Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, 87:19–28, 2004 Vegetation and flora of a diverse upland remnant of the Western Australian wheatbelt (Nature Reserve A21064). F J Obbens1 & L W Sage2 1 C/o Western Australian Herbarium, Department of Conservation and Land Management Locked Bag 104, Bentley Delivery Centre WA 6983 [email protected] 2 Swan Coastal District, Department of Conservation and Land Management, 5 Dundebar Road, Wanneroo WA 6065 [email protected] Abstract In the Western Australian wheatbelt, small intact remnants of bushland can contribute significantly to overall biodiversity. Our comprehensive vascular flora survey of Nature Reserve A21064, a reserve of 110 hectares near the town of Arthur River, has highlighted this aspect. Comprehensive surveys of selective wheatbelt reserves provide benchmarks to help us better understand the flora and vegetation in this highly cleared and fragmented agricultural landscape. In the diverse flora of this relatively undisturbed upland remnant ten distinct plant communities encompassing heaths, herbfields, mallee and woodlands can be recognised. The survey identified 323 vascular plant taxa including one rare species, seven priority species and a number of taxa of special interest recorded from 51 families. Weeds accounted for 22 species (6.8% of total flora), however, the extent of invasion is relatively low. Keywords: Vegetation and flora survey, upland remnant, biodiversity, wheatbelt woodlands (Manuscript received January 2003; accepted December 2003) Introduction Nature Reserve A21064 is an upland bush remnant of high conservation value (i.e. “A” class nature reserve) with a diverse flora (see species list in Appendix 1). It is approximately 110 ha in area and is located about 190 km directly south-east of Perth near the town of Arthur River, Western Australia (Fig 1). The district has a dry Mediterranean type climate with very warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Average annual rainfall for the reserve is about 470 mm, which is typical of the wetter western (inner) margins of the wheatbelt. The reserve is situated at the end of an eroded and generally flattened ridgeline and its upper slopes; the ridge is the watershed between Mailling Gully to the south and a smaller unnamed tributary to the north. These streams eventually drain into the Arthur River about 7 km west of the reserve. The Arthur River and adjacent Norcott Plains also run north of the reserve, about 3 km away. The reserve is a small L-shaped remnant with the longest east-west boundary (1.9 km) roughly parallel to the ridgeline/plateau. The north- Figure 1. Location of A21064 Nature Reserve, near Arthur River, south arm of the L measures approximately 1.2 km (Fig in the south-west of Western Australia; also shown are 100 mm 2). Slopes descend gently off the ridgeline and the rainfall isohyets. predominant aspect is north or north-west. A pattern of low undulating hills/ridges with interspersed small valleys and/or plains is typical locally and is a familiar the rougher topography. Also upland areas were topography for much of this inner wheatbelt region. generally abundant in the poisonous Gastrolobium species Granite outcrops and/or lateritic breakaways are often that killed domestic stock. Alternatively, some were left found on the upper slopes or hilltops. Historically, many as ‘shade and shelter belts’. Today, very few of these upland areas were not cleared for cropping because of upland remnants have survived completely intact. Significant numbers have had a reduction in tree cover due to past logging (e.g. for timber and fence posts), © Royal Society of Western Australia 2004 insect pests, disease etc, and this has occurred in a 19 Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, 87(1), March 2004 relatively short time frame (Landsberg et al. 1990). The and confirmed in the field during 1999 and 2002. majority of these remnants are also depauperate in Classification of these vegetation communities is based understorey taxa due to selective clearing (e.g. of ‘poison on Muir (1977b). This classification assesses vegetation plants’), frequent grazing by domestic stock, changed structure by taking measures of lifeform/height class and burning regimes, nutrient enrichment, weed invasion, canopy cover/density class to produce a vegetation type. and other human influenced disturbances (Hobbs & For example, trees 15-30 m with a 10-30% canopy cover Atkins 1988; Hobbs 1993; Panetta & Hopkins 1991; Pigott were designated woodlands, while the same trees with a 1994; Yates & Hobbs 1997; Yates et al. 1999; Yates et al. canopy cover of 2-10% would be designated as open 2000). woodlands. To a significant extent this classification also The wheatbelt region as a whole has been altered