Swainsona murrayana VU Taxonomic Authority: Wawra Global Assessment Regional Assessment Region: Global Endemic to region Synonyms Common Names Swainsona morrisian J.M.Black SLENDER DARLING-PEA English (Primary) Swainsona murrayan A.T.Lee MURRAY SWAINSON-PE English SLENDER SWAINSON English Upper Level Taxonomy Kingdom: PLANTAE Phylum: TRACHEOPHYTA Class: MAGNOLIOPSIDA Order: FABALES Family: LEGUMINOSAE Lower Level Taxonomy Rank: Infra- rank name: Plant Hybrid Subpopulation: Authority: General Information Distribution Swainsona murrayana is endemic to Australia, distributed on the western slopes and plains of New South Wales and in equivalent areas of northern and western Victoria and southern Queensland, and with an outlying population in South Australia west of Broken Hill (Thompson 1993). Range Size Elevation Biogeographic Realm Area of Occupancy: Upper limit: 450 Afrotropical Extent of Occurrence: Lower limit: 60 Antarctic Map Status: Depth Australasian Upper limit: Neotropical Lower limit: Oceanian Depth Zones Palearctic Shallow photic Bathyl Hadal Indomalayan Photic Abyssal Nearctic Population Total population size is not known. A recent survey suggests ~100 mature individuals in a population in South Australia population (MSBP 2010). In Victoria there are 28 known populations with a total with a total of 94,000 individuals occupaying 164 hectares (DSE 2003). In New South Wales, this species has been recorded in 23 separate plant communities, 16 of which have been classified as threatened, with most communities having experienced more than 50% decline and 13 communities still experiencing continuing decline (Benson 2006). Total Population Size Minimum Population Size: Maximum Population Size: Habitat and Ecology This herb often grows on heavy soils, especially in depressions associated with chenopod shrubs (Maireana spp.), wallaby-grass (Austrodanthonia spp.), and spear grass (Austrostipa spp.). Grows in a variety of vegetation types including bladder saltbush, black box and grassland communities. The species may require some disturbance, plants have been found in remnant native grasslands or grassy woodlands that have been intermittently grazed or cultivated. Plants produce winter-spring growth, flower in spring to early summer and then die back after flowering. They re-shoot readily and often carpet the landscape after good cool-season rains. Swainsona species contain a poisoning principle, swainsonine, which affects the nervous system and is toxic to stock (Department of Environment and Conservation 2005). System Movement pattern Crop Wild Relative Terrestrial Freshwater Nomadic Congregatory/Dispersive Is the species a wild relative of a crop? Marine Migratory Altitudinally migrant Life History Age at Maturity Female: Units for Age: Male: Size at Maturity (in cm) Female: Male: Longevity: Units for Longevity: Averate Reproductive Age: Units for Reproductive Age: Maximum Size (in cm): Size at Birth (in cm): Gestation Time: Units for Gestation: Generation Length: Justification: Reproductive Periodicity: Average Annual Fecundity or Litter Size: Annual Rate of Population Increase: Annual Rate of Population Increase: Natural Mortality: Growth From Definition Forb or Herb Biennial or perennial herbacaeous plant, also termed a Hemicryptophyte Threats The main identified threats to Slender Darling-pea include: grazing from domestic stock and rabbits especially in the flowering season when grazing could influence the soil seed bank and hence future abundance of the species; loss of habitat to cultivation particularly rice crops, weed invasion, increased salination, frequency of fires and urban development (Department of Environment and Conservation 2005). This species should not be burnt more frequently than once every ten years (NSW RFS 2004; Threatened Species Scientific Committee 2008). Past Present Future 1 Habitat Loss/Degradation (human induced) 1.1 Agriculture 1.1.1 Crops 1.1.4 Livestock 1.4 Infrastructure development 1.4.2 Human settlement 1.5 Invasive alien species (directly impacting habitat) 1.7 Fires 2 Invasive alien species (directly affecting the species) 2.2 Predators 7 Natural disasters 7.4 Wildfire 8 Changes in native species dynamics 8.1 Competitors 8.3 Prey/food base 10 Human disturbance 10.5 Fire Conservation Measures It is known to occur within several protected areas, most notably in Victoria it occurs in the James Barret Flora and Fauna Reserve and the Terrick Terrick National Park (with ~42,000 known individuals) (DSE 2003). This species is eligible for listing as Vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Also listed as 3VCi (Briggs and Leigh 1996), a vulnerable species with a geographic range more than 100 km2 with less than 1,000 plants known to occur within a protected