Differing responses to landscape change: implications for small mammal assemblages in forest fragments

Human modification of landscapes typically results in many species being confined to small, isolated and degraded habitat fragments. While fragment size and isolation underpin many studies of modified landscapes, vegetation characteristics are less frequently incorporated. The relative influence of biogeographic (e.g. size, isolation) and vegetation parameters on assemblages is poorly understood, but critical for conservation management. In this study, a multiple hypothesis testing framework was used to determine the relative importance of biogeographic and vegetation parameters in explaining the occurrence of an assemblage of small mammals in 48 forest fragments in an agricultural landscape in south-eastern Australia. Fragment size and vegetation characteristics were consistently important predictors of occurrence across species. In contrast, fragment isolation was important for just one native species. Differing abilities of species to move through the landscape provide a reasonable explanation for these results. We conclude that for effective conservation of assemblages, it is important to: (1) consider differing responses of species to landscape change, and (2) move beyond a focus primarily on spatial attributes (size, isolation) to recognise that landscape change also has profound effects on habitat composition and quality.     

Response of fringing vegetation to flooding and discharge of hypersaline water at Lake Austin,Western Australia

Patterns and dynamics of the salt marsh vegetation that surrounds many of the salt lake systems of arid/semi-arid Australia are poorly known. Lake Austin is a very large salt lake with extensive areas of fringing salt marsh; it is located in the arid Yilgarn Region of Western Australia. In this study, the changes in this vegetation over a 4-year period (1998–2002), during which both a major flooding event and addition of hypersaline groundwater from a nearby mining operation occurred, are reported. The monitoring program, based on Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) principles, was designed to detect impacts of discharging hypersaline water into the lake; however, the flooding event, the result of above average rainfall in early 2000, complicated the results. The rains of 2000 and subsequent inundation of the vegetation immediately fringing the lake bed and major inlet channels resulted in dramatic changes to the species composition of annual and short-lived species and growth of perennial species. Flooding resulted in substantial death and damage to perennial shrubs (particularly Halosarcia fimbriata) due most likely to a combination of several weeks/months of inundation and smothering by macroalgae and Ruppia, with smaller plants and those closer to the lake bed impacted upon to a greater degree. Seed germination and recruitment of new Halosarcia plants was substantial as floodwaters receded with the majority of these seedlings surviving some 2 years after flooding despite the severe drought that followed the flood. Growth rates of seedlings differed substantially and were linked to subtle differences in micro-topography. Recruitment following flooding was also demonstrated in in vitro experiments involving inundated soil cores, provided water was relatively non-saline (conductivity <30 mS cm⁻¹). A conceptual model is proposed to explain changes in fringing vegetation in response to frequency, depth, period and salinity of flooding in relation to micro-topography. Despite the profound effect of flooding, impacts of discharge were identified, with changes in topsoil pH and salinity greater in areas closer to the discharge than those further away. Impacts on vegetation characteristics were not detected. Guest Editors: J. John & B. Timms Salt Lake Research: Biodiversity and Conservation—Selected papers from the 9th Conference of the International Society for Salt Lake Research     

Habitat characteristics predict occupancy patterns of the endangered amphibian Litoria raniformis in flow‐regulated flood plain wetlands

Identification of habitat features that are strongly associated with the occurrence of threatened species is important in terms of predicting impacts of habitat change and identifying key habitats for conservation. In this paper, we apply habitat‐based statistical models to predict occupancy patterns of the endangered southern bell frog (Litoria raniformis) across inland New South Wales (Australia). Litoria raniformis previously occupied a wide range of natural and man‐made waterbodies across a large geographic range, including flood plain wetlands, oxbow lagoons, irrigation canals and rice bays. Alteration of natural flooding regimes has affected a large proportion of habitats within the historical range of Litoria raniformis, but it is not clear how these changes have influenced habitat occupancy patterns. Fifty‐two waterbodies were surveyed for presence/absence of Litoria raniformis in 2001 and 2004. Stepwise logistic regression models were generated to select a subset of variables that best predicted occupancy. Using three predictor variables, vacant and occupied habitats could be predicted with an accuracy of 90% and 70%, respectively. The predictor variables were: the interaction between wetland hydrology and complexity of aquatic vegetation, complexity of fringing vegetation and water temperature. While this study demonstrated that a range of waterbody types were occupied by Litoria raniformis, these habitats shared common hydrological conditions and vegetation characteristics. Altered flooding regimes and reductions in the complexity of aquatic and fringing vegetation are likely to increase the probability of localized extinctions of Litoria raniformis populations.     

Countryside vegetation provides supplementary habitat at the landscape scale for woodland birds in farm mosaics

Agricultural environments have a critical role in the global conservation of biodiversity, but the persistence of forest and woodland-dependent species in these systems is often limited by insufficient habitat. Modified or semi-natural ‘countryside’ (matrix) vegetation is used by many species, but its value at the landscape scale is rarely tested. Do such habitats simply provide additional resources for populations sustained by remnant native vegetation in the landscape, or can they enhance populations over and above that sustained by natural vegetation cover? We surveyed woodland-dependent birds in all types of landscape element in 27 farmland mosaics (100 ha each) in south-eastern Australia. Four measures of wooded vegetation cover were quantified: native vegetation only; and combinations of native vegetation plus scattered trees and/or tree plantations. We used an information-theoretic approach to compare the responses of 30 species to each measure of vegetation cover. Woodland birds were well represented in agricultural mosaics (65% of the regional species-pool); however, almost half were recorded only in mosaics with >20% native vegetation cover. The incidence of 23 species was positively related to measures of wooded cover, indicating increased occurrence in mosaics with a greater cover of wooded vegetation. For 12 species, scattered trees and plantations provided supplementary habitat that enhanced their population status at the landscape scale, beyond that sustained by native vegetation cover. While native vegetation has a critical role for conservation in agricultural environments, careful management of wooded countryside elements (such as scattered trees, tree plantations) offers additional benefits to the woodland-dependent avifauna.     

Variable tolerance of wetland tree species to combined salinity and waterlogging is related to regulation of ion uptake and production of organic solutes

Melaleuca cuticularis and Casuarina obesa occur in wetlands, whereas Banksia attenuata occurs in adjacent well-drained sandy soils. Salt and waterlogging tolerances in these tree species were studied, as the levels of these stresses have increased in south-western Australia. Seedlings were exposed to 0.01, 200 or 400 mm NaCl, with or without waterlogging, in a sand culture with nutrient solution for 22 d in a glasshouse. Melaleuca cuticularis and C. obesa survived all treatments, and generally maintained high rates of net photosynthesis. Banksia attenuata tolerated neither waterlogging nor salinity. Salt tolerance of M. cuticularis and C. obesa was associated with the regulation of foliar sodium (Na+), chloride (Cl-) and potassium (K+) concentrations. Under saline-waterlogged conditions, this regulation was maintained in M. cuticularis, but was reduced in C. obesa. Foliage of these two species also contained appreciable levels of compatible organic solutes: methyl proline in M. cuticularis and proline in C. obesa; in both cases the concentrations increased at higher salinity. Melaleuca cuticularis formed a higher proportion of aerenchyma in adventitious roots than C. obesa, so enhanced internal root aeration in M. cuticularis might contribute to its higher tolerance of combined salinity and waterlogging.     

