Morphology of the blood cells from three species of wobbegong sharks (Orectolobus species) on the east coast of New South Wales

This study is the first study to describe blood cell morphology, using light microscopy, for three species of wild‐caught wobbegong shark. Blood cell morphology was similar to that described previously in fish. Wobbegong sharks possess erythrocytes, at least three different morphological types of thrombocytes, lymphocytes, eosinophils, neutrophils, granuloblasts and monocytes. No basophils were observed in this study. Similarities and differences in morphological appearance of wobbegong shark blood cells compared to Chondrichthyes, teleosts and mammalian blood cells are discussed. Zoo Biol 0:1–10, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Changes in a forest bird community during a period of fire and drought near Bega,New South Wales

The bird community of a forested 13 ha plot was studied for 3 years, during which the plot was burnt by wildfire and was severely drought-affected. The combined effects of fire and drought were surprisingly limited. Similar numbers of species were recorded in each year and differences in species composition involved only rare visitors to the plot. Colour-banding indicated population declines in at least six resident species. The greatest decline was that of the Brown Thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla), from 20 pairs to 10 pairs. In general, insectivorous birds were most abundant and widespread on the plot during the first year, before the fire. In contrast, nomadic birds feeding on flowers or fruits were most abundant in the second year, when there was a prolific flowering and fruiting of several important food plants. After the fire, at least ten bird species avoided the burnt ridges and became more concentrated in the unburnt gullies. Most were species associated with dense shrub thickets, the layer of vegetation most affected by the fire. It seems that gullies are major refuge areas in these forests and are the key to the resilience of the bird community to fire and drought.     

Two proxy records revealing the late Holocene fire history at a site on the central coast of New South Wales,Australia

Abstract: The local fire history of a coastal swamp catchment in New South Wales was reconstructed using two proxy records of fire: sedimentary macroscopic charcoal and fire‐scar analyses of Xanthorrhoea johnsonii. The charcoal analysis provided a record of fire activity spanning the last 2800 years, while the Xanthorrhoea record covered the last approx. 300 years. The ability of each method to accurately record fire events was verified by cross referencing against the recent (post 1968) historic fire record. Fire history was then extrapolated beyond the historic record, to reveal an unprecedented level of fire activity in the last 35 years, which coincides with increased human activity in the area. In the prehistoric period charcoal and fire scars are comparatively rare, which is most parsimoniously ascribed to little fire activity, but perhaps represents skilful fire manipulation, as is often attributed to Aboriginal people. The comparatively minor fluctuations in macroscopic charcoal during the prehistoric period were approximately coeval with previous evidence of late Holocene environmental change in south‐eastern Australia, suggesting that fire frequency at the site responded to climatic variability. The longer temporal perspective of this palaeoenvironmental approach provides information for the contemporary management of fire in this conservation reserve.     

Effects of climate,natural enemies and biocides on three citrus mites in coastal New South Wales

Infestations of the citrus rust mitePhyllocoptruta oleivora (Ashmead), the brown citrus rust miteTegolophus australis Keifer, and the citrus red mitePanonychus citri (McGregor), did not cause economic damage to orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) in two coastal New South Wales orchards during a three-year study. The seasonal abundance of the mites and their phytoseiid and coccinellid predators was defined using periodic regressions of transformed counts on time. Population peaks coincided with seasonal rises and falls in temperature and evaporation in late-summer/autumn and in spring/early-summer. Population troughs in late-spring/summer coincided with peaks in temperature and evaporation and reproductive dormancy in some of the coccinellids. Population troughs in winter generally coincided with troughs in evaporation and temperature, particularly in July when the average temperature was about 10°C. Partial correlation coefficients were used to determine the relationships between the predators and their prey. These were mostly nonsignificant atP=0.05. Fortnightly and daily fluctuations in weather did not have any obvious effects on numbers of the mites. The effects of fungicides and pesticides applied during the study were not clear.     

