bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Recolonization by ants of rehabilitated mineral sand mines on North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, with particular reference to seed removal
Authors: MAJER J. D. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe ant fauna of 12 sand‐mined plots representing a range of rehabilitation ages and three undisturbed vegetation controls was surveyed during 1982. Physical and botanical parameters were also measured in each plot.Sixty‐four ant species were collected from the 15 study plots, of which 44 had colonized one or more of the mined plots. Ant recolonization proceeded rapidly in plots up to 6 years old and may have been influenced by the passage of time, plant cover, density and diversity variables, the amount of litter and by the paucity of logs. In terms of ant species composition, the mined plots were most different from the undisturbed areas. The older plots exhibited a lower ant species richness and this is believed to have resulted from interspecific competition with the tramp ant, Pheidole megacephala. Ant succession proceeded in a slower fashion in the plots dominated by P megacephala.The influence of ants on seeds applied during broadcast seeding of rehabilitated areas was also investigated. Seed removal by ants was greatest for the arillate seeds of Acacia concurrens but moderate quantities of Allocasuarina spp., Eucalyptus spp. Xanthorrhoea sp. and Banksia spp. were taken also.Seed removal by ants was low in the areas which had recently had topsoil applied except where ants foraged from adjacent rehabilitation areas; here they exerted their influence up to 50 m across the fresh topsoil. Seed removal rates in topsoil adjacent to forest were low. Removal rates in a revegetated area 2.5 years old approached those in forest. This indicates that the previous ant‐seed relationship had been partially restored by this time, although the relative contribution of seed harvesters and elaiosome collectors still needs to be assessed.
Existence of a soil seed bank under rainforest in New Guinea
Authors: ENRIGHT NEAL 
Published: July 2006

AbstractA germination experiment indicated the existence of viable buried seed of early secondary species under well‐developed rainforest near Bulolo, Papua New Guinea. The seed bank was dominated numerically by the secondary tree species, Pipturus argenteus, this dominance increasing with depth. The same species was found to germinate most rapidly and to dominate developing plant cover in seed trays.
The distribution and abundance of the Portuguese millipede Ommatoiulus moreletii (Diplopoda: Iulidae) in Australia
Authors: BAKER G. H. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe Portuguese millipede Ommatoiulus moreletii is widespread in South Australia, well‐established in Victoria and Tasmania and has recently been found in Perth. Western Australia. It is predicted that this millipede will eventually occur in pest numbers in large areas of southern Australia.Within South Australia, O. moreletii initially erupts in very large numbers following invasion of a new area, then declines to a lower abundance. The decrease in abundance may be caused by a shortage of food.There was no evidence to suggest changes in the sex ratio, age distribution or percentage maturity of O. moreletii following invasion. However, millipedes in newly‐invaded areas were larger (and therefore more fecund in the case of females) than those in older populations.There was no evidence that O. moreletii is competing with native millipedes in South Australia. Three to four years after a bushfire in a Eucalyptus woodland, there was no difference between the numbers of O. moreletii in burnt and unburnt areas.
Effects of nutrient level on thinning and non‐thinning crowding in even‐aged populations of subterranean clover
Authors: MORRIS E. C. , MYERSCOUGH P. J. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractPopulations of subterranean clover were used to examine the effect of lowering nutrient supply on crowding in even‐aged monospecific populations. Two hypotheses were being tested. Under one, termed ‘altered‐speed’, reducing the nutrient supply to populations merely slows down the crowding process. Under the other, called ‘altered‐form’, reducing the nutrient supply intensifies the crowding process (Morris & Myerscough 1984).The populations were grown at eight densities of sowing and three levels of nutrient supply. Non‐thinning yield‐density curves and self‐thinning lines were fitted to the data. For the thinning populations, reducing the nutrient supply led to altered‐form crowding, with thinning lines of reduced slope and intercept for total and shoot weight being observed in populations grown at lower levels of nutrient supply. For the non‐thinning yield‐density curves, lowering the nutrient supply did alter crowding effects, but not to the extent necessary to give full altered‐form crowding. Rather, crowding effects intermediate between altered‐speed and altered‐form were observed. No altered‐speed crowding was observed in this experiment.Comparison was made between the altered‐speed crowding observed in other data (Hozumi & Ueno 1954: White & Harper 1970) with the altered‐form crowding observed here and elsewhere (Hozumi & Ueno 1954). In these data, altered‐form crowding was consistently associated with an increase in the proportion of root in the plants' growth as nutrient level was reduced, while in altered‐speed crowding there was a complete lack of any such nutrient effect on root‐shoot proportion. This was taken as evidence that under altered‐speed crowding, variations in the level of nutrient supply did not lead to major change in the way that plants interfered with each other. For altered‐form crowding, major change in the way plants interfered with each other's growth did occur as nutrient level fell.