宜昌黄杨对夏季淹水的生理生态学响应

宜昌黄杨(Buxus ichangensis)主要分布于长江三峡地区的消落带, 对该地区的水土保持和岸坡地稳定起着十分重要的作用。作者通过模拟夏季淹水研究了宜昌黄杨的形态特征、光合作用和根系活力的变化特征, 揭示了宜昌黄杨对淹水的生态学响应规律。结果表明宜昌黄杨在淹水过程中产生了皮孔、不定根等形态适应特征, 经过60 d的淹水处理, 植株仍全部存活, 表现出较强的适应能力。但是植株的生长仍然受到淹水的显著影响: 淹水条件下宜昌黄杨的最大光合速率、气孔导度和根系活力与对照相比都显著下降, 60 d后分别只有对照的19.24%、24.04%和4.78%。在不同处理阶段这些指标下降的幅度不同: 初期的下降幅度最大, 后期下降幅度减少, 其中根系活力在后期还有所回升。叶绿素A的含量随淹水延长持续下降, 后期有所回升, 而叶绿素B和类胡萝卜素的变化却不大。最后, 作者对该物种在水电工程库区退化消落带植被生态恢复中的应用提出了一些建议。     

Multi-Scale Associations between Vegetation Cover and Woodland Bird Communities across a Large Agricultural Region

Improving biodiversity conservation in fragmented agricultural landscapes has become an important global issue. Vegetation at the patch and landscape-scale is important for species occupancy and diversity, yet few previous studies have explored multi-scale associations between vegetation and community assemblages. Here, we investigated how patch and landscape-scale vegetation cover structure woodland bird communities. We asked: (1) How is the bird community associated with the vegetation structure of woodland patches and the amount of vegetation cover in the surrounding landscape? (2) Do species of conservation concern respond to woodland vegetation structure and surrounding vegetation cover differently to other species in the community? And (3) Can the relationships between the bird community and the woodland vegetation structure and surrounding vegetation cover be explained by the ecological traits of the species comprising the bird community? We studied 103 woodland patches (0.5 - 53.8 ha) over two time periods across a large (6,800 km²) agricultural region in southeastern Australia. We found that both patch vegetation and surrounding woody vegetation cover were important for structuring the bird community, and that these relationships were consistent over time. In particular, the occurrence of mistletoe within the patches and high values of woody vegetation cover within 1,000 ha and 10,000 ha were important, especially for bird species of conservation concern. We found that the majority of these species displayed similar, positive responses to patch and landscape vegetation attributes. We also found that these relationships were related to the foraging and nesting traits of the bird community. Our findings suggest that management strategies to increase both remnant vegetation quality and the cover of surrounding woody vegetation in fragmented agricultural landscapes may lead to improved conservation of bird communities.     

Ecological consequences of altered hydrological regimes in fragmented ecosystems in southern Australia: Impacts and possible management responses

Abstract Although the potential impacts of rising water tables and secondary salinization on agricultural land in southern Australia have been recognized for some time, it is only recently that the impacts on native vegetation have been considered. Despite the likely extent and severity of the problem, no comprehensive approach to assessing the impact of salinity upon native vegetation has been attempted to date. In the present paper, we discuss the causes and impacts of rising water tables and dryland salinity, assess the levels of risk in different ecosystem types and consider the possibilities for the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem function in vegetation at risk. We examine the salinity risk to woodland vegetation in the Western Australian (WA) wheatbelt, and consider both broad‐scale context and finer‐scale variation within individual patches of vegetation. From this information, we develop a set of conceptual models of the potential impacts of shallow saline water tables on ecosystem structure and processes in remnant vegetation in agricultural areas, particularly in the WA wheatbelt. First, we suggest that fine‐scale variability in surface topography and soil characteristics may play an important role in limiting the impacts of rising saline water tables. The outcome will depend on the interaction of the heterogeneity of the impact, species distribution in relation to small‐scale environmental heterogeneity and variation in species response to hydrological change. Second, we suggest that shallow saline water tables can be considered to cause an ‘edge effect’, which moves inwards from the edge of remnants of native vegetation. Finally, we consider how saline surface flows exacerbate the effects of shallow saline water tables and hasten vegetation decline in remnant areas. We put these models forward as hypotheses to be tested in different situations. We contrast the situation of secondary salinization in Australian vegetation with that of naturally saline systems in Australia and elsewhere, and suggest that these systems may provide important signposts toward developing management approaches for vegetation at risk. In conclusion, we consider the need to set priorities for the protection and restoration of natural vegetation at risk from altered hydrology, based on an assessment of relative threat and probability of persistence or recovery. We highlight the urgency for action that protects native vegetation from the increasing risks of rising water tables.     

Salt and waterlogging stress impacts on seed germination and early seedling growth of selected endemic plant species from Western Australia

Six perennial species endemic to South West Western Australia (Acacia trulliformis, Austrostipa geoffreyi, Banksia oligantha, B. mucronulata, Hakea tuberculata and Orthrosanthus muelleri) were screened for salt tolerance and recovery during seed germination. Growth and survival of 6-month old seedlings of these six plus a further vegetatively propagated species (Myoporum turbinatum) were subsequently examined in response to salt and waterlogging application. Water uptake under elevated saline conditions (200 and 400 mM NaCl) was slow, but not restrictive to germination. Moreover, a large proportion of seeds that were unable to germinate under saline conditions recovered after being transferred to non-saline conditions. Germination, growth and survival varied with species and the salt concentration used. Increasing salt concentrations tended to increase time to germination. Germination of Acacia trulliformis seeds declined exponentially with increasing salinity, and seedlings suffered reduced growth under saline and non-saline waterlogging. Austrostipa geoffreyi seeds were sensitive to saline treatments but seedlings were highly tolerant of both saline and/or waterlogged conditions. Germination of the three proteaceous species declined significantly under highly saline conditions (400 mM NaCl) with seedlings of the two Banksia species not surviving any treatment with the exception of non-saline waterlogging. Seedlings of H. tuberculata were more resilient to treatment conditions. Orthrosanthus muelleri was sensitive to salt stress during germination but was highly resistant to waterlogging, both saline and non-saline. This study provides an insight into the response and resilience of components of the vegetation understorey of saline-affected regions of Western Australia not usually evaluated allowing for more informed restoration.     

The Role of Soil Seed Banks in the Rehabilitation of Degraded Hillslopes in Southern Wello,Ethiopia1

The species composition in the soil seed bank of degraded hillslopes in southern Wello, Ethiopia, was assessed using the seedling emergence method and compared with that of the standing vegetation. Surface soils were sampled at 0‐to 5‐cm depth from 49 plots of four physiognomic vegetation classes (hereafter vegetation classes): forests, shrublands, grasslands, and degraded sites. Soils were spread on sterile sand in a glasshouse and watered. Emerging seedlings were recorded for five months until no new seedlings emerged. A total of 3969 seedlings belonging to 71 species and 30 families germinated. The species composition of the seed bank was dominated by 53 herb species (75%) compared to 2 tree species which accounted for only 3 percent of the total number of species. Seedling density differed significantly among vegetation classes and ranged from 391 to 7807 seeds/m². Mean species richness also differed significantly among the vegetation classes. Forty‐two species were found to be common to the seed banks and the standing vegetation; however, correspondence between species numbers and composition of the seed banks and the standing vegetation was poor. Although most of the species that germinated in the seed banks were herbs and grasses, they can develop a vegetative cover and contribute to reduction of soil erosion. Regeneration of the tree species (some of which have seed viability up to four years) however, requires both time and the presence of mature individuals. Together with hillside closure and soil conservation measures (e.g., terracing), planting of native woody seedlings might help to expedite rehabilitation of degraded hillslopes devoid of trees and shrubs.     

Decline and potential recovery of Yellow-footed Antechinus in parts of south-eastern Australia: A perspective with implications for management

Summary   The extent and intensity of European-induced changes to ecosystems in south-eastern Australia mean that remaining habitats, despite being degraded, are of high conservation value. Given the extinction of several species of native mammals in the last 160 years in the area, and conservation concerns regarding others, it is important to provide conservation managers with sufficient information to prevent further extinctions and maintain evolutionary potential of the species. A native, carnivorous marsupial, the Yellow-footed Antechinus ( Antechinus flavipes ) exists within these massively altered landscapes. We present conceptual models, derived from the literature, of persistence of populations of Yellow-footed Antechinus both before European colonization and in the 21st century. We conclude that preservation of large trees, restoration of fallen-timber volumes, spring flooding of floodplains and presence of vegetation corridors between forests should be undertaken to prevent local extinctions of Yellow-footed Antechinus. From historic and current gene flow, we identify remnant woodland and forest groupings that we consider should be managed as coherent units.     

North African wetland lakes: characterization of nine sites included in the CASSARINA Project

Exploitation of land and water resources has increased rapidly in North Africa during the 20th century, paralleling regional population growth. As part of the CASSARINA Project (see Flower, 2001), the environmental status of nine wetland lakes in Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt was evaluated. All are conservationally important habitats and several are Ramsar Sites (internationally recognized bird reserves) and several support significant fisheries. All are shallow (<2 m in depth) but vary greatly in area.Where available, documentary information on relevant 20th century changes is given. Survey transects for aquatic vegetation were established and used to provide baseline ecological information on the aquatic plant communities during 1997–1999. Unusually, one site (Tunisian Megene Chitane) supported acidophilous vegetation (some taxa being nationally rare). Aquatic macrophytes declined catastrophically at two sites during the 1990s. Merja Bokka was drained in 1998 and, at Garaet El Ichkeul, fringing Phragmites and Scirpus spp. were lost, mainly as a result of salinity changes. Elsewhere, fringing macrophytes remain (extensively so in the Nile Delta lakes) common, despite major land reclamation and water quality problems, or are degraded by grazing (Merja Zerga). Marginal vegetation during 1997/98 changed markedly at Megene Chitane due to water level lowering.Documentary records indicated that throughout the 20th century, reclamation and hydrologic modifications, mainly for agricultural purposes, affected all nine sites. The loss of lake area by reclamation is substantial for the Nile Delta lakes (Edku, Burullus and Manzala). For the western sites, some data indicate increasing salinity in the most recent decade but the Delta lakes have become generally fresher during the 20th century, as supply of Nile water for irrigation increased.Despite intense human disturbance, many of the remaining CASSARINA sites still support regions of high aquatic diversity. Spatial scale monitoring of the larger sites for seasonal and inter-annual changes in open water area and in aquatic plant abundances is a key requirement for integrated environmental change assessment in the 21st century.     

Rehabilitation of Swamp Paperbark (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Melaleuca ericifolia</Emphasis>) wetlands in south-eastern Australia: effects of hydrology,microtopography, plant age and planting technique on the success of community-based revegetation trials

Wetlands dominated by Swamp Paperbarks (Melaleuca spp., Myrtaceae) are common in coastal regions across Australia. Many of these wetlands have been filled in for coastal development or otherwise degraded as a consequence of altered water regimes and increased salinity. Substantial resources, often involving community groups, are now being allocated to revegetating the remaining wetland sites, yet only rarely is the effectiveness of the rehabilitation strategies or on-ground procedures robustly assessed. As part of a larger project investigating the condition and rehabilitation of brackish-water wetlands of the Gippsland Lakes, we overlaid a scientifically informed experimental design on a set of community-based planting trials to test the effects of water depth, microtopography, plant age and planting method on the survival and growth of seedlings of Melaleuca ericifolia Sm. in Dowd Morass, a degraded, Ramsar-listed wetland in south-eastern Australia. Although previous laboratory and greenhouse studies have shown M. ericifolia seedlings to be salt tolerant, the strongly interactive effects of waterlogging and salinity resulted in high seedling mortality (>90%) in the field-based revegetation trials. Seedlings survived best if planted on naturally raised hummocks vegetated with Paspalum distichum L. (Gramineae), but their height was reduced compared with seedlings planted in shallowly flooded environments. Age of plants and depth of water were important factors in the survival and growth of M. ericifolia seedlings, whereas planting method seemed to have little effect on survival. Improved testing of revegetation methods and reporting of success or otherwise of revegetation trials will improve the effectiveness and accountability of projects aiming to rehabilitate degraded coastal wetlands.     