Litterfall and decomposition in the Pilliga State Forests,New South Wales,Australia

Abstract The annual litterfall and decomposition rate of litter in three semi-arid vegetation communities (forest, mallee and broom) in the Pilliga State Forests, New South Wales, Australia, were measured over a period of 3 years. Annual litterfall was found to vary widely between the communities, ranging from 1005 to 3409 kg ha^?1 year^?1. Decomposition rates were measured and the half lives obtained ranged from 2. 5 to 5. 3 years. In many forests fire removes much of the accumulated litter at regular intervals. Two of the three study sites (the forest and mallee) had reached steady state after 36 years of litter accumulation after fire, while the broom, with only 20 years accumulation, was not in steady state. Between fires decomposition of the liner dominates. In the mallee soil fauna were most active, burying the litter under mineral soil before comminution commenced, demonstrating a cycling of litter which differs markedly from that in more humid climates.     

Patterns in shallow subtidal marine assemblages along the coast of New South Wales

Shallow subtidal areas of rocky reefs in central and southern New South Wales may best be described as a mosaic of habitats, the distributions of which are seemingly related to depth, wave exposure and a number of biological processes, particularly herbivory. The Fringe habitat is generally found only in the most shallow waters. Forests of the laminarian alga Ecklonia radiata are often found at intermediate depths. In deeper, or more sheltered water, sponges, ascidians and red algae are more abundant and the abundances of sea urchins and other invertebrate grazers decline. Overlying this broad-brush pattern are patches of crustose coralline algae (the Barrens habitat), the distributions of which are not clearly related to depth. Invertebrate herbivores, and sea urchins in particular, are abundant in the Barrens habitat. The Barrens habitat was most represented at the more southern locations. At the two most northern locations, reefs were shorter in length and dominated by ascidians (Pyura species).     

The effect of fire frequency on the sclerophyll vegetation of the West Head,New South Wales

The effect of fire frequency on the relative abundance of obligate-seeders and vegetative-regenerators was studied in 15 pairs of sites on the West Head, NSW. Each site pair consisted of a site which had been burnt frequently over the past 20 years and a nearby site which had been burnt less frequently. The data were collected in two phases. First, the relative abundance of the two overall groups of vegetative-regenerators and obligate-seeders was recorded by measuring the projective cover of live foliage. The presence or absence of particular species was then measured. For all the site pairs the projective cover of live foliage of obligate-seeders was dramatically less in the frequently burnt sites. Some obligate-seeder shrub species were absent from frequently burnt sites and the vegetation structure was simplified. In 11 of the 15 site pairs there was an increase in the projective cover of live foliage of vegetative-regenerators in the frequently burnt sites, while in the remaining four site pairs there were no significant differences between the infrequently and frequently burnt sites. Overall, the increases in the relative abundance of vegetative-regenerators made by high fire frequencies were not as large as the decreases in the relative abundance of obligate-seeders.     

Effects of fire and selective logging on the tree species composition of lowland dipterocarp forest in East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Tree species composition (diameter at breast height (dbh) 10 cm) was studied in primary, selectively logged and heavily burnt forests in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. The number of trees, tree species, and the Fishers's- diversity index were determined for the first 15 years (burnt forest) and 25 years (selectively logged forest) after disturbance. Additionally the population structure of six common and typical Macaranga pioneer tree species was compared through time between selectively logged, burnt and primary forest. Both selectively logged and burnt forest showed a significant reduction in number of trees and tree species per surface area directly after disturbance. Fire especially affected dominant tree species, while for selective logging the opposite was observed. In selectively logged forest the number of trees, tree species and the Fishers's- index reached pre-disturbance levels within c. 15 years. For burnt forest, only the number of trees recovered to pre-disturbance levels. The number of tree species stayed constant after disturbance, while the Fishers's- index decreased. The six studied Macaranga pioneer tree species seedlings were present in all forest types. Their density seems to be unrelated to light levels in the forest understorey but strongly related to the number of mature parent trees. Their sapling densities were strongly related to light levels in the forest understorey. The studied Macaranga species formed an important part of both under- and over-storey in burnt forest 15 years after disturbance, while they were almost absent in the understorey and only moderately common in the overstorey of selectively logged forest.     

Thermophysiology,microclimates, and species distributions of lizards in the mountains of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Thermophysiological traits, particularly thermal tolerances and sensitivity, are key to understanding how organisms are affected by environmental conditions. In the face of ongoing climate change, determining how physiological traits structure species’ ranges is especially important in tropical montane systems. In this study, we ask whether thermal sensitivity in physiological performance restricts montane lizards to high elevations and excludes them from the warmer environments reported at low elevations. For three montane lizard species in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, we collect thermophysiological data from lizards in the highest elevation site of each species’ distribution, and ask how well the individuals exhibiting those traits would perform across the Atlantic Forest. We use microclimatic and organism‐specific models to directly relate environmental conditions to an organism's body temperature and physiological traits, and estimate measures of thermophysiological performance. Our findings demonstrate that thermophysiological constraints do not restrict montane lizards to high elevations in this system, and thus likely do not determine the warm boundaries of these montane species’ distributions. Results also suggest that competition may be important in limiting the warm boundaries of the species’ ranges for two of the focal species. These experimental results suggest that caution should be used when claiming that physiology drives patterns of diversity and endemism within montane environments. They also highlight the importance of interdisciplinary experimental studies that bridge the fields of evolution and ecology to improve predictions of biological responses to future environmental shifts.     

干旱胁迫对3种灌木不同器官化学计量特征的影响

采用盆栽控水试验,研究了3个水分处理,即田间持水量(FC)的(75±5)％、(55±5)％和(35±5)％,对丁香、黄刺梅、连翘的叶、茎、极细根(0～1 mm)、细根(1～2 mm)和粗根(＞2 mm)化学计量特征的影响.结果表明:3种灌木相同器官间氮(N)和磷(P)含量以及C∶N、C∶P、N∶P均存在显著差异.随着干...     

Patterns of tree species richness in relation to environment in southeastern New South Wales,Australia

Abstract We present regression models of species richness for total tree species, two growth forms, rainforest trees (broadleaf evergreens) and eucalypts (sclerophylls), and two large subgenera of Eucalyptus. The correlative models are based on a data set of 166 tree species from 7208 plots in an area of southeastern New South Wales, Australia. Eight environmental variables are used to model the patterns of species richness, four continuous variables (mean annual temperature, rainfall, radiation and plot size), plus four categorical factors (topographic position, lithology, soil nutrient level and rainfall seasonality). Generalized linear modelling with curvilinear and interaction terms, is used to derive the models. Each model shows a significant and differing response to the environmental predictors. Maximum species richness of eucalypts occurs at high temperatures, and intermediate rainfall and radiation conditions on ridges with aseasonal rainfall and intermediate nutrient levels. Maximum richness of rainforest species occurs at high temperatures, intermediate rainfall and low radiation in gullies with summer rainfall and high nutrient levels. The eucalypt subgenera models differ in ways consistent with experimental studies of habitat preferences of the subgenera. Curvilinear and interaction terms are necessary for adequate modelling. Patterns of richness vary widely with taxonomic rank and growth form. Any theories of species diversity should be consistent with these correlative models. The models are consistent with an available energy hypothesis based on actual evapotranspiration. We conclude that studies of species richness patterns should include local (e.g. soil nutrients, topographic position) and regional (e.g. mean annual temperature, annual rainfall) environmental variables before invoking concepts such as niche saturation.     

Mineralization of soil nitrogen in three forest communities from the New England region of New South Wales

