martin 1 972). 24°C. In the course of walking through a
Below 1 describe five separate observations heavily grazed paddock I noticed a flicking of adult D. impar basking or active away movement from the top of a rock (0.36 x from cover during daylight hours in the field. 0.34 x 0.16 m) about 3 m away in a small With one exception, all observations patch of Kangaroo Grass. The movement occurred in a former 30 ha area of remnant was that of a lizard dismounting the rock, native grassland in Deer Park (144“46’E, but was not consistent with the movements 37“46’S), 17 km west of Melbourne, during of the Tussock Skink Pseudemoia pagen- the period 1991-93. The area was gently stecheri that are common in the area. On sloping with Kangaroo Grass Themeda trian- rolling the rock, an adult D. impar was dra dominant, and abundant surface basalt. revealed curled up, but within seconds it One of the observations (3 below) occurred retreated into surrounding Kangaroo Grass
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 167 Contributions
tussocks. After several minutes searching socks requires them to seek perches, such as it was found curled up at the base of one of protruding rocks and grass stems, in order the tussocks. Both the lizard and the sur- to bask. Climbing has also been observed in face of the basking rock were warm to two other species of Delma in the contexts touch in comparison to the soil substrate, of basking and prey pursuit (Martin 1972; and the lizard was very active when han- Annable 1983). The peculiar flight reaction
dled. Measurements were: SVL= 80 mm, observed of D. impar (observation 1) is TL = 159 mm (original with tip missing). interesting given that saltation has been
3 . 20 March 1993, c. 1200 hrs, full sun, recorded in three congeners (Bush 1981;
30.1°C. An adult D. impar was observed Maryan 1984, 1985; Bauer 1986); it was not perched 0.2 m above the ground on emer- accompanied by vocalisation as in some of gent Kangaroo Grass peduncles near a these species. The observations above indi- large well-embedded rock. It was evidently cate that D. impar does engage in diurnal disturbed on my approach and with a flick- basking and that they are adept climbers, ing action dropped to the base of the tus- however, witnessing these behaviours in the sock and could not be located. field is not easy since they respond rapidly
4 . 27 December 1991, 1120 hrs, sunny, to disturbance and then are very difficult to 28“C. An adult D. impar was observed locate amongst tussocks. Delma impar's perched on a tangle of Kangaroo Grass movements and reaction to disturbance are peduncles in a dense swathe approximately quite distinct and unlike those made by 0.5 m off the ground. Within 2 m of my other similar-sized reptiles inhabiting the approach a flicking action of the body grasslands around Melbourne.
caused it to fall into the dense ground layer Acknowledgements below and it could not be located. I wish to thank to Megan O'Shea and Vanessa 5 . 10 February 1992, 1530 hrs, complete- Craigie for providing me with several references, ly overcast, 24"C. An adult D. impar was and Nick Clemann for improving the manuscript. observed perched on a tangle of Kangaroo Grass peduncles and leaves in a small References Annable T (1983) Some observations on vocalization stand of tussocks approximately 0.4 off m and the use of limb flaps in the pygopodid lizard, the ground. Within 1 of approach inornata Kluge. 14 80-82. m my the Delma Herpetofauna , Bauer (1986) Saltation in the pygopodid lizard, lizard rapidly flicked its tail and dropped AM tincta. Delma Journal ofHerpetology 20 , 462-463. into the tussocks below and could not be Bush B (1981) Reptiles of the Kalgoorlie-Esperance located. region. (Vanguard Press: Perth) Coulson G (1990) Conservation Biology of the Striped In addition to these observations another Legless Lizard Delma impar. an initial investigation. five sightings of active/basking D. impar on Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands: rocks (n=2) and perched on the peduncles Melbourne. Technical Report Series No. 106. DSE Advisory List of Threatened Vertebrate of Kangaroo Grass tussocks (n=3) were (2003) Fauna in Victoria - 2003. Department of recorded. However, encounters were fleet- Sustainability and Environment, East Melbourne. ing and the lizards were not located. All Kirkpatrick J, McDougall K and Hyde M (1995) Australia 's Most Threatened Ecosystems: the south- observations occurred during the months eastern lowland native grasslands. (Surrey Beatty & October to March when the species is Sons/World Wide Fund for Nature Australia: known to be active (Coulson 1990). Chipping Norton, NSW) Kutt A (1993) A preliminary evaluation of the use of The the species’ ten- observations confirm fluorescent pigments to track the movements of the dency to climb low vegetation, as observed Striped Legless Lizard Delma impar (Rcptilia:
Pygopodidae). In Herpetology in Australia : a diverse in captive individuals (Martin 1972). discipline 179-183. Eds D Lunney and D Ayers. , pp. Evidence of this climbing tendency was Transactions of the Royal Zoological Society ofNew also apparent in pigment tracking studies in South Wales. (Surrey Beatty & Sons: Chipping Norton, NSW) which pigment was located up to the middle Martin K (1972) Captivity observations of some or top of tussocks in approximately half of Australian legless lizards. Herpetofauna 5, 5-6. all lizards tracked (8 of 15; Kutt 1993). Maryan B (1984) Unusual defensive behaviour in cap- tive Delma australis (Kluge) and in the wild. South Given the tendency of Kangaroo Grass to Australian Herpetological Group Newsletter 1984 , 7. form dense swards when burning is infre- Maryan B (1985) Unusual defensive behaviour by quent, this behaviour makes sense: the Delma australis in captivity and in the wild.
