Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00045:body:0:p9
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00045
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Character Range: 22796–25808

These include the nationally endangered Alpine she-oak skink (Cyclodomorphus praealtus), the Alpine water skink (Eulamprus kosciuskoi) and the Alpine bog skink (Pseudomoia cryodroma), which are listed critically endangered and endangered respectively under the Advisory List of Threatened Vertebrate fauna (VDSE, 2013) in Victoria.

The ecological community also supports the Alpine spiny crayfish (Euastacus crassus), listed as threatened in Victoria, and a number of species of native galaxiid fish, including the nationally endangered Barred galaxias (Galaxias fuscus).

Pseudophryne corroboree (Southern Corroboree Frog) ©Steve Wilson

2.4 Ecology (including hydrology)

As the name suggests, Sphagnum spp. are an integral component of the ecological community. While tolerant of very low nutrient (oligotrophic) conditions, Sphagnum maintains a very acidic pH level (3.5-4.5) that limits the range of taxa that can survive in the ecological community (Hope et al., 2012). Low temperatures, permanent water, and potentially long periods of snow cover each year also influence the occurrence of the ecological community and the specialised flora and fauna it is composed of.

Sphagnum, along with Empodisma minus, contributes considerably to peat formation in bogs in the southern hemisphere, with many bogs forming on Sphagnum derived peat (Agnew et al., 1993; Whinam et al., 2003). Like peat, Sphagnum has a significant water holding capacity, which may be important in modulating water flow and maintaining the hydrology of surrounding vegetation (Ashton and Williams, 1989). The manner in which bog and fen communities gradually regulate water from the spring snow melt may also be important to the survival of numerous other ecological communities (Good, 1992).

The ecological community is maintained by summer groundwater rather than winter climatic regimes (Good, 1998). Although the snowpack is important for slow release of water into the bogs throughout the spring and summer thaw, snow cover itself is not a required factor in their ecology. The snow pack may assist in protecting the community during the snow-covered period from intense winds, eroding rains and solar radiation. It is these factors that have partly allowed the community to evolve into the topographic environments or macrogradients in which they now occur (Good, 1998).

The importance of bogs in the catchment hydrology of the Australian Alps has long been recognised and studies continue to investigate the importance of peat in influencing hydrological processes (Grover et al., 2012). Bogs and fens rely on groundwater baseflows, which can vary depending on the position of the bog within the landscape. Bogs are sensitive to changes to groundwater flows or discharge, which may result from a range of activities (Grover and Baldock, 2010; 2012).

If the bogs and fens become damaged, their water holding capacity is frequently reduced or destroyed as a result of erosion and channelling (Ashton and Williams, 1989; Wahren