Goodia Lotifolia and Acacia Obliquinervia
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COPYRIGHT AND USE OF THIS THESIS This thesis must be used in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Reproduction of material protected by copyright may be an infringement of copyright and copyright owners may be entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. Section 51 (2) of the Copyright Act permits an authorized officer of a university library or archives to provide a copy (by communication or otherwise) of an unpublished thesis kept in the library or archives, to a person who satisfies the authorized officer that he or she requires the reproduction for the purposes of research or study. The Copyright Act grants the creator of a work a number of moral rights, specifically the right of attribution, the right against false attribution and the right of integrity. You may infringe the author’s moral rights if you: - fail to acknowledge the author of this thesis if you quote sections from the work - attribute this thesis to another author - subject this thesis to derogatory treatment which may prejudice the author’s reputation For further information contact the University’s Director of Copyright Services sydney.edu.au/copyright Edaphic and geographic factors underlying the heterogeneous regeneration patterns that woody legumes display following bushfire in Australia by Valerie Susanne Densmore A DISSERTATION A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Agriculture and Environment The University of Sydney, 13 April, 2015 DEDICATION To my darling Nana, a gracious Southern lady whose love, laughter, and wisdom imparted a loveliness beyond all measure. Mary Louise Smith 1918—2014 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication .............................................................................................................................................. ii Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................ iii List of Figures and Tables .................................................................................................................. vi Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................................. x Declaration ........................................................................................................................................... xii Abstract ............................................................................................................................................... xiii Chapter 1 – Adapted to fire and famine? Factors that affect the success of woody legumes in Australia ............................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 How fire shapes plant communities ............................................................................................. 1 1.2 Woody legumes ................................................................................................................................ 9 1.3 Legume seed ................................................................................................................................... 15 1.4 Thesis aim and approach .............................................................................................................. 20 Chapter 2 – Geographic and edaphic factors influencing population densities of woody legumes regenerating following bushfire in Australia................................................................ 22 Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. 22 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 23 2.2 Methods .......................................................................................................................................... 27 2.3 Results ............................................................................................................................................. 43 2.4 Discussion ...................................................................................................................................... 51 iii Chapter 3 – Woody legume populations across Australia – do optimum temperatures for breaking seed dormancy vary among climate zones? ................................................................ 58 Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. 58 3.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 58 3.2. Methods ......................................................................................................................................... 63 3.3 Results ............................................................................................................................................. 73 3.4 Discussion ...................................................................................................................................... 80 Chapter 4 – Expression of genes encoding acid phosphatases or carboxylate precursors - methodology ................................................................................................................................... 89 Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. 89 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 89 4.2. Methods ......................................................................................................................................... 92 4.3 Results ........................................................................................................................................... 105 4.4 Discussion .................................................................................................................................... 126 Chapter 5 – Expression of genes encoding acid phosphatases or carboxylate precursors – induction by phosphorus deficiency .......................................................................................... 131 Abstract ............................................................................................................................................... 131 5.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 131 5.2 Methods ........................................................................................................................................ 134 5.3 Results ........................................................................................................................................... 143 iv 5.4 Discussion .................................................................................................................................... 159 Chapter 6 – Phos-fire-us: contributing factors and implications of the success of woody legumes to regenerate after fire in SE Australia ....................................................................... 165 6.1 Distribution patterns of Australian woody legumes .............................................................. 165 6.2 Interactions between selected factors and woody legume traits ........................................... 167 6.3 Ecosystem services and implications for future fires ............................................................. 171 6.4 Future directions.......................................................................................................................... 175 References .......................................................................................................................................... 177 v LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figure 2.1 The location of selected field sites....................................................................................30 Table 2.1 The coordinates, climate and elevation of field sites........................................................31 Table 2.2 The potential predictors of population density................................................................36 Table 2.3 The range of stem densities used to define categories of population density.............40 Figure 2.2 Box-plots of the densities of individuals at each site....................................................44 Figure 2.3 Ellipsoidal distances between waypoints..........................................................................45 Figure 2.4 Scatter plots between slope and aspect of each site relative to the fire direction.....47 Table 2.4 Two potential models produced by ordinal logistic regression......................................48 Table 2.5 Discriminant analysis results for Models 1 and 2.............................................................49 Figure 2.5 Modelled functions of population density against each potential predictor..............50 Table 2.6 Ranked distribution of each predictor across population densities...............................51 Figure 3.1