Herpetofauna 15 51 . small size of lizards in relation to grass tus- ,
168 The Victorian Naturalist Book Reviews
Muir A (1994) Western (Basalt) Plains Grassland Delma impar. Report to the ACT Parks and Community. Flora & Fauna Guarantee Action Conservation Service Wildlife Research Unit and the Statement 53. Department of Conservation and Australian National University, Canberra. Natural Resources, Melbourne. Rohr DH and Peterson GNL (2003) The Striped O’Shea M and Flocking C (1997) Field trials of alterna- Legless Lizard in the Western District of Victoria: tive detection techniques for the Striped Legless New Insights. Technical Report to the Glenelg- Lizard ( Delma impar), at the Albion Explosives Hopkins Catchment Management Authority. Ecology Factory Site. Unpublished report to the Striped Research Group, RMIT University: Melbourne. Legless Lizard (Victorian) Working Group. Osmond H (1994) Habitat specialisation and isolation of remnant populations of the Striped Legless Lizard Received 15 March 2007; accepted 3 May 2007
Regardfully Yours: Selected Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller Volume III: 1876-1896
edited by RW Home, AM Lucas, Sara Maroske, DM Sinkora, JH Voight and Monika Wells
Publisher: Peter Lang, Bern, 2006. 909 pages, 21 illustrations, hardback ISBN 2-906757-10-2. RRP US$62.95 (A $2 15 in the Royal Botanic Gardens bookshop)
Here is the volume of Mueller’s correspon- Frederick McCoy, the professor of natural dence that includes references to the Field science at the University of Melbourne. Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV). This Some of the 326 letters and documents in third and final volume spans the last two Volume III show how Mueller continued to decades of Mueller’s life, when he was 50 to use his correspondence to complain bitterly 71 years old, and the first sixteen years of at losing (in 1873) that essential adjunct to the FNCV’s existence. During this period, his position as Government Botanist - the
Baron Ferdinand von Mueller was still Botanic Garden. Without it he could not Victoria’s Government Botanist (in the test the cultivation of indigenous and for- Chief Secretary’s Department) but no longer eign plants. And without the laboratory in Director of Melbourne’s Botanic Garden, the adjacent Domain, he could not have and continued to document the Australian plant products prepared to showcase the flora and enlarge and curate the government Colony’s botanical resources in museums herbarium, and to speak and write prolifical- and at local and international exhibitions. ly on all matters botanical. Since the Baron To add insult to injury, his successor, the was an honoured member and patron of the Garden’s curator, William Guilfoyle, sent
FNCV, it is not surprising that the pages of timber and other exhibits from trees Volume III provide early glimpses of the Mueller had had planted in the Botanic Club - thirteen mentions in the index. Garden. Mueller fumed (in German) that
Mueller’s huge bibliography in Volume I a quite uneducated gardener, who simply includes his papers in The Victorian copies the Sydney flower garden . . . can not Naturalist. You can find information about only daily give himself airs before the public
Mueller and the project which has spawned with my treasures, with the help of the assis- three volumes of his selected correspon- tants schooled for years by me, he can send dence in my review of the first two volumes things for the exhibitions from my plants [pp. in The Victorian Naturalist 122 (2), 2005. 174-5 translation]. One of my reasons for being a tad tardy in Mueller also complained to Joseph reviewing this volume is that it is so useful. Hooker, Director of the Royal Botanic I’ve been delving into the three volumes for Gardens at Kew in England, several projects - Mueller’s continuing I am daily hampered for forest-investiga- interest in the acclimatisation of foreign tions, for which I want the rich collection of plants, his contributions to international living trees , established by me in the bot exhibitions, and his interactions with
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 169 Book Reviews
Garden, including numerous species of cist, removed ‘Victoria’ from the title, Eucalypts [p. 157]. added ‘extra-tropical’, and edited and But, despite his humiliating and disruptive enlarged Select extra-tropical plants, read- loss, Mueller continued to speak and write ily eligible for industrial culture or natu- to press for forest conservation and to publi- ralization for NSW, Indian, American, cise (locally and internationally) the useful- German, French and Victorian editions. ness of indigenous and introduced plants, all The Indian edition was printed in Calcutta the while continuing his taxonomic and for the international exhibition there in herbarium work in the cramped Botanical 1883-84. Mueller’s letters are peppered Museum in the Government House Domain with references to information contained in adjacent to the Botanic Garden. his Select extra-tropical plants and occa- Mueller claimed that his long-contemplat- sional requests for information for inclu- ed descriptive Eucalyptus Atlas would help sion in future editions of this extremely to develop Victoria’s forest resources. His popular compendium of useful informa- Eucalyptographia. A Descriptive Atlas of tion. The 466-page 1885 Victorian edition the Eucalypts of Australia (1879-84) was was sold out in seven months. based mainly on his earlier observations, The FNCV was useful to Mueller. From when he had access to ‘his’ rich collection 1884 its new journal. The Victorian of eucalypts in the Botanic Garden. His Naturalist, provided a convenient vehicle preparation of Eucalyptographia was inter- for his taxonomic and other papers; and the rupted in 1 880 by his return to the interna- publication of his Key to the system of tional stage of exhibitions - as commission- Victorian plants was suggested at a Club er and judge at the International Exhibition meeting. In his FNCV presidential address in Melbourne’s new Exhibition Building in in 1884, Dr Frank Stanley Dobson suggest- Carlton. His correspondence also mentions ed that a Victorian equivalent of the his participation in subsequent international dichotomous key in the Rev Spicer’s exhibitions - in Amsterdam in 1883, Handbook of the plants of Tasmania be Calcutta in 1883-84, London in 1886 and prepared under the Baron’s supervision. Melbourne in 1888. Mueller’s exhibits The following extracts provide illuminat- included specimens of Australian timber, ing glimpses of the young FNCV. Several eucalyptus oil and other forest products, and are from letters in the Club’s Archives. his Eucalyptographia, Key to the system of As you may know, the Baron accepted Victorian plants. Systematic census of the position of FNCV patron but not presi- Australian plants. Select extra-tropical dent. In May 1883 Mueller wrote. plants, readily eligible for industrial culture My health has been fluctuating for some or naturalization and other publications. years, so that with much regret I was obliged
Like Eucalyptographia, Mueller’s Select to beg of the Field Naturalists Club ... to extra-tropical plants was based initially on confer the honor of President on another information he had gained, by 1873, from Gentleman than myself [p. 323]. the cultivation of a huge diversity of plants In May 1886 he wrote to the Club’s hon- in Melbourne’s Botanic Garden, and later orary secretary, Francis Barnard, enriched with information from helpful to express my deep appreciation of the gen- correspondents. Mueller’s successful erosity of the great Field Naturalists Club of request, penned in June 1876, for minister- Victoria, for having raised me to one of its ial approval for the publication of his earli- Patronships. Among the many marks of dis- er work on indigenous and introduced tinction, with which I have been honored in plants suitable for cultivation in Victoria life, I value this one as among the highest, resulted in the publication of his 293-page because it is a tribute from that country, in book. Select plants readily eligible for which I spent most of my years and with industrial culture or naturalisation in which my labours are most directly identi-
Victoria, with indications of their native fied. To me it is in connection with this new countries and some of their uses (1876). dignity also a highly pleasurable thought,
Since the information on useful plants was that work, which I commenced in Australia relevant to other temperate parts of the nearly 40 years ago, will in various direc- world, Mueller, ever the botanical publi- tions be carried on by young workers, whom
170 The Victorian Naturalist Book Reviews
I met personally at your meetings, and who and in October that
can be guided and can be encouraged by I had no idea that the dichotomous method, what was accomplished at my time; while demanded for the “Key to the system of they in their turn far on in the next century Victorian plants”, would take up so very
can inspire a younger generation, thus link- much more time, than I estimated .... I hope ing one century’s scientific work to that of however to finish the “Key” at last next
