Field Botany Manual 2010

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Field Botany Manual 2010 List of sites to be visited Site no. LOWLAND: 0-600m East South Altit. (m) 1.1 Dry sclerophyll forest - near the park 4775 52739 185 entrance 1.2 Wet sclerophyll forest - near the Tall 4755 52743 250 Trees Walk 2.1 Sedgeland/heathland near the post- 46563 52647 275 /pre-Carboniferous geolog. bound. 2.2 Sclerophyll shrubbery (Kallista Ck) on 46142 526569 380 the Scotts Peak Dam Road 2.3 Tim Shea – inter- & intraspecific 4562 52703 926 variation in eucalypts 2.4 Rainforest - the Creepy Crawly Nature 44968 525744 463 Walk, Scotts Peak Dam Road 2.5 Buttongrass moorland with E. nitida 44945 525159 395 copses - Gelignite Creek Site no. SUB-ALPINE: 600-1000m (E. delegatensis - E. coccifera) 1.3 Sphagnum bog - near the Lyrebird 4732 52742 645 Nature Walk 1.4 Mixed forest - Lyrebird Nature Walk (alt. 4728 52746 680 680m) 1.5 Subalpine woodland near Lake Fenton 4695 52746 1000 1.6 Subalpine sclerophyll woodland at 4685 52741 1050 Wombat Moor 1.7 Subalpine woodland near Lake Dobson 4663 52739 1000 Site no. ALPINE: alt. over 1000m 1.8 Coniferous shrubbery & Sclerophyll 4657 52742 1240 heath- above Ski Huts 1.9 Coniferous shrubbery & alpine 4648 52757 1180 rainforest- Roberts Tarn 1.10 Herbfield & microshrubbery - halfway 4641 52758 1150 along Tarn Shelf 1.11 Coniferous shrubbery & Sclerophyll 4639 52757 1150 heath after fire 1.12 Microshrubbery (cushion plant 4631 52771 1280 community) at Newdegate Pass Site no. Logged lowland mixed-forest 3.1 Clearfelled, burnt, 1999, "natural 4663 52638 400 regeneration" 3.2 Clearfelled, burnt, 1990, "natural 4633 52633 350 regeneration" 3.3 Clearfelled, burnt, 1951, "natural 4666 52634 420 regeneration" 3.4 Selective logging, not burnt, 400years, 4720 52596 350 Published by the School of Plant Science, University of Tasmania Private Bag 55, Hobart 7001 February 2010. www.utas.edu.au/docs/plant_science/field_botany/field Contents Unit outline........................................................................................... 2 Outline of activities ............................................................................. 4 Assessment ......................................................................................... 6 Reference Guide.................................................................................. 9 Plant Names & Derivations................................................................. 17 Key to Dicot. Families ......................................................................... 20 Key to Monocot. Families ................................................................... 25 List of Plant Communities .................................................................. 28 Notes - Community Descriptions & Scoresheets ............................ 29 Ecology & conservation of a rare & endangered species............... 137 Eucalyptus morrisbyi – Threatened species listing statement .............. 142 Warra longterm ecological monitoring project....................................... 146 Appendix 1 - Species List for Mt Field ................................................. 150 KPA375 Field Botany - Mt Field Handbook 2 UNIT OUTLINE Weight 12.5% Prerequisites KPA214 & KPA215 or KPA210 Ecology of Tasmania Co-requisites KPA379 Plant Ecology is recommended Teaching pattern Lectures, tutorials & field work over 8 days Mon 8th - Fri. 12th Feb. 2010 Mt Field National Park, Mon. 16th - Wed. 18th Feb excursions from Sandy Bay campus Campus Field-based course, Mt Field National Park / ex Sandy Bay campus Lecturers Prof Jim Reid, Paddy Dalton & Rob Wiltshire (Unit Co-ordinator) Introduction The first part of the course is field-based, with informal lectures & practical exercises conducted in the Mt Field National Park & SW Tasmania over 5 days, with some plant identification work at night. There is a quite strenuous walk along the Tarn Shelf, over Newdegate Pass & back along the Rodway Range. Students that are not physically fit must seek the advice of the unit coordinator. This part of the course is based at the Giant’s Table, Maydena. The second part of the course introduces demographic techniques, conservation strategies & practice, & examines applied ecological practice in forestry harvesting methods in wet sclerophyll forest in the long-term monitoring site at Warra as day excursions from the Sandy Bay campus. Assessment is by: a field test (50%) on the last day of the course, assessing plant identification ability & an understanding of the ecological processes shaping the vegetation; two reports based on data collected in the field (40%); & a group plant collection (10%). Transport Transport to Mt Field from the University is provided. Vehicles will depart from the Life Sciences car park at 9:00 am Mon. 8th Feb. & return at 5:00 pm on Fri. 12th