Do pollinators influence seed‐set inBanksia paludosaSm. andBanksia spinulosaR. Br.?
Authors: WHELAN ROBERT J. , GOLDINGAY ROSS L. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe consequences of observed variations in pollinator activity for plant reproduction depend on the breeding system of the plant and also on whether pollination is a resource in short supply. These factors are frequently assumed rather than tested. In bagging experiments withBanksia paludosain heath andB. spinulosavar.spinulosain woodland, the present study demonstrated that seed‐set does not occur by autogamy and that pollinators are indeed necessary. Experimental addition of outcrossed pollen to inflorescences failed to produce any increase in the mean number of seeds per inflorescence, measured for non‐barren inflorescences, for either species. However, inB. paludosa, the addition of pollen increased the numbers of inflorescences that set seed from 20% (controls) to 45% (pollen‐added treatment). This suggests either unusual patterns of pollen movement among and within plants or control of the pattern of seed‐set within a plant. Pollen additions failed to alter seed‐set inB. spinulosa.It is possible that a greater abundance of pollinators in the woodland ensures adequate pollination for these plants
Aspects of the dynamics of the seed‐banks and seedling populations of Acacia victoriae and Cassia spp. in arid western New South Wales
Authors: GRICE A. C. , WESTOBY MARK 
Published: July 2006

AbstractAcacia victoriae, Cassia nemophila and C. phyllodinea are shrubs which occur throughout large areas of arid and semi‐arid Australia. This paper examines aspects of the dynamics of the seed‐banks and seedling populations of these plants to determine their influence upon recruitment frequency. Seed‐banks in the soil are large, ranging from 50 to 3900 seeds m‐2for A. victoriae and from 5 to 400 seeds m‐2for Cassia spp. A large proportion (ca. 80%) of these seeds are viable. Seedling densities soon after emergence range up to 25.7 m‐2for A. victoriae and up to 21.7 m‐2for Cassia spp. Any individual cohort of seedlings represents only a small proportion (< 6%) of the total seed‐bank. Most viable seeds fail to germinate even when adequate moisture is available. Seedling mortality rates are high (ca. 100%) during the first 12 months after germination. If recruitment of these shrubs is intermittent, it is most likely a result of low seedling survival rather than infrequent germination.
The effect of fire frequency on the sclerophyll vegetation of the West Head, New South Wales
Authors: NIEUWENHUIS A. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe effect of fire frequency on the relative abundance of obligate‐seeders and vegetative‐regenerators was studied in 15 pairs of sites on the West Head, NSW. Each site pair consisted of a site which had been burnt frequently over the past 20 years and a nearby site which had been burnt less frequently. The data were collected in two phases. First, the relative abundance of the two overall groups of vegetative‐regenerators and obligate‐seeders was recorded by measuring the projective cover of live foliage. The presence or absence of particular species was then measured. For all the site pairs the projective cover of live foliage of obligate‐seeders was dramatically less in the frequently burnt sites. Some obligate‐seeder shrub species were absent from frequently burnt sites and the vegetation structure was simplified. In 11 of the 15 site pairs there was an increase in the projective cover of live foliage of vegetative‐regenerators in the frequently burnt sites, while in the remaining four site pairs there were no significant differences between the infrequently and frequently burnt sites. Overall, the increases in the relative abundance of vegetative‐regenerators made by high fire frequencies were not as large as the decreases in the relative abundance of obligate‐seeders.