an other! [p. 433], month; and working on Papuan plants will Mueller’s two-volume Key to the system then be my main-engagement in all hours of Victorian plants was a recurring topic in which can be rendered free from urgent offi- his correspondence. In August 1886, in cial duties [pp. 478-9]. response to a letter in Melbourne’s Argus According to Mueller’s bibliography in newspaper, criticising the recently pub- Volume I of Regardfully Yours, evidence lished illustrated volume of the Key, in The Victorian Naturalist indicates that Mueller wrote a long letter to his minister, the descriptive, dichotomous volume of his the Chief Secretary, Alfred Deakin, offer- Key was published toward the end of 1 888. ing ‘some explanatory remarks on the sup- It was dedicated to the Chief Secretary, posed shortcomings of this work, as it is a Alfred Deakin. Government’s publication’ [p. 440], In 1889, on learning ‘that some members Mueller justified his inclusion of expensive are eager, to get the name changed of the illustrations from woodblocks, acknowl- Field-Naturalists Club’, Patron Mueller edged the unfortunate presence of some advised the FNCV President, Arthur Lucas, errors, and pointed out that the Key was that such a change not be made... The very not aimed at state schools, word “Club” implies an union without riger- but more particularly for the Field ous ceremonies, a freer coming together, than Naturalists Club, and somewhat against my in abstract science-societies, as evinced also own opinion as to the plan, - the dichoto- by the membership of our Field-Naturalists mous method, - adopted by the late meritori- Club being happily open to Ladies. By the
ous Revd Mr. Spicer for the flora of change of the name, as far as I can see, noth-
Tasmania [p. 443]. ing would be gained for our particular work,
The difficult volume with the dichoto- while much to us in our free scientific inter- mous key and diagnostic descriptions of course and in our unrestrained field-opera- species took much longer. Devising a tions might be lost. I further have heard, that dichotomous key without interrupting the some members of the Club are anxious to affinities reflected in the taxonomic system establish grades in our union, according to challenged Mueller’s wisdom and greater or lesser accomplishments and expe- patience, and his exacting preparations riences. This proposition came up formerly in consumed much more time than he had more than one science-society of Australia, anticipated, irritatingly interrupting and but I gave my advice against such a measure delaying many other projects and duties. It fully thirty years ago [p. 539], proved so time-taking beyond all calculation, During the FNCV’s protracted efforts to that I shall only be able to finish it in June or have Wilson’s Promontory reserved as a July [1887]: - and as for the early issue of it national park, Mueller wrote to Francis a demand was made in the Parliament here Barnard, regretting his inability to attend a
[p. 467], Club meeting in April 1890 [p. 552]; A footnote explains that, in July 1886 (two I feel honored with being made a member of years after his FNCV presidential sugges- the Committee of the Field-Naturalists Club tion), the lawyer-politician FS Dobson had for preservation (in apt localities) of the asked in the Legislative Council when the indigenous vegetation and marsupials as Key be published. In would September well as various birds. I have however held 1 887 Mueller noted that from the commencement of this movement, the Field Naturalists here press me for the that we could not possibly induce the Plants” still “Key to the Syst of Viet. for use Government, to cede so large an area for that this spring, and altho’ the printing has com- purpose as the whole of Wilson’s promonto- menced, the work cannot appear for some ry; the distance from the metropolis would weeks yet’ [p. 474]; also be too great for the multitude of the
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 171 Book Reviews
people, to derive an adequate advantage ous government inquiries, scientific and from such reservations. In my opinion our geographic societies, museums and exhibi- first attention should now be given, that not tions. And all the while he was writing, all the most picturesque vallies get defaced writing, writing - articles and books, as and alienated from the crown. Thus an appli- well as letters. Mueller’s documentation of cation might be made to the hon the Minister the Australian flora deservedly earned him of Lands at once for withdrawing from an international reputation, and, as his pub- selection the best of the Waratah-Vallies in lished correspondence reveals, his corre- Eastern Gippslasnd, also all places in which spondents included respected botanists large cataracts or cascades exist. across the European-controlled world - a Prof [Baldwin] Spencer and his compan- veritable who’s who of late nineteenth cen- ions of the [FNCV’s] E. Gippsland-tour, tury botany. made a year ago, would be able to describe As in the first two volumes, letters were these vallies and cascades as regards precise selected on the basis of their scientific localities, so that the district-surveyors might importance and their relevance to Mueller’s become instructed, to keep these glorious life and work, and to show the wide range spots intact, and perhaps some arrangements of his correspondents and the subjects dis-
might be made thus far also, to prevent cussed. I agree with the editors that
shooting in these reserved localities. Places at the letters selected shed fascinating light on Mt Baw Baw, the Buffalo-Ranges and the final two decades of the extraordinary
towards Cape Otway might also be protected. career of an extraordinary man, as well as, Regardfully your more generally, on the cultural and intellec-
Ferd von Mueller tual history of Australia at a crucial stage of The month before he died, Mueller wrote its development and on the history of the advising Thomas Stephen Hart, at the field sciences in the final years of the nine- Ballarat School ‘to start at of Mines, once teenth century [p 45], a Field-Naturalists Club’ [p. 746] in pros- which of course includes the activities of perous Ballarat, and requesting plant speci- the FNCV. mens for his preparation of the proposed As well as the selected correspondence, third edition of his Systematic census of Volume III of Regardfully Yours includes Australian plants (which was never pub- a substantial introduction, a biographical lished). register of Mueller’s correspondents,
1 gave it as my opinion, when addressing the including Barnard, Lucas, Hart and other Field-Nat Club here at its last annual gather- FNCV members (Appendix A), a list of ing that every town throughout Australia Mueller’s orders, offices, affiliations and
ought to have some such Association’ [p. honours (Appendix B), a bibliography of 748], publications cited in footnotes, an index of The FNCV was among the many contrib- botanical names and a general index. utors of flowers to Baron Sir Ferdinand Substantial indexes in all three volumes von Mueller’s funeral on Wednesday, 13th provide pointers to rich lodes of botanical October 1896, at the St Kilda Cemetery. and other information, but imagine what The correspondence in this volume you will be able to find and follow on the shows that, during the last two decades of future CD-ROM of the complete (known) his life, Mueller continued to document correspondence, especially in conjunction Australian plants and expand Victoria’s with Mueller’s biography, which is also herbarium into THE reference collection of keenly awaited. If you share my interest in Australian, not just Victorian, plants - with nineteenth century Australian botanical specimens from his huge network of col- history, check that your local library has lectors across Australia and the govern- the three volumes of Regardfully Yours, or ment’s rare purchase of herbaria rich in beg, borrow or buy them. authenticated specimens of Australian species. Meanwhile he pressed for conser- Linden Gillbank vation reserves, supported exploratory School of Social and Environmental Enquiry The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010 expeditions in inland Australia, Antarctica Email: [email protected] and New Guinea and contributed to vari-
172 The Victorian Naturalist Book Reviews
Cronin’s Key Guide: Australian Wildlife KEY GUIDE
by Leonard Cronin Australian Publisher: Allen & Unwin. 2007, 235 pages. , Wildlife ISBN 9781 741 750751 RRP $35. 00
How can one provide a guide to the great diversity of Australian fauna and flora in a little over 200 pages? Leonard Cronin’s answer is to become familiar with a num- ber of key species and then to apply that knowledge to further observations and dif- ferent habitats. He chooses 380 animals (mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, fish, marine and land invertebrates) and 222 plants from four habitats (rainforest, Leonard Cronin forests and woodlands, coastal heaths and dry country). Three to a page, each Information in the fauna section is cur- species’ contribution includes a map, rent and quite consistent with specialist
description, behaviour, breeding, diet and texts. However, I think that the merging of habitat for animals and a similar format for the Eastern Rosella and Pale-headed plants, without diet and substituting repro- Rosella into White-cheeked Rosella duction for breeding. Family, species name Platycercus adscitus is premature, even and size head each entry and a common though hybridisation between sympatric name in larger font stands out at the begin- subspecies of each has been noted. ning. A colour illustration of each species For the botanists the nomenclature is gen- provides the primary identification tool. erally up to date, evidenced by genera such The sample is exceedingly well chosen as Corymbia, Senna and Bracteantha and the balance probably well matches the appearing correctly in place of those more or interests of most naturalists and the less recently superseded. The only exception informed public. Each specialist would is the naming of plant families where the have liked a greater emphasis on a particu- convention now is to name the family from their lar area, but specialists have own the first genus described within it. Hence, sources. This book definitely falls into the Fabaceae replaces Papilion-aceae, Poaceae ‘one handy volume’ genre. So who would replaces Graminae, Astera-ceae replaces
buy? I would if visiting Australia, to give a Compositae. I was a bit surprised to see that broad view of the country’s natural history no Porcupine Grass was mapped in Victoria
and as a nice souvenir of the visit. It is a but that is because the key species is Triodia good starting point for anyone who wishes irritans, whereas our local one is T. to get a feel for Australian nature, or who scariosa. Calling Eucalyptus viminalis is asked for clarification by others. Future Ribbon Gum instead of Manna Gum reveals guides planned in this series will expand that the author hails from interstate. some of the areas covered. The index combines scientific and com- When you view the illustrations you will mon names with sensible indents for sub- that be quite confident you know what you categories; it is easy to use. are looking at, particularly if you have Author, illustrators, cartographer, designer identified the subject in the field before, and editor are to be congratulated on a use- but there is not always quite enough dis- ful and accurate publication. criminatory detail in the case of very simi- lar species. Ian Endersby 56 Looker Rd Montmorency, Vic 3094
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 173 Book Reviews
Crocodile: Evolution’s Greatest Survivor
by Lynne Kelly
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, NSW, 2006, hardcover, 272 pages ISBN 9781741 144987. RRP $35.00
Those of us who are fortunate enough to species from around the world are now work with reptiles do not, as a rule, expect threatened with extinction, most commonly to become celebrities. The closest we will due to habitat loss and/or over-exploitation. usually get is perhaps a brief appearance on In Chapter 3 Kelly examines the morphol- Totally Wild or to be quoted in a newspaper ogy and physiology of the crocodilians, and article. Witness then the staggering media the behavioural functions of these forms. status of Australia’s Crocodile Hunter, the We discover the remarkable bite force of a - late Steve Irwin arguably the most recog- crocodilian jaw, and how this relates to feed- nisable Australian in the world. Similarly, ing behaviour. Kelly expresses justifiable Paul Hogan finally became internationally wonderment at the crocodilian’s heart mor- famous when Crocodile Dundee was phology and the animal's ability to remain released in 1986. The common thread with submerged for extended periods. This chap- these success stories is that both rode to ter also considers territoriality, mating and international stardom on a crocodile’s back, nesting behaviour, hatching and the early at times quite literally! Such is the awe- life of hatchlings. Chapter 4 examines the inspiring power of crocodilians. passionate (some might say obsessed) croco- The author of this latest book on crocodil- dilian researchers, and details the legendary ians comes to the topic not as an expert on (in Australian museum circles) scandal sur- the subject, but as an enthusiastic rounding Gerard Krefft, the man who first researcher. In this manner, Lynne Kelly recognised the Australian Freshwater uses her book to allow others, including Crocodile as a new species. Chapter 5 exam- scientists, zoo keepers, bite victims, croco- ines the crocodilian fossil record, including dile farmers and native peoples, to tell their areas such as England where crocodilians stories. Of course both the extant and fossil
crocodilians also have their stories to tell, and Kelly uses this information to provide a factual setting that allows the reader to put into context the myths, reverence and fear that inevitably surrounds crocodilians. The first chapter details the excitement and privations of the early European explor- ers when first encountering crocodiles in tropical Australia. In the second chapter we learn that crocodilians are often important figures in the myths, stories and legends of native peoples from areas as diverse as Egypt, Papua New Guinea, India, Japan, Africa, North and South America, and Australia. Interestingly, native legends often depict crocodilians as the Creator, creating, variously, land, plants, other animals, and even the sky, and Kelly is struck by ‘...the respect, even veneration, with which these great beasts are regarded by the indigenous peoples who share their habitats’ (p. 66). This chapter also introduces one of the themes of the book - numerous crocodilian
174 The Victorian Naturalist Book Reviews
are long since extinct, and deplores the sad the book provides a local flavour, with reality that some ancient lineages of croco- interviews with two of Victoria’s most dilians may become extinct in the near experienced reptile keepers - Jon Birkett future due to human activities. This chapter from Melbourne Zoo and Greg Parker also explores the popular idea that crocodil- from the Ballarat Wildlife Park. Birkett ians are ‘living dinosaurs’, despite the fact exemplifies the devotion to conservation that no extant species truly ‘walked with the programs that is evident in so many zoo dinosaurs’, and that, in a cladistic sense, staff. Far from being glorified cage-clean- crocodilians are more closely related to birds ers, Birkett and his staff play an active and than lizards. vital role in numerous conservation pro- The following two chapters examine life grams for threatened herpetofaunal species and death from opposing perspectives. from around the world. The book con- Firstly, we see how humans have long cludes with an examination of crocodilians hunted crocs for food, leather, fat for fuel, in popular culture, from Peter Pan and and how humans protect themselves from, Rudyard Kipling, to Crocodile Dundee and or retaliate against, a ‘man-eater’. This is the Crocodile Hunter. followed by chilling accounts from some This book is not a field guide, and is not of the very few people who have survived entirely devoted to the biology of crocodil- attacks by the Saltwater Crocodile. ians (there are other, more ‘dry’ texts that Farming of crocodiles is as controversial fill that role). Rather, it provides an ‘holis- as the hunting of these animals. Even the tic’ understanding of crocodilians, and experts remain divided on this topic; Steve their relationships with their environments, Irwin was passionately opposed to this and perhaps the only other predator that a practice, whereas renowned croc expert grown croc should fear - humans. I Grahame Webb is equally vehement in his enjoyed this book, and believe that it will belief in the benefits for crocs of farming. appeal to anyone with an interest in natural Kelly also examines the role of farming history or large, iconic predators. and captive breeding in conservation. The final two chapters examine the rela- tionship of humans to crocodilians in cap- Nick Clemann Arthur Rylah Institute tivity and in popular culture. The practi- for Environmental Research calities of keeping crocodilians as pets are Department of Sustainability and Environment discussed, followed by the role of these PO Box 137, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084 animals in zoological parks. At this point
The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia
by Gunther Thieschinger and John Hawking
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing, 2006, 376 pages, paperback; colour photograps, ISBN 0643090738. RRP $49.95
Both the authors of this comprehensive former publication and for the first time guide have been studying Odonata for provides keys to the final instar larvae as
much, if not all, of their professional lives. well as to the adults, thus making it a use- Indeed Gunther Theischinger, along with ful, if not an essential, reference for the Tony Watson and Hilda Abbey, was a co- many freshwater biologists like myself who
author of The Australian Dragonflies pub- encounter these larvae. In what follows, I lished in 1991. That book dealt largely with have restricted my comments largely to the adults, and keys were provided only for larvae, as this is where my experience lies. that stage of the life cycle. The current vol- A total of 324 species are described and ume can be seen as a ‘descendant’ of the illustrated from 12 families of damselflies
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 175 Book Reviews
I worked my way through the larval key
to families and generally found it easy to use. Separate larval keys are given to gen- era and some species for each family. An illustrated glossary is THE COMPLETE FIELD GUIDE TO provided for both adults and larvae (before the keys). Such DRAGONFLIES details are vital for beginners, who need to know their way around the anatomy of both OF AUSTRALIA larvae and adults if they are to be success- ful in identifying specimens. The only
omission 1 noted was that the ‘frontal plate’ of a larva was not illustrated in the family
key or in the glossary. However, it is illus- trated in the species accounts for Archaeosynthemis and Synthemis as well as in the key to Synthemistid genera and species. It is a pity that the informative glossary of terms associated with larval anatomy given by the two authors in an earlier publication (Dragonfly Larvae (Odonata): A guide to the identification of larvae of Australian families and to the identification and ecology of larvae from NSW; CRCFE Identification Guide No. 34, Feb 1999) is not repeated in this book.
and 18 families of dragonflies. Photos of I feel sure this book will enable enthusi- adults and line drawings or photos of many asts, both amateur and professional, to larvae are given, although for a number of identify Odonata accurately and will great- species larvae are still not known. ly encourage study of this fascinating group Distribution details are provided on maps of insects. In many parts of the world vari- of Australia divided into 16 regions. ous groups of aquatic insects are poorly (These are the same regions employed by known because identification keys for the Watson et al. in 1991.) The bulk of the non-specialist are simply not available. By book (pp. 16-299), however, comprises providing such keys the authors have given species accounts which, in addition to a great stimulus to studies (particularly descriptions of the adults and larvae, give field studies) of Odonata in Australia. The habitat notes for almost every species, and small size of the book (A5) will encourage information about extra-limital distribution its use in the field, and with experience where relevant. Descriptions of the larvae identifications could be done on site, as the are somewhat shorter than those for the authors hope. The book should also pave adults, but together with the keys that fol- the way for more concern about the conser- low the species accounts, they should vation of dragonflies and damselflies, some enable genera and many species of larvae of which have limited distributions. to be readily determined. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book highly not all species can be keyed at the larval enough to those interested in Australian level. However, the distribution maps Odonata and freshwater habitats. It will should help here. Only the final larval appeal to everyone, from beginners to stu- instar is described and illustrated, and dents and researchers, and should become users need to realise that more immature the first reference book that anyone inter- larval stages will always be more difficult ested in Australian Odonata will consult. to put to species, as is the case for the larvae and nymphs of nearly all aquatic insects. Richard Marchant Museum Victoria Carlton Gardens Melbourne 3053
176 The Victorian Naturalist Book Reviews
Grasses of South Australia An illustrated guide to the native and naturalized species
by John Jessup, Gilbert RM Dashorst and Fiona M James
Publisher: Wakefield Press, 2006. 554 pages, hardcover; 456figures, 20 plates. ISBN 1862546940. RRP $49.95
The authors introduce us to Grasses of ‘typical’ grass. An excellent glossary is South Australia by providing a history of provided with many diagrams illustrating the project. Grasses of South Australia some of the more unusual terms such as began with a proposal by the Native Grass puberulent, muricate or hispid surfaces and Resources Group to the Botanic Gardens extravaginal and intravaginal shoots. of Adelaide and State Herbarium for a Whether for those new to grass identifica- revised edition of the grass treatment in the tion or those with some previous experi- 1986 Flora of South Australia. More than ence of botanical terminology, the glossary 36% of the names in Grasses of South is a necessity as some of the terms used Australia were not included in the 1986 have a slightly different meaning from flora, showing how vital was the need for a those occuring with other plant groups. revision. This figure includes newly recog- An illustrated key designed for those with nised grasses and corrected names. limited knowledge of grass morphology Identifying grasses is notoriously diffi- and terminology precedes the key proper. cult, and it is important to understand grass The illustrations are excellent and easily morphology and associated terms. The allow identification of grasses into groups. authors provide an excellent drawing of Some of the more recognisable genera and ‘the typical grass plant’, at the same time species can be identified directly from the explaining that in a family of about 10 000 illustrations. These genera and species are species a lot of variation occurs, and many eliminated early in the written key. species would bear no resemblance to the Subsequent characters divide the family into groups from A-P. Smaller keys then divide these groups into genera. The groups from A-P are simply for convenience to facilitate identification of the genera, but also allow many genera to occur in more than one group. This is important where Grasses there are differences in key characteristics of South Australia of species within a single genus. For exam- ple, Distichlis occurs in group K, which consists of species with a panicle, awned An illustrated guide to the spikelets and with three or more bisexual native and naturalised species lemmas, and in group P, which also has species with a panicle but spikelets do not have awns and have two or more bisexual lemmas. Being experienced in the use of many
keys for many different plant groups I always have found that division of a key into smaller sections is far more user John Jessop friendly than a single large key. The small- (iilben R.M. Dashorst er sections are not as daunting in the first Fiona M. James instance, and allow one to determine if a mistake has been made earlier than when © using a larger key.
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 177 Naturalist Notes
Once specimens have been identified to Grasses of South Australia is a much genus, the index must be consulted to needed work. It is highly recommended determine the page on which the genus is and provides information in a simple and described. Depending on the number of user friendly manner, enabling all with an species within the genus, a further key is interest in grasses to identify specimens supplied to identify the species. A descrip- from this huge family, regardless of their tion of each species follows, along with an level of expertise! account of its distribution and notes on its ecology. The accompanying drawings are Maria Gibson Plant Ecology Research expertly done and help confirm Unit correct School of Life and Environmental Sciences identification. Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125
Mayfly Sonnet
no longer green around the gills he is unsheathed from adolescence
four-oared and paddling the airwaves in a kind of semaphore, his present tense
is part Icarus and part Romeo blindly conforming in a blizzard of silent fervour-
confetti to choke the throats of animals and smooth the tread of tyres-
until the complicit gesturing of time and cosmic forces skew his balance and weight
his movements; a muddle of spirals and spins that exposes nature’s counterfeit
as merely a scent, drifting in earthly currents betraying all in his nothingness
Christopher Palmer Biodiversity Conservation South Parks and Wildlife Service PO Box 1120 Alice Springs NT 0871
178 The Victorian Naturalist Naturalist Notes
Possible Evidence of the Southern Brown Bandicoot
Isoodon obesulus, from Deal Island, Kent Group, Bass Strait, Tasmania
Observations
In March 1999 the authors visited Deal although this particular structure is unlike- Island (Kent Group) to survey the island ly to belong to this species. Further candi- for burrowing crayfish species. The Kent dates for constructing such a shelter might Group is located about halfway between include introduced rats such as Rattus the southern tip of Wilsons Promontory norvegicus, which is recorded for the and the northern tip of Flinders Island, and island (Brothers et al. 2001), or even comprises about six islands, the main three native rats such as Rattus lutreolus, which being Deal Island (c. 1577 ha) and the con- is possibly present on the island (Brothers joined Dover and Erith islands (c. 295 ha et al. 2001). Flowever, given that the nest and 323 ha, respectively) about one kilo- was in a remote part of the island (i.e. metre to the west across a channel away from the main settlement) and in (39°28’S, 147°21’E). Deal Island is a con- quite open vegetation, the possibility of a servation area but has been highly modi- rat nest seems remote but is by no means fied by a long history of fire, land clearing impossible. and grazing. Rounsevell et al. (1991) indicated that The pictured shelter/nest (Fig. 1) was the southern brown bandicoot is wide- located on the eastern side of Deal Island spread throughout mainland Tasmania but in closed Allocasuarina woodland. Given is absent from all islands except Maria the size of the structure (see watch for Island (where it is introduced), Bruny scale), its location on the ground and the Island and “West Sisters Island” in the type of construction (“interwoven” sheoak Furneaux Group (Hope 1972), where it needles), combined with the habitat was last collected in 1987. (grassy Allocasuarina woodland), it is pos- Brothers et al. (2001) did note that the tulated that the builder might be a southern southern brown bandicoot occurs on Deal brown bandicoot, Isoodon obesulus. Island and the nearby Erith Island, but no Unfortunately, no collections of scats evidence is available to support this observa- and/or hair were made from within and tion (in the form of database or museum around the structure, and no obvious coni- records), although its veracity is not ques- cal diggings were observed in the vicinity. tioned. If the structure described in this note Other ground-dwelling candidates as does belong to a southern brown bandicoot, owner of the structure are the Tasmanian the observation may be significant because
bettong Bettongia gaimardi , although there the species is only formally known from are no records of this species from the Inner (West) Sister Island off the northern Bass Strait islands (Rounsevell et al. tip of Flinders Island. Similar structures to 1991), or long-nosed potoroo, Potorous the one pictured have been observed on
tridactylus , although the structure appears nearby Erith Island and despite camera-trap- to be too small for this species. The ping (remote-controlled nocturnal photogra- absence of ground predators, such as the phy), the owners were not detected, although Tasmanian devil Sarcophilus harrisii and introduced rats were (D Pemberton pers.
species of quoll ( Dasyurus viverrinus and comm.), and footprints possibly belonging
D. maculatus ), means that the structure to the bandicoot were also observed (D could even belong to arboreal species such Pemberton and B Lazenby pers. comm.). as the common brushtail possum Hope (1972) and Brothers et al. (2001) Trichosurus vulpecula or the common listed the common brushtail possum as ringtail possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus. being present on the Deal Island and the The latter species often builds nests (dreys) nearby Erith and Dover Islands. Brothers in trees but might construct a nest on the et al. (2001) indicated the long-nosed ground in the absence of predators. potoroo as being present on Erith Island
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 179 Naturalist Notes and Hope (1972) reported subfossil collec- Acknowledgements tions of the potoroo from Deal Island from Thanks to Phil Bell, Sally Bryant, Mike Driessen, Rosemary Gales, Greg Hocking, Nick a gully above Winter Cove. Mooney, Sarah Munks, David Pemberton and conclusion, in the absence of other In Hans and Annie Wapstra for their thoughts on evidence such as scats or hairs, it is not the owner of the structure. David Pemberton possible to confirm the identity of the commented on an earlier draft of this note, and owner of this structure. However, the comments of an anonymous reviewer clarified several points. Thanks to Rob King and Serena information is presented to allow discus- King for their assistance during the burrowing sion of its possible significance, especially crayfish surveys, and in particular the inex- if further evidence comes to light of south- haustible scrub-bashing efforts of Rob. ern brown bandicoots, common ringtail possums or long-nosed potoroos being pre- References Brothers N, Pemberton D, Pryor H and Halley V Deal Island itself or on nearby sent on (2001) Tasmania’s Offshore Islands: Seabirds and Erith and Dover Islands. Further surveys other Natural Features. (Tasmanian Museum and for mammals on the Kent Group using a Art Gallery, Hobart) Hope JH (1972) Mammals of the Bass Strait islands. variety of techniques (e.g. hair-tubes, cam- 163- Proceedings of the Roval Society of Victoria 85 . era-traps, small and large cage traps, spot- 195. Rounsevell DE, Taylor RJ and Hocking GJ (1991) lighting, scats and tracks survey) appears Distribution records of native terrestrial mammals in be warranted. to Tasmania. Wildlife Research 18 , 699-717. Triggs B (1996) Tracks. Scats and Other Traces: a
Mark Wapstra Field Guide to Australian Mammals . (Oxford ECOtas, 28 Suncrest Avenue University Press, Melbourne) Lenah Valley, Tasmania 7008 Email: [email protected]
and Niall Doran Resource Management and Conservation Department of Primary Industries and Water GPO Box 44, Hobart. Tasmania 7001
needles. The entrance is c. 10 cm diameter and Fig. 1 . Structure made predominantly of sheoak needles at the top centre of the extends for about 20-30 cm back into the image. The raised Sheoak provides a scale. It is image are where they rest against a small diameter Sheoak stem. The watch Bandicoot Perameles nasu- noted that the structure is remarkably similar to the nest of a Long-nosed ta picture on page 216 of Triggs (1996).
Naturalist 180 The Victorian Tributes
Arthur James Farnworth MBE, PhD
30 September 1923 - 10 December 2006
It was with great regret that we heard the news of Arthur’s death. Arthur was President from 1990-1993, and was one of the most dedicated and influential presi- dents that the Club has had. He came to - was thrust into - the position at a time when the Club was at a very low ebb. Membership had been falling for several years. The Victorian Naturalist seemed to be on the verge of foundering, and our tenure at the Herbarium was becoming increasingly insecure. Initially somewhat daunted by the positon he found himself in, Arthur tackled these problems with energy and determination. Arthur Farnworth was elected to the Club in 1986, with the intention of quietly pur- suing his interests in natural history and excursions before they occurred, had exist- honing his skills in nature photography. He ed for some time, and Council had regular- and his wife Enid, who ably supported him ly discussed the feasibility of having a throughout his presidency, attended newsletter. Nothing had come of this Botany Group meetings, where he fell because no-one seemed willing to under- under the talent-spotting eye of Marie take the task of producing one. In October Allender. In the lead-up to the 1990 AGM, 1990 Arthur sent an open letter to all mem- Marie suggested to me that Arthur would bers announcing that a newsletter would be be a good person to have on Council. I included with the bi-monthly The contacted him, and he agreed to stand. My Victorian Naturalist, and that measures approach might have been a little disingen- were being undertaken to ensure that the uous, because I knew that 1 would not be journal appeared on time. The Field standing for re-election as Vice-President, Naturalists Club of Victoria Newsletter as I was going overseas later in the year, January/February 1991 duly appeared, and the hunt was already on to find another under the able editorship of Dr Noel candidate. On a Botany Group excursion, Schleiger. From the outset it became a Marie and I put the suggestion to Arthur stand-alone publication, but remained bi- that he should stand for this position. (In monthly until August 1994, when, under those days we had only one Vice- the title Field Nats News, it became President.) In May 1990 he was duly monthly. It has appeared regularly from the elected. But we had no President, and in outset, without a break, since then, and August the person who had subsequently nowadays there is an efficient system in been appointed, resigned. Arthur, totally place that ensures its production and mail- unexpectedly and with some dismay, ing. The Victorian Naturalist also began to found himself in the position. be published more on schedule. In the early Two major problems immediately con- days there was much burning of the mid- fronted him: the lateness of The Victorian night oil to achieve this, in which Arthur Naturalist, and the confusion of the mem- played a major role. He was fortunate that bership records. The failure to get The he gathered around him a willing band of Victorian Naturalist out on time, so that helpers, but he inspired people, and they members had notice of meetings and responded to this. He was quick to express
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 181 Tributes
his appreciation of anyone’s efforts, with and the cheerful remark ‘And I don't know ‘1 the quotation dips me lid’, which he used what the hell this is!’ He had a great sense whenever he thought it merited. of humour. His 1992 presidential address, In January 1991 an editorial sub-commit- entitled ‘Kakadu and other interests’, tee was set up to assist the editors in the included slides which had tickled his planning and costing of The Victorian fancy. His informative article in The Naturalist and the Newsletter. The Club Victorian Naturalist on the changes in had been late in submitting its application Mallacoota Inlet was typical, full of comic for the Treasury grant, which it had previ- asides and concluding with the comment ously received. Arthur rectified this by that ‘the jetties lying several centimetres writing to the Premier, and the grant of below the surface of the lake, provided a $1500 was restored. golden opportunity for anyone with delu- The Club’s membership records had been sions of grandeur to practise walking on computerised in 1985, but the system was water,’ adding that there were rumours that outsourced, and there were many pitfalls; several MPs had occasionally been seen at the situation was aggravated in 1 990 by the Mallacoota Inlet! lackadaisical attitude of the current Arthur Farnworth was born in Geelong Subscription Secretary. This was another on 30 September 1923, and was educated problem that Arthur had to tackle, and at the Gordon Institute of Technology, and again willing helpers, such as Margaret the Universities of Melbourne and Leeds. Potter, came to his assistance. It took more After several years as Senior Lecturer in than two years to sort out the confusion, Textile Chemistry at the Gordon Institute, but the provision of office space in the he became a Research Officer with CSIRO, Astronomer’s Residence, as a result of where he developed Si-Ro-Set, the perma- negotiations with the Herbarium, made the nent press process, which smartened us all administration of the Club easier, and in up. In 1961 he became Technical Director 1993 the membership records were of the Australian Wool Board, Deputy installed on our own computer. Managing Director in 1970, and General Amongst other matters needing attention Manager, Corporate Services and Research was the future of the Club’s Kinglake Division, Australian Wool Corporation in property. Council had always understood 1974. In 1946 he married Enid Brown, by that by the terms of Harold Frahm's will whom he had three children. the Club was unable to dispose of the In recent years Arthur’s membership of block. However, diminishing use of it by the Club lapsed, as Enid’s debilitating ill- the Club, together with an increasing van- ness required increasing care, but he left a dalism, and resulting expense, made it lasting legacy, primarily by the establish- important that some action be taken. ment of Field Nat News, but also in revital- Arthur initiated investigation of the Club’s ising the Club at a time of crisis. We have position, and it was established that it was good reason to be grateful. Our condo- under no legal obligation to retain the lences go to his family. property. The money from the sale of the Kinglake block, though long delayed, became an important contribution in the establishment of the Club in its present home and so we may thank Arthur for the Sheila Houghton 12 Scenic Court part he played in this. Gisborne, Victoria 3437 Arthur was a superb nature photographer, and his slide shows were always informa- tive. But it was not unknown for him to conclude with a very striking photograph