area. Slender Darling-pea is also listed as threatened under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1998 (Victoria) and Vulnerable under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW), the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (Queensland), 1997 IUCN red list of threatened plants and the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 (South Australia). The seeds for this species have been collected as part of the Millennium Seed Bank project. Seeds are located at: Wakehurst Place, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (UK) and the Seed Conservation Centre, Adelaide Botanic Garden, South Australia (Australia). The distribution of this species overlaps with several EPBC Act-listed threatened ecological communities. Management actions to protect this species include: control of herbivorous pests and grazing pressure, protection of the species from further urban/agricultural development, further research on its ecology, population size and impacts from threats (Threatened Species Scientific Committee 2008; Department of Environment and Conservation 2005). In Place Needed 1 Policy-based actions 1.1 Management plans 1.1.1 Development 1.1.2 Implementation 1.2 Legislation 1.2.1 Development 1.2.1.2 National level 1.2.1.3 Sub-national level 3 Research actions 3.3 Biology and Ecology 3.4 Habitat status 3.5 Threats 4 Habitat and site-based actions 4.4 Protected areas 5 Species-based actions 5.7 Ex situ conservation actions 5.7.2 Genome resource bank Countries of Occurrence PRESENCE ORIGIN Year Breeding Non- Passage Possibly ExtinctPresence Native Introduced Re- Vagrant Origin Round Season breeding migrant extinct uncertain Introduced uncertain only season only Australia New South Wales Queensland South Australia Victoria General Habitats Score Description Major Importance 2 Savanna 1UnsetSuitable 2.1 Savanna - Dry1Unset Suitable 3 Shrubland 1UnsetSuitable 3.4 Shrubland - Temperate1Unset Suitable 4 Grassland 1UnsetSuitable 4.4 Grassland - Temperate1Unset Suitable 5 Wetlands (inland)1Unset Suitable 5.3 Wetlands (inland) - Shrub Dominated Wetlands1Unset Suitable 5.4 Wetlands (inland) - Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands1Unset Suitable 14 Artificial/Terrestrial1Unset Suitable 15 Artificial/Aquatic & Marine1Unset Suitable 15.7 Artificial/Aquatic - Irrigated Land (includes irrigation channels)1Unset Suitable 15.8 Artificial/Aquatic - Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Land1Unset Suitable Species Utilisation Species is not utilised at all Trend in the level of wild offtake/harvest in relation to total wild population numbers over the last five years: Trend in the amount of offtake/harvest produced through domestication/cultivation over the last five years: CITES status: Not listed IUCN Red Listing Red List Assessment:(using 2001 IUCN system) Vulnerable (VU) Red List Criteria: A3c Date Last Seen (only for EX, EW or Possibly EX species): Is the species Possibly Extinct? Possibly Extinct Candidate? Rationale for the Red List Assessment S. murrayana is a herb that is scattered in grassy ecosystems in seasonally inundated sites in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland. Its distribution and abundance has been much depleted by loss of habitat, in New South Wales most communities where it occurs are listed as threatened with more than a 50% of population reduction and in Victoria its total area of occupancy is 1.64 km2. The main identified threats to Slender Darling-pea include: grazing pressure, loss of habitat, weed invasion, increased salination, frequency of fires and urban development. According to the NSW Scientific Committee (2009) this species meets the IUCN criteria A3c for Vulnerable. Further research is recommended to determine total population size and impacts from threats. Recent unreported sightings suggest that this species might be relatively common especially after rain (Benson 2010 pers. comm.). Reason(s) for Change in Red List Category from the Previous Assessment: Genuine Change Nongenuine Change No Change Genuine (recent) New information Taxonomy Same category Genuine (since first assessment) Knowledge of Criteria Criteria Revisio and criteria Incorrect data used Other Same category but previously change in criteria Current Population Trend: Decreasing Date of Assessment: 31/08/2010 Name(s) of the Assessor(s): Malcolm, P. Evaluator(s): Notes: % population decline in the past: Time period over which the past decline has been measured for applying Criterion A or C1 (in years or generations): % population decline in the future: Time period over which the future decline has been measured for applying Criterion A or C1 (in years or generations): Number of Locations: Severely Fragmented: Number of Mature Individuals: