Influence of stream flow regime and temperature on growth rate of the riparian tree, Platanus wrightii, in Arizona

1. The growth of riparian trees in semi‐arid regions is influenced by stream flow regime, but the relative importance of base flow and seasonal floods on growth has not been explored. I examined abiotic influences on the growth of Platanus wrightii in four stream reaches in Arizona. All reaches had a bimodal pattern of discharge, but only two had continuous flow throughout the growing season.
2. In two reaches of Sycamore Creek without perennial flow, a large percentage of the annual variation in radial growth rate of P. wrightii was explained by annual and growing season flow rate. Growth was related to these same variables in a perennial reach of Sycamore Creek, but trees maintained higher growth during drought years than they did in the temporary reaches. At Oak Creek, a larger perennial stream, P. wrightii growth showed a bell‐shaped relationship with flow. These data suggest that growth rate is frequently limited by water availability at Sycamore Creek, but not at Oak Creek.
3. At both rivers, much of the annual surface flow occurs as winter floods. Oak Creek, however, maintains a high summer base flow even during years with no floods. Platanus wrightii growth was significantly related to winter flood frequency only at Sycamore Creek. The positive relationship of growth with stream flow and winter flood frequency at Sycamore Creek presumably occurs because the P. wrightii trees are dependent on the winter flows to recharge the shallow alluvial aquifer and to raise the level of ground water within the root zone.
4. Frequent summer floods increased the growth of trees in perennial and non‐perennial reaches alike. At perennial Oak Creek, summer flood frequency was the only variable linearly related to growth of P. wrightii. Summer flood frequency was a significant, but secondary, component of multiple‐regression growth models for trees in the perennial and non‐perennial reaches of Sycamore Creek. Summer floods may stimulate growth, in part, by replenishing limiting nutrients.
5. High temperature was negatively associated with the growth of P. wrightii at Sycamore Creek. The combination of drought and high temperature resulted in very low growth rate.
6. These results have implications for the management of flood and base flow regimes on regulated, diverted and pumped rivers.     

Habitat heterogeneity drives bird species richness,nestedness and habitat selection by individual species in fluvial wetlands of the Paraná River,Argentina

We assessed the relationship between habitat heterogeneity and bird species richness and composition within wetlands of the floodplain of the Middle Paraná River, Argentina. Given the high habitat heterogeneity in these wetland systems, we sought to determine whether (i) there was a positive relationship between bird species richness and habitat heterogeneity; (ii) whether bird species richness was associated with certain types of individual habitat types; (iii) whether there was a pattern of species nestedness and turnover between sites as a function of habitat heterogeneity and composition, respectively; and (iv) whether individual species exhibited associations with habitat heterogeneity. Point counts were used to survey birds at 60 sites. We estimated the area of eight habitat types found within a 200‐m radius from the centre of each site and calculated number and Pielou's evenness of habitat types. These indices, together with area proportion of each habitat type, were used as explanatory factors of bird species richness in linear regression models. Habitat heterogeneity per se rather than area of individual habitat types was a more important predictor of species richness in these fluvial wetlands. Sites with more habitat types supported more bird species. Results showed that individual bird species were associated with different habitat types and, therefore, sites that contained more habitat types contained more species. Number of habitat types accounted for species nestedness between sites whereas composition of habitat types accounted for species turnover between sites. Results suggest that selection of heterogeneous sites by individual species could help explain the positive heterogeneity–species richness relationship. Our findings highlight the importance of habitat heterogeneity per se resulting from flood disturbances in maintaining bird richness in fluvial systems.     

Riparian Trees and Flow Paths between the Hyporheic Zone and Groundwater in the Oberer Seebach,Austria

We investigated lateral subsurface water exchange in a 2^nd order mountain stream with a piezometer method. At both banks the stream hyporheic zone lost water to the riparian groundwater zone. Independently, the hydraulic heads at three sites in the streambed and in the riparian zone exhibited periodic, diurnal fluctuations. We attributed them to water consumption by the riparian trees, as solar radiation explained part of this additional variation. Our results demonstrate that subsurface water exchanges take place between the hyporheic zone and lateral riparian groundwater in spatially defined small‐scale flow paths. These small‐scale interactions occur within the context of large‐scale patterns of loss and gain of channel water.     

Importance of low-flow and high-flow characteristics to restoration of riparian vegetation along rivers in arid south-western United States

1. Riparian vegetation in dry regions is influenced by low‐flow and high‐flow components of the surface and groundwater flow regimes. The duration of no‐flow periods in the surface stream controls vegetation structure along the low‐flow channel, while depth, magnitude and rate of groundwater decline influence phreatophytic vegetation in the floodplain. Flood flows influence vegetation along channels and floodplains by increasing water availability and by creating ecosystem disturbance. 2. On reference rivers in Arizona's Sonoran Desert region, the combination of perennial stream flows, shallow groundwater in the riparian (stream) aquifer, and frequent flooding results in high plant species diversity and landscape heterogeneity and an abundance of pioneer wetland plant species in the floodplain. Vegetation changes on hydrologically altered river reaches are varied, given the great extent of flow regime changes ranging from stream and aquifer dewatering on reaches affected by stream diversion and groundwater pumping to altered timing, frequency, and magnitude of flood flows on reaches downstream of flow‐regulating dams. 3. As stream flows become more intermittent, diversity and cover of herbaceous species along the low‐flow channel decline. As groundwater deepens, diversity of riparian plant species (particularly perennial species) and landscape patches are reduced and species composition in the floodplain shifts from wetland pioneer trees (Populus, Salix) to more drought‐tolerant shrub species including Tamarix (introduced) and Bebbia. 4. On impounded rivers, changes in flood timing can simplify landscape patch structure and shift species composition from mixed forests composed of Populus and Salix, which have narrow regeneration windows, to the more reproductively opportunistic Tamarix. If flows are not diverted, suppression of flooding can result in increased density of riparian vegetation, leading in some cases to very high abundance of Tamarix patches. Coarsening of sediments in river reaches below dams, associated with sediment retention in reservoirs, contributes to reduced cover and richness of herbaceous vegetation by reducing water and nutrient‐holding capacity of soils. 5. These changes have implications for river restoration. They suggest that patch diversity, riparian plant species diversity, and abundance of flood‐dependent wetland tree species such as Populus and Salix can be increased by restoring fluvial dynamics on flood‐suppressed rivers and by increasing water availability in rivers subject to water diversion or withdrawal. On impounded rivers, restoration of plant species diversity also may hinge on restoration of sediment transport. 6. Determining the causes of vegetation change is critical for determining riparian restoration strategies. Of the many riparian restoration efforts underway in south‐western United States, some focus on re‐establishing hydrogeomorphic processes by restoring appropriate flows of surface water, groundwater and sediment, while many others focus on manipulating vegetation structure by planting trees (e.g. Populus) or removing trees (e.g. Tamarix). The latter approaches, in and of themselves, may not yield desired restoration outcomes if the tree species are indicators, rather than prime causes, of underlying changes in the physical environment.     

Relationship between flow regime and fish abundances in a gravel‐bed river, New Zealand

The key elements of the flow regime of the Waipara River on the east coast of New Zealand, that affected fish abundances were the timing of floods and the magnitude and duration of low flows. Generally, fish abundances were highest in early summer, and lowest at the beginning of winter. Spring floods opened the river mouth, allowing recruitment of diadromous fish species, and non‐diadromous fish species spawned after the floods in spring or early summer. Reductions in fish abundances over summer and autumn were consistent with the magnitude and duration of low flows, with significant reductions in the year of lowest flow and little change in abundance in the year when low flows were highest. Variations in fish abundances during periods of low flow were consistent with the amount of instream habitat available, such that abundances of species with high velocity preferences decreased during periods of low flow, whereas abundances of species with low velocity preferences increased.     

Importance of scale,land‐use,and stream network properties for riparian plant communities along an urban gradient

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Nutrient limitation of plant growth on the floodplain of the Narran River, Australia: growth experiments and a pilot soil survey

Water resource development has altered the hydrological regime on the Lower Balonne River in Queensland, Australia. Concerns have been raised about possible impacts to floodplain plant communities, which support a pastoral industry and a range of native fauna. Water and nutrients commonly limit plant growth in south central Queensland, where the climate is semi-arid and the soils are infertile. Floodplain plant productivity is boosted by inundation with water, but the role of flooding in nutrient provision is not known. Growth experiments and a pilot soil survey were conducted to help determine if soil nutrient deficiencies exist and if regular flooding is required to maintain floodplain soil fertility. Soils were sampled from areas representing three flood frequency classes: high, moderate, and low. Chemical extractions were performed as a surrogate for `bioavailable' nutrients. Soil nitrogen (N) but not phosphorus (P) limited the growth of seedlings of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. Gardia) based on responses to nutrient additions: plants supplied with N had greater shoot length and total biomass than plants without N. Clear evidence of an effect of flood frequency on fertility was not revealed. Neither soil P, soil N, nor plant growth varied significantly with flood frequency. However, this analysis had low statistical power. There were trends for greater biomass of seedlings grown on moderately flooded soils and thinner roots for seedlings grown on frequently flooded soils, but neither of these growth responses was clearly linked to nutrient limitation. Nevertheless, the possibility that flooding provides a nutrient subsidy to plants cannot be ruled out because of a number of factors, including the statistical power of this analysis and the possibility that short-term nutrient subsidies occur with floods.     

鄱阳湖湿地地下水埋深及其与典型植被群落分布的关系

地下水位直接影响土壤含水量,进而影响湿地植被生长、分布和演替.本研究以鄱阳湖湿地为研究区,基于2014-2018年地下水位野外定点观测数据,分析湿地地下水年内与年际动态变化特征,构建鄱阳湖湿地地下水数值模型,分析地下水流场空间特征以及地下水埋深分布,结合高斯回归方法分析地下水埋深与典型植被分布之间的关系.结果表明:年内...     

The Effects of an Environmental Flow Release on Water Quality in the Hyporheic Zone of the Hunter River,Australia

Environmental flow releases have been advocated as a useful rehabilitation strategy for improving river condition but assessments of their success have typically focused on surface water quality and biota. In this study, we investigated the impacts of an environmental flow release on water temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and nitrate concentrations in surface and subsurface (hyporheic) water at upwelling and downwelling zones in three sites along the Hunter River, New South Wales, Australia. We hypothesised that the flow pulse would ‘flush’ the sediments with oxygenated water, stimulating hyporheic microbial activity and nitrification, enhancing nitrate concentrations over time. Surface and subsurface samples were collected before, 7 days after, and 49 days after an environmental flow release of 5000 Ml for a period of 3 days. No lasting effects on dissolved oxygen or conductivity were evident at most sites although dissolved oxygen declined over time at the downwelling site at Bowmans Crossing. At the downwelling zones at all sites, hyporheic nitrate concentrations declined initially following the release, but then rose or leveled off by Day 49. This initial drop in concentration was attributed to flushing of nitrate from the sediments. At two sites, nitrate concentrations had increased by Day 49 in the upwelling zones while at the third site, it fell significantly, associated with very low dissolved oxygen and likely reductive loss of nitrate. Electrical conductivity data indicate that potential inputs of agriculturally enriched groundwater may contribute to the nitrogen dynamics of the Hunter River. This study highlights the spatial heterogeneity that occurs in the hyporheic zone within and among sites of a regulated river, and emphasises the need for multiple-site surveys and an understanding of groundwater dynamics to assess physicochemical responses of the hyporheic zone to environmental flow releases.     

Long‐term effects of repeated fuel‐reduction burning and logging on bats in south‐eastern Australia

Fire regimes have a major influence on biodiversity in many ecosystems around the globe, yet our understanding of the longer‐term response of fauna is typically poor. We sampled bats with ultrasonic detectors in three different years in dry sclerophyll forests of south‐eastern Australia in a long‐term, management‐scale experiment. Frequent low‐intensity burning (every 2 or 4 years plus unburnt) and logging (with 33% retention of the original unlogged tree basal area) were manipulated to assess their effects on bats. We found that both the fire regime and regrowth after logging influenced the local bat community. The routine burning treatment (burnt every 4 years) in unlogged forest was consistently related to higher total bat activity (2–3 times) and species richness when compared to unburnt controls and logging treatments. Foraging activity was more variable, but it was typically lowest in Unlogged Unburnt Controls. These patterns were evident at both the detector site scale and the block scale and were probably due to a reduction in understorey stem density with burning, especially in unlogged forest. Bat activity was significantly lower across the entire study area (including controls) in 1 year, when sampling occurred within 6 months of burning. When pooled across burning treatments, unlogged forest supported higher bat activity (1.5 times) and species richness than logged forest (12‐ to 17‐year‐old regrowth), again most likely because of a negative association with high stem density in regrowth after logging. We conclude that low‐intensity burning had positive benefits for echolocating bats, most notably in unlogged forest. However, careful planning is required to generate heterogeneous vegetation patterns that are likely to be most suitable for a range of taxa.     

The influences of climatic variation and vegetation on stream biota: lessons from the Big Dry in southeastern Australia

Aquatic biodiversity faces increasing threats from climate change, escalating exploitation of water and land use intensification. Loss of vegetation in catchments (= watersheds) has been identified as a substantial problem for many river basins, and there is an urgent need to better understand how climate change may interact with changes in catchment vegetation to influence the ecological condition of freshwater ecosystems. We used 20 years of biological monitoring data from Victoria, southeastern Australia, to explore the influences of catchment vegetation and climate on stream macroinvertebrate assemblages. Southeastern Australia experienced a severe drought from 1997 to 2009, with reductions of stream flows >50% in some areas. The prolonged drying substantially altered macroinvertebrate assemblages, with reduced prevalence of many flow‐dependent taxa and increased prevalence of taxa that are tolerant of low‐flow conditions and poor water quality. Stream condition, as assessed by several commonly used macroinvertebrate indices, was consistently better in reaches with extensive native tree cover in upstream catchments. Prolonged drought apparently caused similar absolute declines in macroinvertebrate condition indices regardless of vegetation cover, but streams with intact catchment and riparian vegetation started in better condition and remained so throughout the drought. The largest positive effects of catchment tree cover on both water quality and macroinvertebrate assemblages occurred above a threshold of ca. 60% areal tree cover in upstream catchments and in higher rainfall areas. Riparian tree cover also had positive effects on macroinvertebrate assemblages, especially in warmer catchments. Our results suggest that the benefits of extensive tree cover via improved water quality and in‐channel habitat persist during drought and show the potential for vegetation management to reduce negative impacts of climatic extremes for aquatic ecosystems.     

Assessing the hydrologic impact of historical railroad embankments on wetland vegetation response in Canaan Valley,West Virginia: the value of high‐resolution data

The recovery of natural ecological processes after disturbance is poorly understood. Some disturbances may be so severe as to set ecosystems onto a new trajectory. The Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge in West Virginia protects a unique high‐altitude wetland that was heavily disturbed by logging 100 years before present (BP) and has since transitioned to a new ecological state (shrub wetland). Refuge managers interested in preserving and restoring ecosystem states expressed concern about lingering impacts of previous disturbances (logging, railroads, beaver, deer, fire). Available data suggested hydrologic impacts from a remnant railroad grade, but managers had insufficient quantitative data to assess these impacts. We initiated a fine‐scale assessment of topography, vegetation distribution, and hydrology to assess impacts from the remnant rail grade using lidar data, vegetation surveys, and piezometers. We developed topographic models, hydrological models, and mapped vegetation distribution. We developed statistical models to assess relationships between vegetation communities, hydrology, and distance to the rail grade. Surprisingly, we found that hydrologic flow paths did not conform to expectation and were not restricted by remnant land use features. For the most part, vegetation communities are responding to topographic and environmental gradients that existed prior to disturbance. Use of highly detailed topographic data (lidar), field hydrology, and vegetation studies allowed us to more accurately assess hydrologic and vegetation regimes, eliminating the need for mitigation, thus saving significant resources.     

河北小五台山主要植被类型的分布与地形的关系：基于遥感信息的分析

小五台山是河北省最高峰,具有较完整的暖温带植被垂直带谱。本文通过野外群落植被调查,结合由TM遥感影像解译1：50000地形图制作的DEM数据而得到的植被图,分析了小五台山主要植被群落的分布状况及其与地形的关系。结果表明,小五台山从低海拔到高海拔,依次出现灌丛、阔叶林、针阔混交林、暗针叶林、矮林、灌丛、草甸等植被类型。森林景观的面积最大,占总面积的60．7％;平均斑块面积最大的是阔叶林和亚高山草甸,斑块破碎化最严重的是水体和针阔混交林。不同的植被类型在不同的地形条件下分布特点不同,林地在北坡所占面积比例(占总面积的75％)远大于南坡(46%),说明水分条件是小五台山森林分布的限制因子之一;灌丛和草甸与林地相反。随海拔高度的变化,不同植被类型的分布面积比例发生变化,出现替代现象,形成植被垂直带谱。由于坡度的影响,增加了带谱内植被组成的复杂性。     

A protocol for assessment and integration of vegetation maps,with an application to spatial data sets from south‐eastern Australia

Abstract Maps are important tools in natural resource management. Often, there may be multiple maps that represent the same resource, which have been constructed using very different philosophies and methods, at different scales, for different dates and areas. In such cases, conservation planners and other natural resource managers are faced with a choice of map that will best serve their decision making. However, the best available information for a given purpose is often a combination of data from a number of different source maps. In this paper we present a protocol for assessing and integrating multiple maps of vegetation for a particular area of interest. The protocol commences with a consideration of management or policy context and technical issues to determine the basic specifications for the map. It then defines and assesses a set of measurable attributes, representing the concepts of theme, accuracy, precision and currency, for all candidate maps available for compilation. The resulting ranks for accuracy, precision and currency are used to compute a suitability index, which is used to assemble a composite map from the most suitable candidate maps. The final step in the protocol is to display spatial patterns in thematic consistency, accuracy, precision and currency for the composite map. We demonstrate the application of the protocol by constructing a map that discriminates structurally intact native vegetation from cleared land for the whole of New South Wales, south‐eastern Australia. The source data include 46 maps that cover various parts of the region at various scales and which were made at different dates using different methods. The protocol is an explicit and systematic method to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of alternative data sets. It implements spatial integration in a way that promotes overall accuracy, precision and currency of map data. It also promotes transparent reporting of map limitations, to help map users accommodate risks of map errors in their decision making, and to inform priorities for future survey and mapping.     

Annual variation in the distribution of summer snowdrifts in the Kosciuszko alpine area,Australia, and its effect on the composition and structure of alpine vegetation

Abstract Australian alpine ecosystems are expected to diminish in extent as global warming intensifies. Alpine vegetation patterns are influenced by the duration of snow cover including the presence of snowdrifts in summer, but there is little quantitative information on landscape‐scale relationships between vegetation patterns and the frequency of occurrence of persistent summer snowdrifts in the Australian alps. We mapped annual changes in summer snowdrifts in the Kosciuszko alpine region, Australia, from Landsat TM images and modelled the frequency of occurrence of persistent summer snowdrifts from long‐term records (1954–2003) of winter snow depth. We then compared vegetation composition and structure among four classes that differed in the frequency of occurrence of persistent summer snowdrifts. We found a curvilinear relationship between annual winter snow depth and the area occupied by persistent snowdrifts in the following summer (r² = 0.9756). Only 21 ha (0.42% of study area) was predicted to have supported summer snowdrifts in 80% of the past 50 years, while 440 ha supported persistent summer snow in 10% of years. Mean cover and species richness of vascular plants declined significantly, and species composition varied significantly, as the frequency of summer snow persistence increased. Cushion plants and rushes were most abundant where summer snowdrifts occurred most frequently, and shrubs, grasses and sedges were most abundant in areas that did not support snowdrifts in summer. The results demonstrate strong regional relationships between vegetation composition and structure and the frequency of occurrence of persistent summer snowdrifts. Reductions in winter snow depth due to global warming are expected to lead to substantial reductions in the extent of persistent summer snowdrifts. As a consequence, shrubs, grasses and sedges are predicted to expand at the expense of cushion plants and rushes, reducing landscape vegetation diversity. Fortunately, few vascular plant species (e.g. Ranunculus niphophilus) appear to be totally restricted to areas where summer snow occurs most frequently. The results from this study highlight potential indicator species that could be monitored to assess the effects of global warming on Australian alpine environments.     

Relationships between vegetation patterns and hydroperiod on the Roanoke River floodplain,North Carolina

This study quantified relationships between forest composition and flooding gradients on the Roanoke River floodplain, North Carolina. Because flooding is highly variable in time and space, the research was designed to determine the specific hydrological parameters that control woody species abundance on the landscape scale. I specifically tested the importance of spring vs. yearly flood duration, as well as flood duration during hydrologically wet vs. dry years. Field vegetation samples of woody species composition were integrated with spatial data from a Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) classification and a flood simulation model derived in part from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery. Flood simulations were output and summarized for the periods 1912–1950 (before dams were constructed on the river) and 1965–1996 (after all of the dams were completed). Tenth percentile (dry), median, and 90th percentile (wet) hydroperiod (flood duration) regimes were generated for the spring and year, both pre- and post-dam. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) was used to ordinate the plot data, and correlation/regression between ordination axis scores and the flood variables were used to explore the relationships between flooding and species composition. Nineteenth percentile hydroperiod (i.e., wet conditions) correlated most strongly with DCA axis 1 (r>0.9), indicating that inundation during extremely wet years strongly controls species composition on the floodplain. The results were used to quantitatively determine the niche width for both species and mapped vegetation classes in terms of number of days flooded annually and during the spring growth period. The results suggest that spring hydroperiod is an important mechanism that may drive competitive sorting along the flooding gradient, especially during the early years of succession (i.e., pre-dam, which represents the period during which most of the forests sampled were established), and that annual hydroperiod affects the relative dominance of species as the forests mature.     

高寒内陆河流域植被覆盖增加对地下水补给的影响

地下水是干旱区内陆河流域的主要基础性资源,对流域生态安全、可持续发展等具有重要意义。干旱/半干旱区的地下水补给比湿润地区更易受到地表覆盖条件的影响。为揭示干旱区内陆河流域植被覆盖增加对地下水补给的影响,以巴音河中下游为例,针对土壤和水评价工具(SWAT)模型未有效考虑降水、地形等因素对植被覆盖影响的缺陷,改进SWAT模型,采用全球地表卫星叶面积指数(GLASS LAI)数据代替其LAI计算模块,再结合SWAT土地利用更新模块,准确刻画区域植被覆盖变化。将改进后的SWAT模型与模块化有限拆分地下水流耦合(MODFLOW)模型耦合,准确模拟并分析植被覆盖增加对流域地下水补给的影响。结果表明：基于植被动态变化的土壤和水评价工具与模块化有限拆分地下水流耦合模型(DVSWAT-MODFLOW)模型的月蒸散发及月地下水位模拟效果较好;巴音河中下游2019年林地及草地面积以及LAI较2001年明显增加;2019年植被覆盖情况对应的年际及月际尺度地下水补给量较2001年分别减少了6.1—26.52 mm以及0—15.03 mm;植被覆盖增加对年际尺度地下水补给量的影响强弱在一定程度上取决于年降水量,对...     