Feb. Please bring your lunch, waterproofs & collecting gear packed separately for Day 1. Equipment 1. Adequate clothing is essential; warm clothes, good boots & waterproof clothing are required for protection against rain, wind & snow. The weather at Mt Field can be very changeable & work will proceed regardless of weather. Swimming is possible in good weather, so bring bathers. Also bring spare footwear & clothing for evening wear. Bring a light daypack for day trips 2. You will be working at 1000 metres, so bring a sunscreen (15 +), insect repellant & a shade hat. 3. Bring personal collecting equipment, field note books, masking tape, zip-lock plastic bags, hand lens, camera, clipboard & texts. Accommodation & Costs Accommodation is luxurious this year, but you will need to bring your own fluffy dressing gown, slippers, & towel. There is a levy of $120 to help cover accommodation costs, the School will fund the remainder. This should be paid prior to the course at the Cashiers Office (Admin. Building), quoting account no. 1.10.319.44787.3807. Alternatively, you may find your own accommodation but this would diminish the experience. If you have difficulty in paying the levy, please discuss the matter with Dr Anthony Koutoulis. Cooking Dinner is supplied on all four nights. Bring food for breakfast & lunches, although milk & bread, tea & coffee will be provided. Be prepared to take lunches & drinks into the field. Collections Only small samples of plant specimens may be taken in the National Park, & samples are not to be taken next to or alongside walking tracks. Alternatively, photographic collections may be made. Enquiries: Dr Rob Wiltshire 03 62 262690 email [email protected] KPA375 Field Botany - Mt Field Handbook 3 UNIT OUTLINE OBJECTIVES OF FIELD BOTANY At the completion of this unit, students should be able to: • demonstrate an understanding of the major types of plant communities found in Tasmania • describe the key elements of the vegetation that differentiate these communities, • identify major environmental factors affecting plant growth, • describe the differences between the more common families, • identify a wide range of the more common plant species, • describe morphological & physiological strategies evolved by plants in response to their environment, • describe & distinguish between the patterns of, & processes leading to, variation within & between species, using eucalypts as specific examples, & • undertake vegetation & population surveys. KPA375 Field Botany - Mt Field Handbook 4 OUTLINE OF ACTIVITIES PART 1. PLANT COMMUNITIES OF MT FIELD & SOUTHWEST TASMANIA An outline of the week's activities at Mt Field follows, although the weather will dictate to some extent what can be achieved, & in what order. Day 1: Altitudinal transect & associated changes in physiognomy & community types • Examination of sub-alpine sclerophyll woodland, moor, mixed forest & wet sclerophyll communities & the basis of community classifications. • Species recognition, species identification, plant collection. • Altitudinal variation in plant communities & its causes. Day 2: Alpine vegetation (Tarn Shelf, Newdegate Pass, Rodway Range) • Examination of communities including: herbfields, microshrubbery (cushionplants), coniferous shrubbery, alpine rainforest. • Species recognition, species identification, plant collection. • Community identification in relation to microenvironment. • Growth habit & general morphology of microshrubbery. • Effect of fire on alpine vegetation. Day 3: East-West variation in vegetation • Illustration of the association of vegetation types with geology & soils, • Study of rainforest & buttongrass communities, plant collection. • The nature of boundaries between vegetation types. Day 4: Succession in wet sclerophyll forest & the impact of forestry practices • Temporal changes in vegetation type & physiognomy following disturbance by fire / clearfelling from year zero to 400 years. • Ecological basis of silvicultural practices in wet sclerophyll vegetation. Day 5: Bryological diversity & mophological variation in eucalypts - patterns & processes. • Identification of moss & hepatic species & ecological preferences at Growling Swallet • Morphological changes in the E. vernicosa complex on Tim Shea/Mt Field with altitude & exposure. • Inter- & intra-specific variation in E. nitida & E. coccifera on Tim Shea. KPA375 Field Botany - Mt Field Handbook 5 OUTLINE OF ACTIVITIES PART 2. APPLIED FIELD BOTANY Day 6: Population ecology & conservation of endangered species • Long term monitoring project for seedling establishment for the rare & endangered Eucalyptus morrisbyi at Calverts Hill. • Data entry Day 7: Long term ecological monitoring site at Warra • Variable retention silviculture in Tasmania – alternatives
Recommended publications
  • Blue Tier Reserve Background Report 2016File
    Background Report Blue Tier Reserve www.tasland.org.au Tasmanian Land Conservancy (2016). The Blue Tier Reserve Background Report. Tasmanian Land Conservancy, Tasmania Australia. Copyright ©Tasmanian Land Conservancy The views expressed in this report are those of the Tasmanian Land Conservancy and not the Federal Government, State Government or any other entity. This work is copyright. It may be reproduced for study, research or training purposes subject to an acknowledgment of the sources and no commercial usage or sale. Requests and enquires concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Tasmanian Land Conservancy. Front Image: Myrtle rainforest on Blue Tier Reserve - Andy Townsend Contact Address Tasmanian Land Conservancy PO Box 2112, Lower Sandy Bay, 827 Sandy Bay Road, Sandy Bay TAS 7005 | p: 03 6225 1399 | www.tasland.org.au Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. 1 Acronyms and Abbreviations .......................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3 Location and Access ................................................................................................................................ 4 Bioregional Values and Reserve Status ..................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Wattles of the City of Whittlesea
    Wattles of the City of Whittlesea PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY ON PRIVATE LAND SERIES Wattles of the City of Whittlesea Over a dozen species of wattle are indigenous to the City of Whittlesea and many other wattle species are commonly grown in gardens. Most of the indigenous species are commonly found in the forested hills and the native forests in the northern parts of the municipality, with some species persisting along country roadsides, in smaller reserves and along creeks. Wattles are truly amazing • Wattles have multiple uses for Australian plants indigenous peoples, with most species used for food, medicine • There are more wattle species than and/or tools. any other plant genus in Australia • Wattle seeds have very hard coats (over 1000 species and subspecies). which mean they can survive in the • Wattles, like peas, fix nitrogen in ground for decades, waiting for a the soil, making them excellent cool fire to stimulate germination. for developing gardens and in • Australia’s floral emblem is a wattle: revegetation projects. Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) • Many species of insects (including and this is one of Whittlesea’s local some butterflies) breed only on species specific species of wattles, making • In Victoria there is at least one them a central focus of biodiversity. wattle species in flower at all times • Wattle seeds and the insects of the year. In the Whittlesea attracted to wattle flowers are an area, there is an indigenous wattle important food source for most bird in flower from February to early species including Black Cockatoos December. and honeyeaters. Caterpillars of the Imperial Blue Butterfly are only found on wattles RB 3 Basic terminology • ‘Wattle’ = Acacia Wattle is the common name and Acacia the scientific name for this well-known group of similar / related species.
    [Show full text]
  • Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area
    Appendix 4 1 World Heritage Values of the Tasmanian Wilderness 1.1 Note that the Department of the Environment's website states that: A draft Statement of Outstanding Universal Value which will take into account the new areas added in 2013 is expected to be considered by the World Heritage Committee in 2014. Outstanding Universal Value 1.2 The Tasmanian Wilderness is an extensive, wild, beautiful temperate land where cultural heritage of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people is preserved. 1.3 It is one of the three largest temperate wilderness areas remaining in the Southern Hemisphere. The region is home to some of the deepest and longest caves in Australia. It is renowned for its diversity of flora, and some of the longest lived trees and tallest flowering plants in the world grow in the area. The Tasmanian Wilderness is a stronghold for several animals that are either extinct or threatened on mainland Australia. 1.4 In the southwest Aboriginal people developed a unique cultural tradition based on a specialized stone and bone toolkit that enabled the hunting and processing of a single prey species (Bennett's wallaby) that provided nearly all of their dietary protein and fat. Extensive limestone cave systems contain rock art sites that have been dated to the end of the Pleistocene period. Southwest Tasmanian Aboriginal artistic expression during the last Ice Age is only known from the dark recesses of limestone caves. 1.5 The Tasmanian Wilderness was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1982 and extended in 1989, 2010, 2012 and again in 2013.