from reflects the species compositional differences. a mosaic of perennial native vegetation to predominantly Additionally, brief investigations were made of the soils cleared agricultural land with fragmented small in each vegetation community. The soil surface was bushland remnants (Hobbs 1998; Scanlan et al. 1992). inspected and then shallow holes (3-5 cm depth) were A21064, which is surrounded by agricultural land, is no made to assess soil texture and colour. different. Beard (1980a) mapped the pre-existing The flora survey and collections were accomplished vegetation cover of this entire region using aerial by walking along 13 transects (10 spaced at 150 m apart photography in conjunction with a wide-ranging and 3 spaced at 100 m apart) that spanned the full width examination of the remaining bushland remnants and of the reserve in a north-south orientation. The first their preferred habitat requirements (i.e. soil, slope, transect proceeded in a southerly direction from Noble aspect, evelation etc). These vegetation maps show the Road and approximately 50 m in from the reserve’s reserve’s wider surrounding district as predominantly north-east corner. Subsequent transects crossed every York gum (Eucalyptus loxophleba) and wandoo (E. wandoo) vegetation type several times using this technique. This woodland, while several local upland areas (including transect survey was undertaken during mid/late spring A21064) are mapped as wandoo and mallet (Eucalyptus (i.e. October and November 1998). An additional 8 astringens) woodland. This is a reasonably accurate surveys were also carried out between the summer of representation, although these upland areas also contain 1998 and the spring of 2002. On these occasions a significant patches of sheoak (Allocasuarina huegeliana). ‘randomized stratified walk’ technique (Hopper et al. Approximately 20-25 km west of the reserve, wandoo 1997) was used. This method involves specimen woodland predominates, but marri (Corymbia calophylla) collections via random walks in each vegetation and jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) become more common community. The purpose of this intensive surveying was about another 20 km further westwards within Hillman to obtain a voucher specimen of each taxa and to compile and Godfrey State Forest Blocks (Smith 1974). Powder a more complete vascular flora list. bark wandoo (E. accedens) is more abundant amongst the All specimens were submitted for incorporation at the York gums around the Narrogin area, about 35 km north WA Herbarium. The species names follow the currently of the reserve (Beard 1980b). Salmon gum (E. accepted botanical binomials of WACENSUS (WA salmonophloia) tends to replace wandoo further east (25-35 Herbarium census of Western Australian vascular km), while the Beaufort River area, about 30 km south of plants), while conservation status of species is according the reserve, has a mix of wandoo, yate (E. occidentalis), to the Department of Conservation and Land teatree (Melaleuca sp.), Casuarina obesa and samphire flats Management’s (CALM) Declared Rare Flora and Priority (Beard 1980a). Overall, the district was once dominated Flora list (Atkins 2001). The authors also received by open woodlands; however, patches of heath (often invaluable information from WA Herbarium database Dryandra dominated), herbfield and mallee were also records (WAHERB and FLORABASE). The term “total relatively common. ‘Liliaceae’” refers to the number of closely related, but Flora surveys of wheatbelt remnants are sparse different new families that have been split from Liliaceae (Obbens et al. 2001). Although not intensive, Muir’s in recent years. For A21064 this includes the families (1977a) pioneering surveys of 24 wheatbelt reserves are a Anthericaceae, Boryaceae and Phormiaceae. notable exception. There are very few flora surveys of remnants from around this district, reflecting the high costs of surveying remnants within this vast wheatbelt Results region (i.e. 18 million hectares). The soon to be released Salinity Action Plan (SAP) surveys will change this Vegetation and habitat. situation. While larger remnants (i.e. >2000 ha) are Interpretation of the aerial photograph and site survey certainly important for conserving biodiversity and indicated ten major vegetation communities (Fig 2), helping to maintain many of the ecological processes of including four variants (all explained below). However, this region, this paper aims to highlight the important there is considerable variability within some contribution of smaller remnants to regional biodiversity, communities and at differing locations throughout the particularly if they remain intact. A further aim is to reserve. Additionally, there was a range of community present more botanical survey