MVG 5 - EUCALYPT WOODLANDS Eastern temperate grassy woodlands Tamworth, NSW (Photo: D. Keith) Overview Form a transitional zone between the higher rainfall forested margins of Australia (MVG 3) and the open woodlands (MVG 11 and 13), shrublands (MVG 16) and hummock grasslands (MVG 20) of the arid interior. Distributed in an arc from the subtropical Queensland to Tasmania and west to southeast South Australia, with an outlier in south Western Australia. Replaced by MVG 12 at tropical latitudes. Eucalypts are the dominant trees throughout, but species of Acacia or Callitris may occur in a subcanopy. Woodland generally describes ecosystems that contain trees widely spaced with their crowns not touching (Hobbs 2002). The tree layer has a crown cover of 20 - 50% (projective foliage cover 10-30%). Woodland understories in the east are mostly grassy, while those in the west are predominantly shrubby. Temperate eucalypt woodlands are highly fragmented due to clearing for crops and improved pastures in the south-eastern and south-western wheat-sheep belts. The ‘parkland’ landscapes, retaining remnant trees of the original woodlands in the eastern and southern parts of Australia evoke a strong sense of place for many Australians. Facts and figures Major Vegetation Group MVG 5 - Eucalypt Woodlands Major Vegetation Subgroups 09. Eastern temperate grassy woodlands ACT, (number of NVIS descriptions) NSW, QLD, VIC SA, TAS 59. Subalpine woodlands ACT, NSW, VIC, TAS 08. Western temperate shrubby woodlands WA 65.Semi-arid floodplain and wadi woodlands NSW, VIC, QLD, NT, SA, WA. xx. Semi-arid upland and peneplain woodlands NSW, QLD, NT, SA, WA. Typical NVIS structural formations Woodland (low, mid) Number of IBRA regions 80 Most extensive in IBRA region Est. pre-1750: Brigalow Belt South (Qld and NSW) Present: Einsaleigh Uplands (Qld) Estimated pre-1750 extent (km2) 1 362 263 Present extent (km2) 892 920 Area protected (km2) 72 589 Western temperate shrubby woodlands, WA (Photo: D. Keith) Structure and physiognomy The tree layer has a crown cover of 20 - 50% (projective foliage cover 10-30%) and is typically 10 – 30 m tall (Keith 2004; Lindenmayer et al. 2014). Trees canopy leaf sizes vary from notophyll (20 – 45 cm2) to mesophyll (45 – 150 cm2) and leaves are invariably vertically oriented with essentially identical surfaces. May have a patchy understorey stratum of mostly non-sclerophyllous shrubs, which is more prominent in south-western Australia than in south-eastern Australia. The ground layer is dominated by tussock grasses with forbs, and is essentially continuous in south-eastern Australia, but generally sparse in south-western Australia (Hobbs 2002). Tussock grasses include both C3 and C4 species that vary in dominance depending on temperature, light regimes and aridity. Indicative flora Eucalypts are dominant throughout, with one to four species represented in a stand, or more species in the northern and western areas of the distribution. Non-eucalypts are uncommon in the tallest tree stratum, but species of Acacia or Callitris may occur in a subcanopy. Woodland composition and understorey vary regionally and with landscape context. Dominated in the east by ‘box’ and ‘ironbark’ eucalypts of section Adnataria within subgenus Symphyomyrtus of Eucalyptus, with some species of section Exsertaria (red gums) and, in the cooler climates, species from section Maidenaria. In the west, however, eucalypt species within section Bisectaria, are dominant. Woodland understories in the east are dominated by a largely continuous groundlayer comprising a mixture of C3 and C4 grasses and herbs, differing markedly from those in the west, which include a greater cover of shrubs and a less conspicuous grass component. The balance of this mixture varies with C4 grasses dominating in warmer and drier climates, and C3 grasses dominating in cooler more humid climates. Five subgroups are recognised, including two that are also represented in MVG 11. o Eastern temperate grassy woodlands are dominated by Eucalyptus within subgenus Symphyomyrtus section Adnataria. Some communities include species from section Exsertaria and the genus Angophora. Widespread species include Eucalyptus melliodora, Eucalyptus albens, Eucalyptus blakelyi, Eucalyptus microcarpa, Eucalyptus tereticornis, Eucalyptus crebra, Eucalyptus melanophloia, Eucalyptus viminalis and Eucalyptus ovata (Keith 2004; Victoria Department of Sustainability and Environment 2004; Harris and Kitchener 2005; Neldner et al. 2014). Scattered shrubs include Bursaria spinosa and species of Cassinia and Acacia. Dominant C4 grasses in warmer drier sites include species of Aristida, Bothriochloa, Chloris, Cymbopogon, Eragrostis, Heteropogon, Panicum, Sporobolus and Themeda. C3 grasses characteristic