Figure 4.13. DCCA of Sites Based on Ground Cover Data in Tablelands Sites
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Chapter 4 - Fire frequency and vegetation ±site20 site3 Rainfall site50 Elevation site-17+ Slope sitel 1 Shortest inter-fire interval site8v sitel Number of fires site19 site9 sitel2 sitel 3 site29 0 0 sitel 0 site Aspect Temperature site28 site18 site22 site2l Time since fire Topographic index r-I -1.0 +1.0 Figure 4.13. DCCA of sites based on ground cover data in Tablelands sites. Symbols used are: HSS=circles, MSS=diamonds, MLS=crosses, LLL=down-triangles. 117 Chapter 4 - Fire frequency and vegetation Blechnum canilagineum • Centella sp. • Lomandra maltiflora Kennedia rubicunda Eustrephus latifollius Rainfall Juncus usitatus• Hydrocotyle• laxiflora Hibbertia scandens Picris hieracioides • • Elevation Bra cteantha bracteata Stylidium graminifolium • Soknogyne sp. Calotis dentexslope Hypocharis radicata •9411/ Gonocarpus tetragynus Entolasia stricta • Poa sieberiana • • Smilax australis Geranium solanderi Euchitsp• Praha purpurascens or Lomandra longifolia Number of fires iiianeila revoluta Desmodium van .9 • . Shortest inter-fire interval flardenbergia violaceae •• lichrysurn rutidolepts Leptdosperma laterale Gaiium propmquum. • Bossiaea rhombifolia sp. % 4_.___..------- Polygala jaimnic • a ,Mentha ti Aspect Echinopogon caespitosus Entolasia sp. Ilb Oxalis sp. Temperature Poaceae sp. gEuchiton spp. Hibbertia obtusifolia Pterostylis sp. • Gahnia aspera Hydrocotyle pedicellosa • Time since fire Cissus antarctica. Rubus rosifolius Topographic index Unica incisa Rubus -1. 0 +1.0 Figure 4.14. DCCA of Tablelands ground cover data. Due to the high number of species, labels were only added where possible. The mean cover of the ground cover species aggregated into growth forms (Figure 4.15) showed a shift from high grass cover and few sedge and rush species in the sites of high NOF to more bare ground and leaf litter and higher cover of sedge and rush species in the sites of low NOF. Four main grasses, Themeda australis, Poa sieberiana, Sorghum leiocladum and Imperata cylindrica dominated the high NOF sites. There was little bare ground due to the thick grass cover. In contrast, the sites with low NOF had fewer grass species and were dominated by species such as Calochlaena dubia, Gahnia aspera and Lomandra longifolia. The forbs and orchids had a relatively consistent occurrence over all of the fire categories. 118 Chapter 4 - Fire frequency and vegetation ■ Grass ■ Sedge and rush 0 Forb 0 Orchid ■ Bare lifter MSS MLS LLL Fire category Figure 4.15. Average cover per site by growth form type in the ground cover for the Tablelands vegetation survey. Fire category abbreviations in Appendix 1.1. 4.3.4 Gorge woody tree and shrub composition The Gorge study sampled 99 species (including 13 identified only to genus, three to family and three unknowns). Many species (61%) occurred in only one fire category (Table 4.18) and of these the majority were in the MLL fire category (37%) followed by the MLS and MSS with 10% respectively. The MLL fire category was characterised by a diverse composition of species including those associated with wet sclerophyll forest such as Trochocarpa laurina, Cryptocarya rigida, Persoonia media, Rhodamnia rubescens, Psychotria daphnoides, Dysoxylum rufum and Phyllanthus virgatus. Eight species were common to all of the fire categories (Table 4.19). These species (Lespedeza juncea, Eucalyptus eugenoides, Lotus australis, Exocarpos cupressiformis, Angophora subvelutina, Jacksonia scoparia, Allocasuarina torulosa and Eucalyptus tereticornis) were persistence through a range of fire and environmental conditions in the Gorge. These species were dominant in the common vegetation communities of the dry sclerophyll forest in the Gorge. Nearly a third of the species sampled (31%) occurred in 2-4 of the fire categories (Table 4.20). Those that occurred over four fire categories were spread over all categories with only Eucalyptus biturbinata not occurring in the lowest (MSS) fire category. Eucalyptus species 119 Chapter 4 - Fire frequency and vegetation dominated those that occurred over three fire categories, and except for E. crebra, all occurred in the MSS fire category. The majority of species occurring in just two of the fire categories had higher abundance in the fire categories associated with shorter SIFI and shorter TSLF. Table 4.18. Species sampled in the Gorge vegetation survey only occurring in one of the fire categories. Mean and SE sorted by decreasing density in the fire categories LLL = Low number of fires, long shortest inter-fire interval and long time since last fire, MLS .