182 The Victorian Naturalist Tributes
Dr Gretna Margaret Weste AM
5 September 1917-30 August 2006
Last year a long-standing and generous Methodist Ladies’ College in Hawthorn. In contributor to the FNCV died - Dr Gretna Victoria’s Leaving examination in Weste, a Club member from 1978 until she December 1934 she gained the Exhibition left Victoria in 2003 to live near her (top marks) in botany and first-class hon- daughter in Tasmania. Before leaving, ours in enough subjects to win a govern- Gretna contributed to my historical investi- ment scholarship to Melbourne’s only gation of The University of Melbourne’s university in 1935. Botany School, with which she had an During her honours-studded science even longer association. Because we were degree course at the University of discussing her pre-1975 work, I didn’t ask Melbourne, Gretna studied botany under her why she joined the FNCV in 1978, several FNCV members. Dr Reuben Patton something I now regret. taught plant taxonomy and ecology, and In hindsight, joining the FNCV seems Associate Professor Ethel McLennan entirely appropriate for someone with taught mycology and plant pathology. Gretna’s interests and expertise. In the Professor Alfred Ewart was also a FNCV 1970s she was helping an amateur natural- member. Gretna was in his last Botany ist describe fungi, and teaching and Part III class - in her third year in 1937. researching in the Botany School, during Ewart died just before Gretna presented which undergraduate excursions took her her talk on a topic of little interest to her to Wilsons Promontory, and her research (soil pH measurement), thereby sparing took her to dying patches of Victoria’s her his usual scathing criticism. Gretna diverse heathlands, woodlands and forests. Parkin shared the exhibition in Botany Part Gretna was on a quest - to understand the III, and in April 1938. graduated BSc. ways and wiles of a destructive plant A Howitt Natural History Scholarship pathogen - and this required an ecological allowed her to undertake research for the understanding of the bush it invaded. Her University’s MSc degree in 1938. In the interest in and love of the bush was shaped Division of Forest Products of CSIR (later by her childhood and university experi- CSIRO) she investigated the ‘tension ences, bush-walking, and perhaps her wood’ formed in response to bending in forester husband. Her parents, Arthur and Australian hardwood trees, her foundation Grace Parkin, took her bush-camping and investigations gaining her the nick-name encouraged her love of plants and the ‘Gelatinous Gretna’, due to the gelatinous bush; and, although their names do not layer inside the tension wood. In the spring appear in FNCV membership lists, Gretna of 1938 Gretna and other members of the claimed to have enjoyed FNCV shows and Botany School helped to introduce Ewart’s meetings as a child. No wonder she joined newly-arrived successor, Professor John the FNCV. By 1978 her three children Turner, to Australia’s tall flammable were well and truly independent adults, forests beyond Marysville. and, sadly, her husband had died. And then came the January 1939 bush- World War 1 was responsible for fires and World War II.
Gretna’s Scottish birth and name. In 1917 Early in 1939 Gretna Parkin gained first- her scientist father was working in the class honours and shared the MSc exhibi- new. War-provoked munitions factory, tion in the Botany School, and was ‘H.M. Factory Gretna’, near the Scottish appointed a research officer in the Forests border town of Gretna. At the end of the Commission of Victoria (FCV). Or so the War, the Parkin family returned to paper-work of her appointment led her to Victoria, where Gretna grew up on the believe. She investigated the problem of edge of suburbia in Surrey Hills. During preserving the timber of the huge numbers the Depression, a scholarship allowed her of trees killed but not incinerated in the to complete her secondary education at 1939 fires. Unlike her research officer col-
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Gretna Parkin working in the Forests Commission of Victoria Laboratory in 1940. Photo courtesy of Sandra Heard nee Weste. leagues, all of whom were male, her salary soon lecturing as well as demonstrating in did not increase incrementally, so she plant pathology and first-year biology. In appealed to the Public Service Board, August 1969 lecturer Weste was awarded a whose investigation of her research reports PhD degree for her agriculturally-impor- and typewriter-free laboratory somehow tant thesis on a fungal disease of wheat. concluded that, as a woman, her classifica- That year two timely events redirected Dr tion and salary were those of a temporary Gretna Weste’s research focus to typist. And that was that. Her research led Victoria’s indigenous vegetation - the to the FCV’s policy of keeping salvaged decision to transfer University agricultural timber sprayed with water, but her myco- plant pathology across the System Garden logical paper on wood-rotting fungi on liv- to the Agriculture School, and the detec- ing forest trees was not published. tion of symptoms of a non-agricultural In December 1941 Gretna married Geoff pathogen in the Victorian bush. Frank Weste, a Creswick-trained forester, and, Podger, who had recently shown that the since married women were then not toler- devastating dieback in Western Australia’s ated in the Public Service, she had to precious Jarrah Eucalyptus marginata resign from the FCV. Fortunately marriage forests was due to Phytophthora cinnamo-
was not an explicit barrier to university mi , accompanied Gretna’s ecologist col- women, and Professor Turner welcomed league, Dr David Ashton, on a botanical her back in the wartime-depleted Botany excursion to the Brisbane Ranges, where School in 1942, to continue (on a they noticed symptoms which were later Commonwealth Research Scholarship) confirmed to be due to P cinnamomi. This work he claimed was of national impor- was the first record of the disease in the tance - her research on the pathology and Victorian bush, having probably reached preservation of timber salvaged after the the Brisbane Ranges during road-construc- 1939 fires. tion in the 1960s. In 1961, after two decades of family And so Dr Weste transferred her research responsibilities and some school-teaching, gaze from an agriculturally-important soil- Gretna was again welcomed back in the borne pathogen to one which devastates Botany School to teach increasing numbers Australian indigenous ecosystems. In the of botany students in the 1960s. Beginning Botany School she taught science and as a senior demonstrator, she also under- forestry undergraduates about interactions took research in plant pathology, and was between micro-organisms and plants, and
184 The Victorian Naturalist Tributes
Dr Gretna Weste pointing out an unusual Grass-tree she spotted in the Mary D White Heathland Reserve during an excursion with Friends of Angahook-Lome State Park in February 2000. Later identified by Neville Walsh as Xanthorrhoea ccespitosa, it was a new record for the Anglesea dis- trict. Photo courtesy of Margaret MacDonald. supervised post-graduate research projects continued to study the physiological and on diverse aspects of P. cinnamomi in the ecological consequences of P cinnamomi. bush. Although P. cinnamomi was com- For more than three decades, beginning monly known as ‘cinnamon fungus’ with Victoria’s rather wet growing season because of its initial discovery on cinna- of 1970-71, which favoured its zoospore- mon trees, with its motile (swimming) led dispersion, they followed its fate and zoospores, it is more closely related to cer- fancies in forests, woodlands and heath- tain algae than fungi. Unfortunately this lands in the Brisbane Ranges, Wilsons alien micro-organism has been found to be Promontory, Grampians and East a virulent, root-invading pathogen of Gippsland. numerous Australian plants, its degree of These long-term studies have revealed destruction being influenced by the antago- the pathogen’s modus operandi, the sus- nistic activity of soil microbes. Also unfor- ceptibility of thousands of Australian host tunately, Australian nutrient-poor soils and species, and the cyclic nature of the infes- gravels invariably lack sufficient micro- tation. By continuously monitoring vegeta- organisms to combat P. cinnamomi. tion in permanent quadrats in diseased and Dr Weste officially retired as Reader in disease-free areas, they have documented 1982; in March 1984 the University of the changing face of the disease. With the Melbourne honoured the foremost authority dieback and death of susceptible trees and on the biology of P. cinnamomi in shrubs (with the conspicuous evidence of Australian ecosystems with a DSc degree dead Grass Trees Xanthorrhoea australis, for her published research papers; and in noticed by so many field naturalists), drab, 1989, she was made a Member of the Order resistant vegetation (such as sedges) gradu- of Australia (AM) ‘For service to science, ally replaces diverse, colourful, insect-, particularly in the field of botany’. Beyond bird- and animal-attracting susceptible all these, Gretna and her research students species (like peas, heaths and grevilleas) in
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 185 Tributes heathlands and shrubby understoreys. quent extinction. The ecological threat of
Then, decades after the initial infestation P. cinnamomi to Australian biodiversity is of P. cinnamomi, its density and distribu- now officially acknowledged. ‘Dieback tion may decline, with the co-incident caused by the root-rot fungus reappearance of susceptible trees and {Phytophthora cinnamomi )' is now listed understorey species. as a ‘Key Threatening Process’ under the In the 1990s they recorded a welcome Commonwealth Environment Protection recovery on Wilsons Promontory - the and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. reappearance of X. australis and Saw A foundation member of the Australasian Banksias Banksia serrata on the northern Plant Pathology Society (APPS), Dr slopes of Vereker Spur near the junction of Gretna Weste was an executive member of Millers Landing Track and Five Mile the International Society of Plant Road. Dr Weste first noticed dieback there Pathologists’ Committee on Phytophthora, in 1970 (during a university botany excur- and chaired the Organising Committee of sion), probably originating from contami- the Society’s 4 lh International Congress of nated soil on a bulldozer brought in to help Plant Pathology, which was held in fight bushfires in 1962 and offloaded in a Melbourne in 1983. She was also a plant gravel pit. The disease was dispersed by pathology research group leader in the the 'dozer, and subsequently by the use of International Union of Forest Research infested gravel on roads and tracks, and by Organisations. In the 1990s she was made zoospores swimming after rain. an Honorary Member of the APPS and Dr Weste represented the Botany School Patron of the new Australasian on the Conservation Council of Victoria, Mycological Society. and submitted botanical evidence to Gretna’s mycological activities included Victoria’s Land Conservation Council. She a productive collaboration with an amateur was a foundation member of the Australian mycologist and long-standing FNCV Conservation Foundation, and a member member, Gordon Beaton. While Gordon of numerous groups, including the FNCV, collected, identified, described and illus- Victorian National Parks Association, trated small cup-fungi (Discomycetes) and Environmental Studies Association of other fungi, Gretna prepared their descrip- Victoria, Friends of Warrandyte State Park tive papers for publication. Their 20 joint and of the 100 Acres in Park Orchards, papers, published from 1976 to 1984 in the Montrose Environment Group, the Transactions of the British Mycological Ringwood Field Naturalists Club, and the Society, include type descriptions of Maroondah branch of the Society for Australian fungi. The Victorian Naturalist Growing Australian Plants (now (1978-80) carries five of their papers on Australian Plants Society). Victorian fungi and Weste’s obituary for In 1990 Dr Weste undertook a compre- Beaton in 1988. Gretna participated in the hensive investigation of the risk posed by fungal forays, workshops and conferences P. cinnamomi to endemic plants through- of Fungimap, the realisation of Dr Tom out Australia for the new Endangered May’s 1995 suggestion to the FNCV’s Species Unit of the Australian National Botany Group of a mapping scheme for Parks and Wildlife Service (ANPWS). Australian fungi. At the 3 td Fungimap con- Having just published the revised edition ference in Gowrie Park, Tasmania, in of Rare or Threatened Australian Plants 2005, with her usual generous enthusiasm, (1988), the ANPWS did not publish her Gretna helped professional and novice par- report on this particular biological risk to ticipants alike in their pursuit of fungi. them, but did use information from her Undeterred by hip replacements and the report. Further research by Weste and co- occasional broken bone, Gretna continued workers on rare and endangered species in to hike through the world’s national parks the Brisbane Ranges and Grampians and wilderness areas into the 21 s1 century. (Gariwerd) National Parks, has revealed With humour, hand lens and camera at the the alarming news that over a dozen ready, she marvelled at the beauty as well endemic species are not only susceptible to as the ecology of landscapes and their P. cinnamomi but are also at risk of conse- plants and fungi. From the 1970s she
186 The Victorian Naturalist Tributes
shared her biological wisdom and wonder- The cinnamon fungus. Is it a threat to ment during engaging talks and enthusias- Australian native plants? The Victorian 78-84. tically-led excursions for the FNCV and Naturalist { 1993) 110 , other conservation groups, and founded Is dieback declining? The threat of and led walks for the Melbourne Phytophthora cinnamomi. The Victorian
University and Alumni Bushwalkers Naturalist (1997) 114 , 216-221. The patient, perceptive and persistent Dieback at Wilsons Promontory. Is the bat- investigations of P. cinnamomi by Dr tle won? The Victorian Naturalist (1998) Gretna Weste and her students show the 115,331-336. huge importance of sustained scientific Dieback threatens endangered native research for the understanding and man- plants [in the Grampians]. Will they sur- agement of ecosystems and their pestifer- vive? The Victorian Naturalist (2004) ous invaders. They have documented and 121 148-153. , explained the physiological and ecological And you might like to read her autobio- destruction caused by this alien micro- graphical 2005 Daniel McAlpine organism that poses such a threat to Memorial Lecture, ‘A long and varied Australia’s biodiversity, and which, in our fungal foray’, in Australasian Plant careless ignorance during road-works, log- Pathology 34 433—437. , ging and mining, we humans have intro- I thank Sheila Houghton, Gary Presland, duced into Australian ecosystems. Jason Benjamin, Jane Ellen, Tom May, Gretna leaves a substantial legacy of ideas Lorraine Gale, Marion King and Jean and information - in the busy minds of her Galliott for their help. former research students and in her pub- lished papers, including over 100 papers on Phytophthora cinnamomi, in Australian and international journals such as the Australian Journal of Botany, Australasian Linden Gillbank Plant Pathology, Phytopathology School of Social and Environmental Enquiry The University of Melbourne Phytophthora Newsletter Zeitschrift , [email protected] (International) and, of course, The Victorian Naturalist. The following four papers provide an overview of her protract- ed study of this destructive pathogen in the Victorian bush:
One Hundred Years Ago
POPULAR NAMES FOR NATIVE PLANTS - Following up the suggestion made in a paper read before the Field Naturalists' Club some little time ago, a sub-committee has been appointed to see what can be done towards compiling a list of popular names for our commoner native plants. The first step is, of course, to get as many lists of names as possible from observers in various parts of the state, and with that view the sub-committee requests all interested, especially teachers, who, perhaps, have better opportunities than others, to forward any names they may know of to Dr. C.S. Sutton, Rathdown-street, North Carlton, who has kindly consented to act as secretary to the movement. It is not to be expected that this work will be accomplished in one season, but, if started at once, it will not be long before a satisfactory foundation can be laid for future work, which, it is hoped, will include the publication of a Floral Calendar for the State. Parcels of dried specimens, with local names attached, may be forwarded to the care of Mr. J.A. Leach, M.Sc., Training College, Carlton.
From The Victorian Naturalist XXIV p 85, September 5, 1907
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