The soil seed bank of Triodia basedowii in relation to time since fire
Authors: WESTOBY MARK , RICE BARBARA , GRIFFIN GRAHAM , FRIEDEL MARGARET 
Published: July 2006

Abstract Triodia basedowii seeds were found almost exclusively within Triodia hummocks, both in the centres and under the edges. Averaged over the whole ground surface, live seed densities in soil and litter were 85‐263 m−2 in stands which had been burnt 9 and > 35 years previously. These live seeds comprised only 56% of all filled grains, and in turn filled grains were present in only about 6% of all fruits. Thus > 4% of fruits contained live seeds. A site burnt 1 year previously had about 35 live seeds m−2 still ungerminated, but at sites burnt 3 years previously none of the pre‐fire seed bank was alive. After fire, juvenile plants were found predominantly around the edges of where hummocks had been before the fire, suggesting that seeds survive fires better around the edges.
Feral pig rooting in a mountain forest and woodland: Distribution, abundance and relationships with environmental variables
Authors: HONE JIM 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe distribution, abundance and relationships with environmental variables of feral pig rooting were investigated in a mountain forest and woodland in south‐east Australia. Feral pig rooting occurred in 27 of 29, 1/km2 grids and the observed feral pig density was I/km2. A significant correlation occurred between the frequencies of plots with pig rooting and plots with pig dung. The frequency of feral rooting was significantly correlated with altitude, and with the frequency of rocks, drainage lines, and vegetation type. The occurrence of pig rooting was accurately predicted in 13 km2 by a power series function. A model of the dynamics of feral pig rooting during an eruptive fluctuation was formulated.
Spatial analysis of vegetation patterns in southern Western Australia: implications for reserve design
Authors: BURGMAN MARK A. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractSpatial analysis of vegetation and soil data collected from 64 sites in southern Western Australia suggests that both soil characteristics and geographic distance between sites are important predictors of the floristic resemblance of sites on a regional scale. These two factors are largely independent, a finding that may reflect recent, rapid speciation in the study area postulated in other studies. Spatial patterns of plant guilds suggest geographic replacement, and contingent exclusion may be an important mechanism maintaining species‐richness. Existing soil and vegetation maps used to delineate reserve boundaries are found to be accurate, although the soil maps include information on vegetation patterns, independent of information on soil patterns. Within broad vegetation formations, there is some correlation of floristics in mallee stands with soil characteristics. Ordination analysis indicates a soil moisture/nutrient axis. In contrast, there are few important correlations of floristics with soil characters in kwongan (sand heath) or halophytic vegetation. Geographic distance between sites is a much more important factor. The absence of edaphic correlations implies that the observed geographic replacement of species between sites is a historical legacy, the result of recent, rapid speciation in the spatially patchy environment. It is concluded that if reserves in the region are to conserve the flora, especially rare species, the reserve system should include replicates of stands within the same broad formations and soil types at intervals less than 15 km, the minimum scale of resolution of this study.