    [Show full text]
  • Variation of Physical Seed Dormancy and Its Ecological Role in Fire-Prone Ecosystems
    University of Wollongong Research Online University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016 University of Wollongong Thesis Collections 2016 Variation of physical seed dormancy and its ecological role in fire-prone ecosystems Ganesha Sanjeewani Liyanage Borala Liyanage University of Wollongong Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/theses University of Wollongong Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorise you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this work may be reproduced by any process, nor may any other exclusive right be exercised, without the permission of the author. Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. A court may impose penalties and award damages in relation to offences and infringements relating to copyright material. Higher penalties may apply, and higher damages may be awarded, for offences and infringements involving the conversion of material into digital or electronic form. Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Wollongong. Recommended Citation Borala Liyanage, Ganesha Sanjeewani Liyanage, Variation of physical seed dormancy and its ecological role in fire-prone ecosystems, Doctor of Philosophy thesis, School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, 2016.
    [Show full text]
  • Comparative Floral Presentation and Bee-Pollination in Two Sprengelia Species (Ericaceae)
    Comparative floral presentation and bee-pollination in two Sprengelia species (Ericaceae) Karen A. Johnson* and Peter B. McQuillan School of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 78, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia. *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] Abstract: Pollination by sonication is unusual in the Styphelioideae, family Ericaceae. Sprengelia incarnata and Sprengelia propinqua have floral characteristics that suggested they might be adapted to buzz pollination.Both species have florally similar nectarless flowers except that the stamens ofSprengelia propinqua spread widely after the flower opens, while those of Sprengelia incarnata cohere in the centre of the flower. To test whether sonication occurs, we observed bee behaviour at the flowers of both plant species, documented potential pollinators, and examined their floral and pollen attributes. We found that Sprengelia incarnata had smaller and drier pollen than Sprengelia propinqua. We found that Sprengelia incarnata was sonicated by native bees in the families Apidae (Exoneura), Halictidae (Lasioglossum) and Colletidae (Leioproctus, Euryglossa). Sprengelia propinqua was also visited by bees from the Apidae (Exoneura) and Halictidae (Lasioglossum), but pollen was collected by scraping. The introduced Apis mellifera (Apidae) foraged at Sprengelia propinqua but ignored Sprengelia incarnata. The two Sprengelia species shared some genera of potential pollinators, but appeared to have diverged enough in their floral and pollen characters to elicit different behaviours from the native and introduced bees. Cunninghamia (2011) 12 (1): 45–51 Introduction species, some Leucopogon species, Richea milliganii (Hook.f.) F.Muell., and Sprengelia incarnata Sm. (Houston The interactions between plants and pollinators are thought & Ladd, 2002; Ladd, 2006).
    [Show full text]
  • Vegetation Benchmarks Rainforest and Related Scrub
    Vegetation Benchmarks Rainforest and related scrub Eucryphia lucida Vegetation Condition Benchmarks version 1 Rainforest and Related Scrub RPW Athrotaxis cupressoides open woodland: Sphagnum peatland facies Community Description: Athrotaxis cupressoides (5–8 m) forms small woodland patches or appears as copses and scattered small trees. On the Central Plateau (and other dolerite areas such as Mount Field), broad poorly– drained valleys and small glacial depressions may contain scattered A. cupressoides trees and copses over Sphagnum cristatum bogs. In the treeless gaps, Sphagnum cristatum is usually overgrown by a combination of any of Richea scoparia, R. gunnii, Baloskion australe, Epacris gunnii and Gleichenia alpina. This is one of three benchmarks available for assessing the condition of RPW. This is the appropriate benchmark to use in assessing the condition of the Sphagnum facies of the listed Athrotaxis cupressoides open woodland community (Schedule 3A, Nature Conservation Act 2002). Benchmarks: Length Component Cover % Height (m) DBH (cm) #/ha (m)/0.1 ha Canopy 10% - - - Large Trees - 6 20 5 Organic Litter 10% - Logs ≥ 10 - 2 Large Logs ≥ 10 Recruitment Continuous Understorey Life Forms LF code # Spp Cover % Immature tree IT 1 1 Medium shrub/small shrub S 3 30 Medium sedge/rush/sagg/lily MSR 2 10 Ground fern GF 1 1 Mosses and Lichens ML 1 70 Total 5 8 Last reviewed – 2 November 2016 Tasmanian Vegetation Monitoring and Mapping Program Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment http://www.dpipwe.tas.gov.au/tasveg RPW Athrotaxis cupressoides open woodland: Sphagnum facies Species lists: Canopy Tree Species Common Name Notes Athrotaxis cupressoides pencil pine Present as a sparse canopy Typical Understorey Species * Common Name LF Code Epacris gunnii coral heath S Richea scoparia scoparia S Richea gunnii bog candleheath S Astelia alpina pineapple grass MSR Baloskion australe southern cordrush MSR Gleichenia alpina dwarf coralfern GF Sphagnum cristatum sphagnum ML *This list is provided as a guide only.