--z-. moderate number of fires, long shortest inter-fire interval and short time since last fire, MSS = moderate number of fires, short shortest inter-fire interval and short time since last fire and IISS = high number of fires, short shortest inter-fire interval and short time since last fire. Fire category LLL MLL MLS MSL MSS Species Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE Pittosporum 32.00 0.00 revolutum Kunzea sp. 11.00 0.00 Acacia sp.1. 6.00 0.00 Epacridaceae sp. 5.00 0.00 Phyllanthus sp. 4.00 0.00 Acacia sp.2. 1.00 0.00 Trochocarpa laurina 113.50 8.54 Cryptocarya rigida 86.00 28.46 Geijera salicifolia 64.00 0.00 Notelea sp. A 40.00 17.71 Prostanthera 30.00 0.00 lasianthos Eucalyptus 27.50 2.85 cameronii Myoporum 26.00 0.00 acuminatum Solanum 24.00 0.00 densevestitum Acacia irrorata 20.00 0.00 Zieria sp. 20.00 0.00 Elaeocarpus 17.00 0.63 reticulatus Persoonia media 17.00 3.16 Acacia falciformis 16.00 0.00 Rhodamnia 15.00 0.00 rub esc ens Atalaya silicifolia 13.00 0.00 Xanthorrhoea sp. 10.00 0.00 Eucalyptus conica 9.00 0.00 Eucalyptus 9.00 0.00 quadrangulata Pimelea latifolia 9.00 0.00 Psychotria 5.00 0.00 daphnoides Dysoxylum rufum 4.00 0.00 Phyllanthus virgatus 3.00 0.00 Goodia lotifolia 327.50 167.72 120 Chapter 4 - Fire frequency and vegetation Indigofera 238.00 0.00 adesmiifolia Acacia obtusifolia 103.00 0.00 Eucalyptus viminalis 79.00 0.00 Acacia diphylla 55.00 0.00 Senecio 54.00 0.00 amygdalifolius Myoporum sp. 40.00 0.00 Ozothamnus 34.00 0.00 diosmifolius Eucalyptus brunnea 10.00 0.00 Persoonia oleoides 10.00 0.00 Acacia nerifolia 7.00 2.31 Swainsona 5.00 0.00 galegifolia Santalum 3.00 0.00 obtusifolium Hovea sp. 2.00 0.00 Eucalyptus fastigata 1.00 0.00 Eucalyptus 13.00 0.00 sideroxylon Pimelea sp. 6.00 0.00 Eucalyptus albens 106.00 0.00 Eucalyptus 65.00 18.34 sp.(ironbark) Alxyia rucifolia 30.00 0.00 Acacia falcata 28.50 4.74 Restionaceae sp. 23.00 0.00 Eucalyptus fibrosa 12.00 0.00 Fabaceae sp. 11.00 0.00 Podolobium 11.00 0.00 ilicifolium Acacia ulicifolia 9.00 0.00 Lantana camara 7.00 0.00 Unknown sp.1. 3.00 0.00 Eucalyptus nobilis 2.00 0.00 Brachychiton populneus 1.00 0.00 subsp. populneus Persoonia sp. 1.00 0.00 Unknown sp.2. 1.00 0.00 121 Chapter 4 - Fire frequency and vegetation Table 4.19. Species sampled in the Gorge vegetation survey occurring in all fire categories. Mean and SE sorted by decreasing density in the fire categories. See Table 4.17. for fire category definitions. Fire category LLL MLL MLS MSL MSS Species Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE Allocasuarina 131.00 44.48 51.00 12.40 23.60 14.58 83.00 29.91 29.25 15.16 torulosa Jacksonia scoparia 98.00 35.27 349.00 53.76 288.25 146.84 135.00 0.00 138.20 44.82 Angophora 40.40 31.70 5.67 2.88 4.00 0.00 12.33 5.36 29.50 0.95 subvelutina Exocarpos 34.67 11.03 19.67 11.16 28.60 9.89 44.00 4.62 40.67 30.34 cupressiformis Lotus australis 32.00 0.00 5.00 0.00 34.50 17.61 5.00 0.00 18.00 0.00 Eucalyptus 28.75 11.61 51.00 0.00 43.25 13.59 30.50 11.84 9.67 2.98 tereticornis Eucalyptus 20.33 5.41 6.00 0.00 23.75 7.05 19.00 11.43 17.00 6.15 eugenioides Lespedeza juncea 12.00 1.26 9.00 0.00 55.00 27.14 17.00 0.00 8.00 0.00 Table 4.20. Species sampled in the Gorge vegetation survey occurring in 2 - 4 fire categories. Mean and SE sorted by decreasing density in the fire categories. See Table 4.17 for fire category definitions. Fire category LLL MLL MLS MSL MSS Species in 4 fire Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE categories Maytenus silvestris 254.00 0.00 50.00 21.94 20.00 3.27 20.00 0.00 Rapanea variabilis 237.00 0.00 29.00 5.77 7.00 0.00 6.00 0.63 Eucalyptus carnea 93.00 0.00 8.00 0.00 117.00 0.00 21.00 0.00 Eucalyptus crebra 29.00 5.69 21.00 0.00 11.33 5.63 2.00 0.00 Melichrus urceolatus 11.00 0.00 1.00 0.00 4.00 0.00 2.00 0.00 Persoonia sericea 8.00 3.79 24.00 0.00 8.00 0.00 7.00 0.00 Eucalyptus melliodora 7.00 0.63 4.00 0.00 7.00 0.00 12.00 0.00 Acacia melanoxylon 4.00 0.00 17.00 0.00 29.33 9.10 12.00 1.26 Hibbertia obtusifolia 4.00 0.00 12.00 2.53 11.50 3.75 13.50 6.01 Eucalyptus biturbinata 2.50 0.95 11.00 5.05 30.50 13.57 10.00 4.08 Acacia implexa 2.50 0.32 9.00 0.00 1.00 0.00 3.00 0.00 Species in 3 fire categories Eucalyptus sp.(gum) 9.00 0.00 6.00 1.26 39.00 5.06 Eucalyptus microcorys 30.00 1.90 85.00 0.00 5.50 2.21 Breynia oblongifolia 9.00 0.00 27.50 7.79 13.50 1.58 Eucalyptus amplifolia 8.00 0.00 15.00 0.00 36.50 21.19 Eucalyptus caliginosa 8.00 0.00 8.00 0.00 4.00 0.00 122 Chapter 4 - Fire frequency and vegetation Species in 2 fire categories Eucalyptus caleyi 33.00 0.00 51.00 0.00 subsp.