Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/7552
Title: Resilience of a high-conservation-value, semi-arid grassland on fertile clay soils to burning, mowing and ploughing
Contributor(s): Lewis, Tom (author); Reid, Nicholas  (author)orcid ; Clarke, Peter J  (author); Whalley, Ralph D  (author)orcid 
Publication Date: 2010
DOI: 10.1111/j.1442-9993.2009.02047.x
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/7552
Abstract: In grassland reserves, managed disturbance is often necessary to maintain plant species diversity. We carried out experiments to determine the impact of fire, kangaroo grazing, mowing and disc ploughing on grassland species richness and composition in a nature reserve in semi-arid eastern Australia. Vegetation response was influenced by winter–spring drought after establishment of the experiments, but moderate rainfall followed in late summer–autumn. Species composition varied greatly between sampling times, and the variability due to rainfall differences between seasons and years was greater than the effects of fire, kangaroo grazing, mowing or disc ploughing. In the fire experiment, species richness and composition recovered more rapidly after spring than autumn burning. Species richness and composition were similar to control sites within 12 months of burning and mowing, suggesting that removal of the dominant grass canopy is unnecessary to enhance plant diversity. Two fires (separated by 3 years) and post-fire kangaroo grazing had only minor influence on species richness and composition. Even disc ploughing caused only a small reduction in native richness. The minor impact of ploughing was explained by the small areas that were ploughed, the once-off nature of the treatment, and the high degree of natural movement and cracking in these shrink-swell soils. Recovery of the composition and richness of these grasslands was rapid because of the high proportion of perennial species that resprout vegetatively after fire and mowing. There appears to be little conservation benefit from fire, mowing or ploughing ungrazed areas, as we could identify no native plant species dependent on frequent disturbance for persistence in this grassland community. However, the ability of the 'Astrebla'- and 'Dichanthium'-dominated grasslands to recover quickly after disturbance, given favourable seasonal conditions, suggests that they are well adapted to natural disturbances (e.g. droughts, fire, flooding and native grazing).
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Austral Ecology, 35(4), p. 464-481
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia
Place of Publication: Australia
ISSN: 1442-9993
1442-9985
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 050205 Environmental Management
060202 Community Ecology (excl Invasive Species Ecology)
050202 Conservation and Biodiversity
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 960811 Sparseland, Permanent Grassland and Arid Zone Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity
961309 Remnant Vegetation and Protected Conservation Areas in Sparseland, Permanent Grassland and Arid Zone Environments
960510 Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Sparseland, Permanent Grassland and Arid Zone Environments
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article
School of Environmental and Rural Science

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