Relationships among fire frequency, rainfall and vegetation patterns in the wet–dry tropics of northern Australia: an analysis based on NOAA-AVHRR data

Aim To quantify the regional‐scale spatio‐temporal relationships among rainfall, vegetation and fire frequency in the Australian wet–dry tropics (AWDT). Location Northern Australia: Cape York Peninsula, central Arnhem, central Kimberly, Einasleigh Uplands, Gulf Fall Uplands and northern Kimberley. Methods Monthly ‘fraction of photosynthetic active radiation absorbed by green vegetation’ (fAPAR) was decomposed into monthly evergreen (EG) and monthly raingreen (RG) components using time‐series techniques applied to monthly normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) imagery. Fire affected areas were independently mapped at the same spatio‐temporal resolution from AVHRR imagery. Weather station records were spatially interpolated to create monthly rainfall surfaces. Vegetation structural classes were derived from a digitized map of northern Australian vegetation communities (1 : 1,000,000). Generalized linear models were used to quantify relationships among the fAPAR, EG and RG signals, vegetation structure, rainfall and fire frequency, for the period November 1996–December 2001. Results The fAPAR and EG signals are positively correlated with annual rainfall and canopy cover, notably: EG_{closed forest} > EG_{open heathland} > EG_{open forest} > EG_woodland > EG_{open woodland} > EG_{low woodland} > EG_{low open woodland} > EG_{open grassland}. Vegetation height and fAPAR are positively correlated, excluding the special case of open heathland. The RG signal is highest where intermediate annual rainfall and strong seasonality in rainfall coincide, and is associated with vegetation structure as follows: RG_{open grassland} > RG_woodland > RG_{open forest} > RG_{open heathland} > RG_{low woodland} > RG_{open woodland} > RG_{low open woodland} > RG_{closed forest}. Monthly RG tracks monthly rainfall. Annual proportion of area burnt (PB) is maximal where high RG coincides with low EG (open grassland, several woodland communities). PB is minimal in vegetation where both RG and EG are low (low open woodland); and in vegetation where EG is high (closed forest, open heathland). Conclusions The RG–EG scheme successfully reflects digitally mapped tree and grass covers in relation to rainfall. RG–EG patterns are strongly associated with fire frequency patterns. PB is maximal in areas of high RG, where high biomass production during the wet season supports abundant fine fuel during the dry season. PB is minimal in areas with high EG, where relatively moist fuel limits fire ignition; and in areas with low EG and RG, where a relative short supply of fuel limits fire spread.     

Influence of fine‐scale habitat requirements and riparian degradation on the distribution of the purple‐crowned fairy‐wren (Malurus coronatus coronatus) in northern Australia

Species distributions are influenced by variation in environmental conditions across many scales. Knowledge of fine‐scale habitat requirements is important for predicting species occurrence and identifying suitable habitat for target species. Here we investigate the perplexing distribution of a riparian habitat specialist, the western subspecies of the purple‐crowned fairy‐wren (Malurus coronatus coronatus), in relation to fine‐scale habitat associations and patterns of riparian degradation. Surveys of vegetation attributes, river structure and disturbance indicators that are likely to be causal determinants of the species occurrence were undertaken at 635 sites across 14 catchments. Generalized Linear Mixed Modelling demonstrated that the probability of purple‐crowned fairy‐wren occurrence increased with Pandanus aquaticus crown cover, shrub density and height of emergent trees, while riparian structure and signs of cattle were indirect predictors of occurrence. As our study area predominantly contained Pandanus type habitat, we failed to identify river grass as an important component of habitat. Predictions from a cross‐validated model of purple‐crowned fairy‐wren occurrence suggested distribution is constrained by three factors: (i) low quality of local habitat within catchments where the species occurs; (ii) broad‐scale reduction in habitat quality that has resulted in extinction of the species from parts of its range; and (iii) unmeasured variables that limit the exploitation of suitable habitat. The reliance of the species on dense shrubby understorey suggests conservation efforts should aim to maintain the complexity of understorey structure by managing fire and grazing intensity. Efforts to halt the continuing decline of riparian condition and maintain connectivity between areas of quality habitat will help to ensure persistence of riparian habitat specialists in northern Australia.