of more mesic or cooler areas include species of Austrodanthonia, Microlaena and Poa. The groundlayer also includes a diversity of forbs in families Asteraceae, Anthericaceae, Campanulaceae, Convolvulaceae and Orchidaceae. o Subalpine woodlands typically include eucalypts in section Renantheria within subgenus Eucalyptus. The main high country species are Eucalyptus pauciflora, Eucalyptus stellulata, Eucalyptus niphophila and Eucalyptus coccifera in Tasmania. Grasses are primarily species of Poa, with Agrostis, Austrodanthonia and Deyeuxia, all with C3 photosynthetic pathways. Forbs include species of Acaena, Asperula, Geranium and Stellaria. While grasses and forbs dominate sites with deeper soils, shrubs in families Ericaceae and Fabaceae may be prominent in rocky sites (Keith 2004; Victoria Department of Sustainability and Environment 2004; Harris and Kitchener 2005). o Western temperate shrubby woodlands are dominated by species of Eucalyptus in section Bisectaria within subgenus Symphyomyrtus. As well as eucalypts with typical woodland growth forms, this MVG includes trees with ‘mallet’ and ‘marlock’ growth forms. Common species include Eucalyptus loxophleba, Eucalyptus salubris, Eucalyptus salmoniphloia and Eucalyptus wandoo, The understorey is highly variable in structure and composition (Commonwealth Government 2015). The main shrub genera include Allocasuarina, Acacia, Melaleuca, Grevillea, Eremophila, Maireana and Atriplex, with the latter more prominent in drier climates, as well as a number of smaller Eucalypt species (Beard et al. 2013; Commonwealth Government 2015). Where the shrub layer becomes sparse grass-like herbaceous perennials and grasses from the Anthericaceae, Cyperaceae, Dasypogonaceae, Liliaceae and Restionaceae are common (Yates et al. 2000). o Semi-arid floodplain and wadi woodlands (also represented in MVG 11) are dominated by species of Eucalyptus in sections Adnataria and Exsertaria in subgenus Symphyomyrtus. Eucalypts such as Eucalyptus coolabah, Eucalyptus largiflorens, Eucalyptus ochrophloia, Eucalyptus populnea, Eucalyptus tereticornis and Eucalyptus camaldulensis are widespread with Eucalyptus microtheca occurring in northern and central Australia. The understorey may consist of a shrub layer of species from the genera Acacia, Dodonaea, Eremophila, Muehlenbeckia, and Rhagodia and the groundlayer has an abundance of forbs, chenopods, graminoids & tussock grass (Keith 2004; Victoria Department of Sustainability and Environment 2004; Beard 2013, Neldner et al. 2014) o Semi-arid upland and peneplain woodlands (also represented in MVG 11) include species such as Eucalyptus intertexta, Eucalyptus populnea, Eucalyptus melanophloia Eucalyptus siderophloia (all in section Adnataria of subgenus Symphyomyrtus) and Callitris glaucophylla (Keith 2004). The understorey typically has a shrub layer of genera such as Acacia, Allocasuarina, Dodonaea, Eremophila, Hakea, Myoporum and chenopods (Keith 2004; Neldner et al. 2014). The gound layer is rich in forbs and graminoids including species of Aristida, Astrebla Austrostipa, Chloris, Dichanthium, Enteropogon, Heteropogon, Panicum, Rytidosperma, Abutilon, Alternanthera, Brunoniella, Evolvulus, Fimbristylis, Goodenia, Sida and a range of chenopods (Keith 2004; Neldner et al. 2014). Environment Occur across a wide range of environments varying in climate, soil type, soil parent material and hydrology (Yates and Hobbs 2000). The climate varies from Mediterranean in south western and southern South Australia to summer rainfall dominant in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland (Hobbs 2002). MVG 5 is most prevalent in regions with 200 – 800 mm mean annual rainfall (Yates and Hobbs (2000). Occurs from sea level to 1800 m in altitude on relatively fertile loam – clay soils on a variety of fine grained sedimentary and igneous substrates. Usually found on the fringes of forested areas and water courses or where soil moisture or nutrients may be limiting for tree growth. The large number of eucalypts and their associated species occur on a wide range of environmental gradients. These relationships have been further complicated by the impact of land use following European settlement. Geography In south eastern Australia temperate Eucalypt Woodlands form a relatively continuous belt on the inland side of the Great Dividing Range from approximately 27oS in southern Queensland to the lower southeast of South Australia with a narrow strip running north and south of Adelaide (Moore 1970). Within this zone the woodlands occur in a mosaic with areas of grasslands (Moore 1970). In Tasmania eucalypt woodlands are interspersed with grasslands and forests throughout the northeast and in the Midlands as far as 42oS (Moore 1970). Eucalypt