中国东部常绿阔叶林退化群落分析及恢复重建研究的一些问题

人类干扰活动导致常绿阔叶林的类型和数量减少,替而代之的是大面积处于不同退化程度的次生林、次生灌丛等,因此加大对其退化特征以及恢复重建的研究已是非常必要而迫切的任务。在对此类植被进行广泛调查基础上,结合数量分类法(在区域尺度上)对退化常绿阔叶林进行类型划分和群落特征的界定,并对一些影响群落恢复和改造的问题进行了讨论。这些问题是(1)不同的人类干扰方式对常绿阔叶林退化群落的形成发生深刻的影响,因此关注人类干扰方式,尤其是土地利用方式的变化和常绿阔叶林退化群落形成之间的关系应当进行重点研究;(2)退化群落的种类组成具有自身的特征,同样具有较高的物种多样性,对维持整个地区的物种多样性具有独特的贡献;(3)萌枝更新对退化群落的结构和动态起着重要作用,加强这方面的研究有助于探讨群落退化的机制和植被恢复途径;(4)种子传播方式、传播距离对于退化群落的种类组成具有重要影响,并影响到群落结构、动态和物种多样性,也应是进一步加强的研究领域。希望通过这些问题的研究,有助于明了群落的退化机理,并为其恢复改造提供依据。     

Assessing the ecological risk from secondary salinity: A framework addressing questions of scale and threshold responses

Abstract Assessment of the ecological risk posed to native vegetation from the development of shallow and saline water tables is considered an urgent task in southern Australia. Ecological risk can be defined as the product of the likelihood of an ecological effect and the consequences of that effect. At present, the likelihood of the development of a shallow water table is determined by hydrological modelling at the catchment scale, and this in itself is often equated to ecological risk. In contrast, the ecological consequences of secondary salinity are generally investigated at the patch scale. Translating ecological likelihood and the ecological consequences of risk across these scales has proved problematic, both conceptually and quantitatively. Here we argue that the consideration of ecological risk within the context of the patch‐ or catchment‐scale is based upon human perceptions of spatial units, rather than the ecological scales at which various processes determine vegetation dynamics. By focusing on the processes that determine vegetation dynamics, and the dimensions of these processes, both spatial and temporal scales can be built into conceptual frameworks that aim to understand vegetation change, such as frameworks of alternative stable states. We present an alternative conceptual framework of the ecological risk from secondary salinity based around using the rates of processes, such as salt accumulation in the soil or the frequency of waterlogging, at the scales at which these processes occur. This framework also integrates concepts of vegetation states and transitions between meta‐stable states and alternative stable states.     

Occurrence of aquatic invertebrates of the wheatbelt region of Western Australia in relation to salinity

The wheatbelt region of Western Australia has been extensively cleared of indigenous vegetation for agriculture and is now severely affected by dryland salinity. Wetlands that were once freshwater are now saline and others are under threat, as are the animals and plants that inhabit them. Rising groundwater is also affecting the many naturally saline playas. To provide a framework for setting conservation priorities in this region a biological survey was undertaken, including sampling of aquatic invertebrates at 230 wetlands. In this paper, we have used data from the survey to summarise occurrence of species in relation to salinity. Total species richness at a wetland showed no response to salinity below 4.1 g l⁻¹ and then declined dramatically as salinity increased. When halophilic species were excluded from consideration, species richness was found to decline from 2.6 g l⁻¹. These patterns are compared to previous studies of richness-salinity relationships. There is some evidence that the freshwater invertebrate fauna of the wheatbelt may be comparatively salt tolerant, with 46% of freshwater species collected at salinities above 3 g l⁻¹ and 17% above 10 g l⁻¹, though these proportions differed between various invertebrate groups. While this tolerance will provide a buffer against the effects of mild salinisation, many species are at risk of regional extinction as salinisation becomes more widespread.     