The phenology of Onitis alexis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in the Araluen Valley: Survival in a marginal environment
Authors: TYNDALE‐BISCOE MARINA 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe introduced African dung beetle, Onitis alexis Klug, has become established in the warmer regions of Australia. The south‐eastern limit of its current distribution is Moruya, NSW, and the Araluen Valley 50 km inland. At Araluen newly emerged beetles are present in dung in late spring, summer and autumn. Egg‐laying starts 1‐2 weeks after emergence and continues throughout the summer and autumn, as indicated by the presence of parous females in the population and of broods under experimental pads. Eggs laid in December/January produce adults in late summer and autumn, those laid from February to April produce adults in the following spring and summer.In the laboratory, mortality of larvae is high in cold (0–16°C), wet conditions and their development is delayed in warm (25°C and 27°C), dry conditions. This delay was confirmed in the field during the summer drought of 1982‐83 when predicted times of emergence (based on day‐degree summation in the soil) always preceded the observed emergence time of the local population, as well as preceding the emergence of beetles developing from eggs laid at known times.Follicle resorption in adult females was related directly to increasing age and to rainfall. Dung collected from hayed‐off pasture did not affect fecundity, but caused larval mortality. Adults survived the winters at Araluen in some years, and immatures survived best during dry winters, being facilitated in this by a cold‐induced larval diapause. Onitis alexis larvae can survive wet or dry summers, and cold dry winters (down to about 0°C) but not wet winters. This seems to be the major factor limiting the southern distribution of the species.
Effects of hazard‐reduction burning on populations of understorey plant species on Hawkesbury sandstone
Authors: CLARK STEPHEN S. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractDensity counts were taken for 37 plant species on 12 plots which were assigned to three treatments: spring burn, autumn burn, and control. Post‐fire sampling was carried out at intervals of up to 6 years when a second fire treatment was applied, followed by further sampling at 1 year.Most pre‐fire species returned by 12 months after fire. Initial recovery was slower on the autumn burn plots and these were surpassed after 12 months by the spring burn plots which remained significantly more diverse until 6 years after fire when the treatments converged. The second fire led to further loss of species, especially on the autumn burn plots. Overall, numbers of individuals were lower in the post‐fire community and did not fully recover during the 6 years before the second fire.Of the 37 species followed over the study period, eight had population numbers consistently below pre‐fire values, seven showed better recovery on the autumn burn plots, eight showed better recovery on the spring burn plots, and fourteen had population numbers equal to or greater than pre‐fire values.Most of the species not fully recovering had relatively poor survival rates. The better recovery rate of species on the autumn burn plots was attributable to better recruitment while the species recovering on the spring burn plots showed better survival and recruitment. The species increasing their numbers after the fire did so through good recruitment or survival, or both.For some species post‐fire rainfall or temperature was significantly correlated with greater post‐fire recruitment; others were more strongly affected by the treatment itself or more directly by the somewhat different fire intensities in spring and autumn, the differences in soil and litter moisture content, or seasonal variations in soil seed populations.
Fire studies in mallee (Eucalyptus spp.) communities of western New South Wales: The effects of fires applied in different seasons on herbage productivity and their implications for management
Authors: NOBLE J. C. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe post‐fire development of herbaceous understoreys of Tnodia/mallee burnt in different seasons was studied over a 3 year period in south‐western New South Wales, Australia. Near Pooncarie, NSW, a 3 year sequence of above‐average rainfall immediately following burning in either the spring, autumn or winter resulted in a substantial increase in species richness and herbage dry matter production. Plots burnt in the spring produced significantly more dry matter than either the autumn or the winter‐burnt plots but only in the first growing season after burning. Some species such as Haloragis odontocarpa behaved as ephemerals, being abundant in the first post‐fire season, particularly after spring fire, before becoming inconspicuous. Short‐lived grasses, such as Stipa species, then became relatively abundant except during drought. Other experiments confirmed the potential of fire to increase herbage diversity and productivity when there was adequate rainfall. During drought, post‐fire herbage production was low and the dominant perennials, viz. mallee Eucalyptus and Triodia irritans, regenerated at the expense of the herbs. There was a strong negative correlation between combined mallee and Triodia cover and total herbage cover over time. Seedling recruitment of Triodia irritans was significantly higher on plots burnt in the spring at Pooncarie.