    [Show full text]
  • Edition 2 from Forest to Fjaeldmark the Vegetation Communities Highland Treeless Vegetation
    Edition 2 From Forest to Fjaeldmark The Vegetation Communities Highland treeless vegetation Richea scoparia Edition 2 From Forest to Fjaeldmark 1 Highland treeless vegetation Community (Code) Page Alpine coniferous heathland (HCH) 4 Cushion moorland (HCM) 6 Eastern alpine heathland (HHE) 8 Eastern alpine sedgeland (HSE) 10 Eastern alpine vegetation (undifferentiated) (HUE) 12 Western alpine heathland (HHW) 13 Western alpine sedgeland/herbland (HSW) 15 General description Rainforest and related scrub, Dry eucalypt forest and woodland, Scrub, heathland and coastal complexes. Highland treeless vegetation communities occur Likewise, some non-forest communities with wide within the alpine zone where the growth of trees is environmental amplitudes, such as wetlands, may be impeded by climatic factors. The altitude above found in alpine areas. which trees cannot survive varies between approximately 700 m in the south-west to over The boundaries between alpine vegetation communities are usually well defined, but 1 400 m in the north-east highlands; its exact location depends on a number of factors. In many communities may occur in a tight mosaic. In these parts of Tasmania the boundary is not well defined. situations, mapping community boundaries at Sometimes tree lines are inverted due to exposure 1:25 000 may not be feasible. This is particularly the or frost hollows. problem in the eastern highlands; the class Eastern alpine vegetation (undifferentiated) (HUE) is used in There are seven specific highland heathland, those areas where remote sensing does not provide sedgeland and moorland mapping communities, sufficient resolution. including one undifferentiated class. Other highland treeless vegetation such as grasslands, herbfields, A minor revision in 2017 added information on the grassy sedgelands and wetlands are described in occurrence of peatland pool complexes, and other sections.
    [Show full text]
  • Plant Life of Western Australia
    INTRODUCTION The characteristic features of the vegetation of Australia I. General Physiography At present the animals and plants of Australia are isolated from the rest of the world, except by way of the Torres Straits to New Guinea and southeast Asia. Even here adverse climatic conditions restrict or make it impossible for migration. Over a long period this isolation has meant that even what was common to the floras of the southern Asiatic Archipelago and Australia has become restricted to small areas. This resulted in an ever increasing divergence. As a consequence, Australia is a true island continent, with its own peculiar flora and fauna. As in southern Africa, Australia is largely an extensive plateau, although at a lower elevation. As in Africa too, the plateau increases gradually in height towards the east, culminating in a high ridge from which the land then drops steeply to a narrow coastal plain crossed by short rivers. On the west coast the plateau is only 00-00 m in height but there is usually an abrupt descent to the narrow coastal region. The plateau drops towards the center, and the major rivers flow into this depression. Fed from the high eastern margin of the plateau, these rivers run through low rainfall areas to the sea. While the tropical northern region is characterized by a wet summer and dry win- ter, the actual amount of rain is determined by additional factors. On the mountainous east coast the rainfall is high, while it diminishes with surprising rapidity towards the interior. Thus in New South Wales, the yearly rainfall at the edge of the plateau and the adjacent coast often reaches over 100 cm.
    [Show full text]
  • Tasmania - from the Wet West to the Dry East
    This collection is maintained with the assistance of the Tasmania - from the wet west to the dry east. Regional Branch of the Australian Plant Society. Influences on the development of the Tasmanian plant mix Montane moorland and cool oceanic heathland When Gondwana existed as a super Geology of Tasmania Vegetation Map of Tasmania The Tasmanian highland vegetation developed in isolation from the Australian Alps. Even during ice continent, Australia and Tasmania, Africa, ages, hundreds of kilometres of lowland vegetation separated the two high altitude environments. South America, New Zealand and Antarctica shared many plant families and some Montane plants have to cope with wide temperature fluctuations, with periods of below 0°C and Genera. exposure to winds. Cold may be prolonged if the ground freezes. Plants may be blanketed by snow or BASS STRAIT the mountains by cloud. Snowmelt or clear weather can cause intense rays of light, resulting in high For example, the protea family has members temperature. Wind or sun can dry the plant and soil. in all those land masses except Antarctica. The Southern Africa panel covers the protea family more fully. Plants require moisture and warmth. Small hard leaves offer Tasmania was the last land mass to break protection from the drying away from Antarctica. The opening of the effects of sun and wind. Low gap between these land masses allowed the ocean to circulate growth avoids wind. Branches around Antarctica, cooling the earth’s climate and so locking up grow close together to shelter vast quantities of water as ice. the parts of each plant.