水淹对秋华柳幼苗生理生态特征的影响

秋华柳广泛分布于三峡库区河谷与溪流坡岸,对水土保持及稳固堤岸具有重要作用.通过模拟水淹试验,研究了秋华柳幼苗对水淹的适应能力及机理.结果表明：所有处理秋华柳植株全部存活.水淹对秋华柳幼苗的最大光合速率、蒸腾强度、气孔导度和水分利用效率都有显著影响.水淹初期(20 d),植株的各项生理指标值变化较小,其中最大光合速率和蒸腾强度分别比对照下降18.5%和2.2%;30 d后,分别下降53.4%和23.7%,随后又趋于稳定.植株叶绿素和类胡萝卜素含量及其比值均随水淹时间的增加而逐渐降低,其中叶绿素/类胡萝卜素比值在4.873～6.883,而叶绿素a/b比值则在2.855～3.912之间变动.水淹还诱导秋华柳幼苗产生不定根,有利于植株氧气的补给.说明秋华柳幼苗对水淹的适应能力较强,可作为库区水位消落带植被恢复与重建的先锋物种.     

Does National Wetland Inventory class consistently identify vegetation and edaphic differences in Oregon tidal wetlands?

Accurately mapping, modeling, and managing the diversity of wetlands present in estuaries often relies on habitat classification systems that consistently identify differences in biotic structure or other ecosystem characteristics between classes. We used field data from four Oregon estuaries to test for differences in vegetation structure and edaphic characteristics among three tidal emergent marsh classes derived from National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) data: low estuarine marsh, high estuarine marsh, and tidal palustrine marsh. Independently of NWI class, we also evaluated the number and types of plant assemblages present and how edaphic variables, non-native plant cover, and plant species richness varied among them. Pore water salinity varied most strongly across marsh classes, with sediment carbon and nitrogen content, grain size and marsh surface elevation showing smaller differences. Cover of common vascular plant species differed between marsh classes and overall vegetation composition was somewhat distinct among marsh types. High estuarine marsh had the largest species pools. However, plot-level plant diversity was similar among marsh classes. Non-native species cover was highest in tidal palustrine and high estuarine marshes. The marshes in the study contained a large number of plant assemblages with most occurring across more than one marsh class. The more common assemblages occurred along a continuum of tidal elevation, soil salinity, and edaphic characteristics, with varying plant richness and non-native cover. Our data suggest that NWI classes are useful for differentiating several general features of Oregon tidal marsh structure, but that more detailed information on plant assemblages found within those wetland classes would allow more precise characterization of additional wetland features such as edaphic conditions and plant diversity.     

Habitat resources, remnant vegetation condition and area determine distribution patterns and abundance of butterflies and day-flying moths in a fragmented urban landscape, south-west Western Australia

The creation of cities, towns and farms following European settlement of Australia has fragmented the original vegetation. Many native species that were previously widespread are now found only within isolated remnants of their original habitat. These relictual populations are at increased risk of decline and local extinction, so identifying the factors that determine their persistence is important for ongoing management and conservation. I compared the effects of site area, connectivity, vegetation condition and habitat resources on the presence, abundance and total number of species of butterflies and day-flying moths within 46 urban fragments of remnant vegetation in south-west Western Australia. Site area and vegetation condition were the dominant determinants of species presence: large sites with more undisturbed vegetation favoured 16 of 20 native species and only one (Geitoneura minyas) benefited from disturbance. Another nine species that were not sufficiently widespread or abundant to enable individual analysis were collectively more prevalent in larger sites. Resource quality and quantity dominated the patterns of site occupancy, consistent with habitat resources, not metapopulation effects, determining current distribution patterns. The total number of species at each site reflected the collective responses of the individual species: increasing with area and declining with vegetation disturbance. The effects of area and vegetation condition were not simply additive: disturbance had a far greater impact on small remnants. Restoration or maintenance of high vegetation condition will be essential to maintain regional species diversity and to prevent local extinctions of butterflies and day-flying moths, especially in small remnants.