Lerp‐feeding in birds: A smorgasbord experiment
Authors: WOINARSKI J. C. Z. , CULLEN J. M. , HULL C. , NAYUDU R. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractLerps from three species of psyllids were presented to recently‐caught wild birds. A total of 187 birds of 29 species was tested, each for a 20 min period. In most trials some lerps were eaten. Lerps of Glycaspis fuscovena were favoured by 21 of 22 bird species which ate lerps in the trials. Almost all lerps of Creiis ?corniculata were left uneaten. The percentage consumption of lerps of Lasiopsylla striatus was intermediate. This ordering is consistent with biomass and concentration of soluble sugars, though it is the reverse of the order for protein content. There was significant variation between bird species in the number of lerps eaten, with the best performers being thornbills, Weebill, pardalotes. Rufous Whistler, and White‐eared, Brown‐headed and Fuscous Honeyeaters. In most cases, associated with the detachment of the covering lerp, the psyllid nymph sheltering underneath was eaten also. This varied substantially between bird species and the nymph itself was probably an unimportant object of foraging. Most bird species ate a higher proportion of large (>2 mm long) than of small (< 2 mm) lerps; this was so especially for birds with relatively broad bills.
An example of ant‐assisted plant invasion
Authors: SMITH J. M. B. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractAt a site near Armidale, New South Wales, Australia, unplanted individuals of two plant species not native to the region (Grevillea rosmarinifolia and Viola odorata) grow predominantly within 5 m of a nest of the ant Iridomyrmex purpureus, which is situated 40–50 m from planted, parent individuals. Seeds of both species, but not of two other plant species (Dianthus barbatus. Nigella damascena) not growing near the nest, were shown to be attractive to ants. Marked seeds of V. odorata were observed being carried into the I. purpureus nest, and some (with most of the elaiosome removed) were later discarded by ants from the nest. Plant invasion apparently is being facilitated by myrmecochory.
Pollen analysis and dynamics of a peat deposit in Carnarvon National Park, central Queensland
Authors: BELL C. J. E. , FINLAYSON B. L. , KERSHAW A. P. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractA peat deposit within the valley of Louisa Creek in the central highlands of Queensland formed because the valley is incised below the water table in the Precipice Sandstone, an important Jurassic aquifer in the Great Artesian Basin. Peat growth appears to have been rapid, reaching a maximum depth of some 4 m in 1000 years. The pollen record preserved in the peat indicates that the vegetation communities have not altered over this period except for recent modifications perhaps attributable to increased salinity and the influence of cattle grazing. Both the Louisa Creek peat and the floodplain sediments on the Nogoa River downstream testify to a dynamic geomorphic environment. The geomorphic setting and the location of this site on the dry‐subhumid/semi‐arid boundary in Queensland, suggest that minor climatic shifts have had a substantial environmental impact leading to alternating conditions of scour and fill of valley sediments.
The response of Mitchell grasses (Astrebla spp.) and Button grass (Dactyloctenium radulans (R. Br.)) to rainfall and their importance to the survival of the Australian plague locust, Chortoicetes terminifera (Walker), in the arid zone
Authors: HUNTER D. M. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe environmental conditions that allow the growth of Barley Mitchell grass, Astrebla pectinata, and the development of the Australian plague locust, Chortoicetes terminifera, are similar. A single fall of more than 20 mm rain and a mean monthly maximum temperature above 23°C ensures sustained growth of Barley Mitchell grass and hatching of eggs of the Australian plague locust. Curly Mitchell grass, Astrebla lappacea, is found in heavier clay soils and requires about 40 mm to respond. Both Mitchell grasses normally remain green for about 2 months after rain which is slightly longer than the duration of locust development to the adult stage. As a result, locusts in Mitchell grass areas can complete their development to migration and laying on a single substantial fall of rain: an adaptation of critical importance in the arid zone where follow‐up rain is unlikely.Under similar circumstances, ephemerals like Button grass, Dactyloctenium radulans, are dry in approximately 6 weeks. The locusts are usually at the late nymphal stage by this time and even though Mitchell grass is still quite green, nymphal growth is retarded, resulting in adults which are smaller than normal. These adults are able to accumulate the fat needed for migration by feeding on the dry green Mitchell grasses. In the absence of dry green or green Mitchell grass, the locusts persist locally and die without laying unless there is further rain.