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https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/4444
Title: | What drives plant biodiversity in the clay floodplain grasslands of NSW? | Contributor(s): | Lewis, Tom (author); Clarke, Peter J (author); Whalley, Ralph D (author); Reid, Nicholas (author)![]() |
Publication Date: | 2009 | DOI: | 10.1071/RJ08056 | Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/4444 | Abstract: | An assessment of the relative influences of management and environment on the composition of floodplain grasslands of north-western New South Wales was made using a regional vegetation survey sampling a range of land tenures (e.g. private property, travelling stock routes and nature reserves). A Total of 364 taxa belonging to 55 different plant families was recorded. Partitioning of variance with redundancy analysis determined that environmental variables accounted for a greater proportion (61.3%) of the explained variance in species composition than disturbance-related variables (37.6%). Soil type (and fertility), sampling time and rainfall had a strong influence on species composition and there were also east–west variations in composition across the region. Of the disturbance-related variables, cultivation, stocking rate and flooding frequency were all influential. Total, native, forb, shrub and subshrub richness were positively correlated with increasing time since cultivation. Flood frequency was positively correlated with graminoid species richness and was negatively correlated with total and forb species richness. Site species richness was also influenced by environmental variables (e.g. soil type and rainfall). Despite the resilience of these grasslands, some forms of severe disturbance (e.g. several years of cultivation) can result in removal of some dominant perennial grasses (e.g. 'Astrebla' spp.) and an increase in disturbance specialists. A Simple heuristic transitional model is proposed that has conceptual thresholds for plant biodiversity status. This knowledge representation may be used to assist in the management of these grasslands by defining four broad levels of community richness and the drivers that change this status. | Publication Type: | Journal Article | Source of Publication: | The Rangeland Journal, 31(3), p. 329-351 | Publisher: | CSIRO Publishing | Place of Publication: | Australia | ISSN: | 1834-7541 1036-9872 |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: | 050209 Natural Resource Management 070301 Agro-ecosystem Function and Prediction 050205 Environmental Management |
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: | 960510 Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Sparseland, Permanent Grassland and Arid Zone Environments 960811 Sparseland, Permanent Grassland and Arid Zone Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity 960503 Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Farmland, Arable Cropland and Permanent Cropland Environments |
Peer Reviewed: | Yes | HERDC Category Description: | C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal |
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Appears in Collections: | Journal Article School of Environmental and Rural Science |
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