    [Show full text]
  • Act Native Woodland Conservation Strategy and Action Plans
    ACT NATIVE WOODLAND CONSERVATION STRATEGY AND ACTION PLANS PART A 1 Produced by the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development © Australian Capital Territory, Canberra 2019 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from: Director-General, Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate, ACT Government, GPO Box 158, Canberra ACT 2601. Telephone: 02 6207 1923 Website: www.planning.act.gov.au Acknowledgment to Country We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we are meeting on, the Ngunnawal people. We wish to acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region. Accessibility The ACT Government is committed to making its information, services, events and venues as accessible as possible. If you have difficulty reading a standard printed document and would like to receive this publication in an alternative format, such as large print, please phone Access Canberra on 13 22 81 or email the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate at [email protected] If English is not your first language and you require a translating and interpreting service, please phone 13 14 50. If you are deaf, or have a speech or hearing impairment, and need the teletypewriter service, please phone 13 36 77 and ask for Access Canberra on 13 22 81. For speak and listen users, please phone 1300 555 727 and ask for Canberra Connect on 13 22 81. For more information on these services visit http://www.relayservice.com.au PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER CONTENTS VISION ...........................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • ACT, Australian Capital Territory
    Biodiversity Summary for NRM Regions Species List What is the summary for and where does it come from? This list has been produced by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (SEWPC) for the Natural Resource Management Spatial Information System. The list was produced using the AustralianAustralian Natural Natural Heritage Heritage Assessment Assessment Tool Tool (ANHAT), which analyses data from a range of plant and animal surveys and collections from across Australia to automatically generate a report for each NRM region. Data sources (Appendix 2) include national and state herbaria, museums, state governments, CSIRO, Birds Australia and a range of surveys conducted by or for DEWHA. For each family of plant and animal covered by ANHAT (Appendix 1), this document gives the number of species in the country and how many of them are found in the region. It also identifies species listed as Vulnerable, Critically Endangered, Endangered or Conservation Dependent under the EPBC Act. A biodiversity summary for this region is also available. For more information please see: www.environment.gov.au/heritage/anhat/index.html Limitations • ANHAT currently contains information on the distribution of over 30,000 Australian taxa. This includes all mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs and fish, 137 families of vascular plants (over 15,000 species) and a range of invertebrate groups. Groups notnot yet yet covered covered in inANHAT ANHAT are notnot included included in in the the list. list. • The data used come from authoritative sources, but they are not perfect. All species names have been confirmed as valid species names, but it is not possible to confirm all species locations.
    [Show full text]
  • Forests and Scrublands of Northern Fiordland
    80 Vol. 1 FORESTS AND SCRUBLANDS OF NORTHERN FIORDLAND J. WARDLE, J. HAYWARD, and J. HERBERT, Forest and Range Experiment Station, New Zealand Forest Service, Rangiora (Received for publication 18 January 1971) ABSTRACT The composition and structure of the forests and scrublands of northern Fiordland were recorded at 1,053 sample points. The vegetation at each sample point was classified into one of 16 associations using a combination of Sorensen's 'k' index of similarity, and a multi-linkage cluster analysis. The associations were related to habitat and the distribution of each was determined. The influence of the introduced ungulates, red deer and wapiti, on the forests and scrublands was determined. Stand structure was analysed to provide infor­ mation on the susceptibility of the vegetation to damage from browsing and on the history of ungulate utilisation of the vegetation. Browse indices were calculated to provide information on current ungulate utilisation of the vegetation. INTRODUCTION A reconnaissance of northern Fiordland was carried out during the summer of 1969-70 by staff of the Forest and Range Experiment Station. The purpose was to describe the composition, structure, and habitat of the forest and scrub associations, to determine both present and past influence of ungulates on them, and to establish a number of permanent reference points to permit measurement of future changes in the vegetation. The area studied lies between the western shores of Lake Te Anau and the Tasman Sea. The southern boundary is the South Fiord of Lake Te Anau, the Esk Burn and Windward River catchments, and Charles Sound; the northern boundary is the Worsley and Transit River catchments (Fig.
    [Show full text]