1 COASTAL UPLAND SWAMPS IN THE SYDNEY BASIN BIOREGION: DRAFT 2 DESCRIPTION 3 4 Description 5 The Coastal Upland Swamps in the Sydney Basin Bioregion includes a range of vegetation and 6 fauna associated with periodically waterlogged soils on the Hawkesbury sandstone plateaus. 7 Vegetation types include open graminoid heath, sedgeland and tall scrub. This ecological 8 community, proposed for national listing under the Commonwealth Environment Protection 9 and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, is based on the NSW listed community of the same 10 name. Information regarding the NSW ecological community can be found at: 11 http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/determinations/coastaluplandswampfd.htm 12 13 Name of the ecological community 14 Coastal Upland Swamps in the Sydney Basin Bioregion 15 16 Location and physical environment 17 The Coastal Upland Swamps in the Sydney Basin Bioregion ecological community is endemic 18 to NSW, within the eastern Sydney Basin. 19 In the south the community occurs on the Woronora plateau, in the north it occurs on the 20 Somersby-Hornsby plateaus. The southern part of this distribution is separated from the north 21 by an area of non-sandstone substrates, less rainfall and lower elevation, and by the urban 22 development of Sydney. 23 Geology 24 The community occurs primarily on impermeable sandstone plateaus in the headwater valleys 25 of streams and on sandstone benches with abundant seepage moisture (Buchanan, 1980; 26 Young, 1986; Keith and Myerscough, 1993; Keith et al. 2006 in NSW Scientific Committee, 27 2012). They are occasionally associated with weathered shale lenses and ironstone (Buchanan, 28 1980; Keith 1994 in NSW Scientific Committee, 2012). While the majority of swamps occur 29 within 200-450m above sea level, elevation varies from about 20m to around 600m. Soils are 30 acidic and vary from yellow or grey mineral sandy loams with shallow organic horizon to 31 highly organic spongy black peats with pallid subsoils (NSW Scientific Committee, 2012). 32 Hydrology 33 There are strong hydrological controls on the distribution of the Coastal Upland Swamps 34 ecological community, both regionally and locally. Development of the swamps is driven by 35 positive feedbacks that operate when there is significant excess of precipitation over 36 evaporation. This, along with high run-on from catchments and low rates of percolation and 37 run-off, promotes soil water logging (Young 1982, 1986 in NSW Scientific Committee, 2012). 38 Lateral transportation and deposition of sediment via overland flows lead to the choking of 39 headwater valleys, impeding drainage. Higher levels of soil moisture lead to increased density 40 of ground cover, trapping more sediment, further impeding drainage and killing trees that are 41 unable to tolerate raised water tables (NSW Scientific Committee, 2012). 42 Climate 43 The ecological community shows a strong relationship to climatic gradient, reaching its 44 greatest development on the central portion of the Woronora plateau. The Illawarra escarpment 45 produces orographic rainfall and fogs (i.e. rainfall and fogs produced when moist air is lifted as 46 it moves over a mountain range), and enhanced cloud cover, which in turn reduces evaporation 1 (NSW Scientific Committee, 2012). The orographic climatic effects rapidly diminish with 2 distance inland from the escarpment and the occurrence of swamps is much reduced on the 3 western third of the plateau (NSW Scientific Committee, 2012). 4 5 Vegetation 6 The Coastal Upland Swamps ecological community is characterised by highly diverse and 7 variable mosaics of vegetation depending on soil condition, size of the site, recent rainfall 8 conditions, fire regimes and disturbance history (NSW Scientific Committee, 2012). More than 9 170 species of vascular plants species were recorded by Keith and Myerscough (1993) within 10 the Coastal Upland Swamps within the O’Hares Creek catchment alone, with the total for the 11 community likely to exceed 200 species (NSW Scientific Committee, 2012). An indicative list 12 of vascular plant species is included at Table 1. The community also includes micro-organisms, 13 fungi, and cryptogamic plants (i.e. plants such as ferns, mosses and algae that reproduce with 14 spores rather than flowers and seeds) (NSW Scientific Committee, 2012). 15 Larger swamps may include a range of structural forms which include tall open scrubs, tall 16 closed scrubs, closed heaths, open graminoid (grassy) heaths, sedgelands and fernlands. 17 Smaller swamps are more typically characterised by open graminoid heaths and/or sedgelands, 18 but may include tall scrubs (NSW Scientific Committee, 2012). 19 20 Table 1: Characteristic plant species (NSW Scientific Committee, 2012) Vegetation Listing status Scientific name Common name type EPBC NSW herb Actinotus minor Lesser Flannel-flower shrub Almaleea paludosa shrub Baeckea imbricata shrub Baeckea linifolia Swamp Baeckea shrub Banksia ericifolia Golden Banksia, Heath-leaved Banksia, Heath Banksia shrub Banksia oblongifolia Dwarf Banksia, Fern-leaved Banksia, Wallum Banksia shrub Banksia robur Eastern Swamp Banksia, Swamp Banksia, Broad-leaved Banksia, Large-leaf Banksia, Large-leaved Wallum shrub Bauera microphylla Dog Rose sedge Baumea acuta sedge Baumea teretifolia Twigrush herb Blandfordia nobilis Christmas Bells herb or low Boronia parviflora Swamp Boronia, Small Boronia, Tiny shrub Boronia, Small-flowered Boronia herb Burchardia umbellata Milkmaids twiner Cassytha glabella Dodder Laurel, Devil's Twine, Dodder sedge Chorizandra Roundhead Bristle-sedge sphaerocephala shrub Cryptandra ericoides subshrub Dampiera stricta shrub Dillwynia floribunda Showy Parrot Pea herb Drosera binata Forked Sundew herb Drosera spathulata sedge Empodisma minus Spreading Rope Rush grass Entolasia stricta Wiry Panic shrub Epacris microphylla Coral Heath shrub Epacris obtusifolia shrub Epacris paludosa Swamp Heath 2 Vegetation Listing status Scientific name Common name type EPBC NSW herb Eurychorda complanata sedge Gahnia sieberiana Sword Grass, Sawsedge fern Gleichenia microphylla Scrambling Coral-fern, Coral-fern, Umbrella Fern herb Gonocarpus micranthus Creeping Raspwort herb Gonocarpus salsoloides herb Gonocarpus tetragynus herb Goodenia dimorpha shrub Grevillea oleoides Red spider flower shrub Grevillea parviflora Small-flower Grevillea sedge Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus herb Haemodorum Bloodroot corymbosum shrub Hakea teretifolia Dagger Hakea, Narrow-fruited Needlebush shrub Hibbertia serpyllifolia Hairy Guinea Flower herb Leptocarpus tenax sedge Lepidosperma limicolum grass Lepidosperma neesii shrub Leptospermum Mountain Tea-tree, Woolly Tea-tree grandiflorum shrub Leptospermum Prickly Tea-tree, Juniperinum Tea-tree juniperinum shrub Leptospermum Pink Teatree, Peach Blossom Teatree squarrosum herb Lepyrodia scariosa fern Lindsaea linearis Screw Fern, Necklace Fern shrub or Melaleuca squarrosa Scented Paperbark small tree shrub Mirbelia rubiifolia Heathy Mirbelia herb Mitrasacme polymorpha subshrub Opercularia varia Variable Stinkweed shrub Petrophile pulchella Conesticks grass Plinthanthesis Wiry Wallaby-grass paradoxa grass Ptilothrix deusta shrub Pultenaea aristata Bearded Bush-pea v v sedge Schoenus brevifolius Zig-zag Bog-rush sedge Schoenus lepidosperma Slender Bog Sedge subsp.pachylepis sedge Schoenus paludosus herb Selaginella uliginosa Swamp Selaginella, Swamp Clubmoss herb Sowerbaea juncea Rush Lily, Vanilla Plant, Chocolate Flower, Chocolate Lily shrub Sphaerolobium Leafless Globe-pea vimineum shrub Sprengelia incarnata Pink Swamp-heath herb Stackhousia nuda herb Stylidium lineare Narrow-leaved Triggerplant subshrub Symphionema paludosum grass Tetraria capillaris grass Tetrarrhena turfosa herb Thysanotus juncifolius Branching Fringe Lily shrub Viminaria juncea Golden Spray, Native Broom 3 Vegetation Listing status Scientific name Common name type EPBC NSW grass-tree Xanthorrhoea resinosa subshrub Xanthosia tridentata Rock Xanthosia herb Xyris gracilis subsp. laxa herb Xyris juncea Dwarf Yellow-eye herb Xyris operculata Tall Yellow-eye 1 v: vulnerable. 2 3 Fauna 4 The ecological community provides habitat to a wide variety of birds, mammals, amphibians, 5 reptiles and invertebrates (Table 2). The Australian crayfish, hairy crayfish and Sydney crayfish 6 are abundant (NSW Scientific Committee, 2012). Stygofauna (fauna that live in groundwater 7 systems or aquifers) are abundant and exhibit high levels of local endemism (Hose 2008, 2009 8 in NSW Scientific Committee, 2012). A number of threatened frogs have been recorded as 9 occurring within the community including the nationally threatened green and gold bell frog 10 (Litora aurea) and the giant burrowing frog (Heleiporus australiacus) (NSW Scientific 11 Committee, 2012). The community also provides habitat for the NSW listed giant dragonfly 12 (Petalura gigantean), which is now uncommon in coastal regions (NSW Scientific Committee, 13 2012). 14 Table 2: Typical species found in Coastal Upland Swamp habitat. (NSW Scientific 15 Committee, 2012) Scientific name Common name Listing status EPBC NSW mammals Wallabia bicolor Swamp wallaby Antechinus stuartii Brown antechinus Rattus lutreolus Swamp rat birds Phylidonyris New Holland honeyeater novaehollandiae Stipiturus malachurus Southern Emu-wren Rhipidura albiscarpa Grey fantail Stagonopleura bella Beautiful firetail Pezoporus wallicus Eastern ground parrot v wallicus amphibians Heleiporus australiacus Giant burrowing frog v v Pseudophryne austalis Red-crowned toadlet