Conservation Science W. Aust. 8 (1) : 113–136 (2011) Flora and vegetation of the banded iron formations of the Yilgarn Craton: Yalgoo ADRIENNE S MARKEY 1 AND STEVEN J DILLON 1 2 1 Science Division, Department of Environment and Conservation, Locked Bag 104, Bentley Delivery Centre, Western Australia 6983. Email:
[email protected] 2 Western Australian Herbarium, Science Division, Department of Environment and Conservation, Locked Bag 104, Bentley Delivery Centre, Western Australia 6983. ABSTRACT A floristic survey was undertaken on the Gnows Nest Range, Wolla Wolla and Woolgah–Wadgingarra Hills, which are hills and ranges of metavolcanics and banded iron formation (BIF) situated within a semi-arid region of Western Australia. These landforms are located near the township of Yalgoo, in the Midwest region of the state. Data from 55 permanent quadrats, established over a catena on varied geological substrates, were used to compile a flora list and describe the floristic communities. A total of 243 taxa (234 native) and four putative hybrids were recorded, of which five taxa were of conservation significance and two were near-endemic taxa. Six floristic community types were defined by numerical classification of the species presence/absence dataset, using Bray–Curtis dissimilarities and UPGMA clustering. Both ANOVA and nmMDS found that floristic composition varied with geomorphology and soil chemical composition. Mining and exploration tenements cover these ranges in their entirety, and none of these communities, nor these populations of uncommon taxa, are currently reserved on conservation estate. Keywords: banded iron formation, conservation, flora, vegetation communities, Yilgarn. INTRODUCTION focussed on the vegetation communities of individual ranges.