Weed invasion within a naturally frequently disturbed near shore island in eastern Australia

Abstract

We investigate the relationship between weed invasion within naturally frequently disturbed areas on Broughton Island in New South Wales, Australia. One-hundred and five 5 × 5 m plots were placed across dunal areas of the island which are favoured locations for ground nesting birds. All vascular flora was recorded and scored for percent cover along with the number of burrows, percent of area covered by burrows, level of activity, if activity was recent and the percent of bare ground. Floristic analysis highlighted two divergent vegetation assemblages one dominated predominantly by mat-forming introduced taxa and one by natives. Areas of high weed dominance were associated with apparent low current Wedge-tailed Shearwater (WTS) activity and abandoned burrows. Conclusion: Our results indicate that low growing mat-forming introduced weeds may be promoted by frequent disturbance but also pose a threat to breeding by reducing the area that can be used by WTS.