Nitrogen (N) mineralization rates and the temperature response patterns of mineral N production in surface (0–7.6 cm) soils were compared in laboratory incubation studies based on disturbed, composite samples. Seasonal variation in the field levels of mineral N, and mineralization potential of intact (7.6 × 5.6 cm diameter) soil cores, were also investigated. Ammonification proceeded rapidly in each soil. Nitrification did not occur in grassy forest (GF) soil but was active in both layered forest (LF) and mossy forest (MF) soils, especially the former. Total mineral N production was greatest in MF and least in LF. Ammonification in disturbed samples was maximal at 50°C in all three soils with a secondary peak at 10°C in LF soil. Nitrification in LF and MF soils was most rapid at 25°C. Several species of ammonifying bacteria with different temperature optima were isolated, indicating that the process of ammonification is a composite of the activities of a variety of decomposer microbes. Mean field levels of mineral N and NH₄–N throughout the year were greatest in MF and least in LF. Seasonal fluctuations in NH₄–N were evident, concentrations being universally low in mid-winter (about 1.5 μgg^-1), increasing to a maximum in late summer (about 5 μg g^-1 in LF: 16–18 μg g^-1 in GF and MF). Field levels of NO₃–N were more constant and never more than 5 μg g^-1 in any community. Both total mineralization and ammonification in intact cores were greatest in MF and least in LF while nitrification was greatest in LF and almost negligible in GF, thus confirming the results obtained with disturbed samples. The potential for mineralization was large in mid-winter when the amount of mineral N was very low, and small in late summer when field levels were higher: this is interpreted as indicating that seasonal climatic factors regulate the availability of substrates for decomposers. Spatial variability in field levels of mineral N and mineral N production in the laboratory was evidenced by significant ‘sampling site’ effects in each community: however, at the sampling intensity used, the presence of bark mounds around Eucalyptus saligna trees could not be shown to affect these attributes. The inability of GF soil to nitrify when incubated in the laboratory could not be ascribed to a high C/N ratio, low pH, lack of substrate ammonium, or a low population of autotrophic nitrifying bacteria. No attempt was made to investigate the presence of allelopathic nitrification inhibitors. No evidence was obtained to support the view that nitrification is atypical of climax communities in situ. The most productive forest (LF) had the greatest capacity to nitrify and the least productive community (GF) the smallest capacity to do so.     

Fungal endophyte communities in four Rhizophoraceae mangrove species on the south coast of China

This study investigated the taxonomic identities and diversity of fungal endophytes isolated from four Rhizophoraceae mangrove plant species, Ceriops tagal, Rhizophora apiculata, R. stylosa and Bruguiera sexangula var. rhynchopetala, using a combination of morphological and molecular approaches. Two hundred ninety-five isolates were classified into 38 taxa by morphological characteristics. The representative 38 isolates from each taxa were selected for further molecular identification using nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences, including both the internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS2) and the 5.8S gene region. The 38 representative endophytes were identified to various taxonomic levels. These results suggest that Pestalotiopsis and Phomopsis were the most frequent endophytes in the four host species. Some of the endophytes exhibit host and tissue specificity. The colonization frequencies of endophytic fungi in the stems of the four host plants are evidently higher than in the roots. The four Rhizophoraceae mangrove species have low similarities of endophyte communities.     

The impact on native mammals of land-use changes and exotic species in the Bega district,New South Wales,since settlement

Historical records for the Bega district were examined to chart the environmental changes wrought by Europeans through habitat alteration and the introduction of exotic species, and to interpret the impact of these on native mammals. Early recorded increases in native mammal populations, particularly koalas, may have been attributable to a decline in Aboriginal hunting pressure. After settlement in 1830, the valley forest was cleared progressively, ecosystems were altered by grazing and improved pastures, and many introduced plants became weeds in the disturbed environment. The timber industry exploited the forests of the valley and then the slopes of the surrounding mountains. Three exotic mammal species had a major impact on the district — hares, rabbits and foxes. Of the native fauna, the large and medium sized mammal species were those recorded most frequently. Dramatic fluctuations in numbers occurred in most of these species, and many reached plague proportions between 1880 and 1910, after which their numbers fell sharply. The peaks of exotic mammals and the decline of native mammals coincided with the clearing of the remaining forests in the Bega Valley. Many native mammal species are now rare, four are in danger of extinction, and at least six species have become locally extinct since settlement. As most of the native mammal populations in the district now occur in the State Forests surrounding the Bega Valley, the importance of preserving or managing these forests for wildlife must be weighed against proposals to manage the forests for pulpwood (woodchip) production.     

Bitou Bush control (after fire) in Bundjalung National Park on the New South Wales North Coast

Bitou Bush has already invaded extensive coastal dunes in subtropical and temperate eastern Australia. Can it be treated at a large enough scale to make a difference? Results to date of a targeted aerial spraying program (applied after wildfire at Bundjalung National Park) are showing strong recovery of high conservation value dunal vegetation along 35 km of the northern New South Wales coastline.      

Seasonal variation and the effects of drought on the abundance of arthropods in savanna woodland on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales

Monthly samples of arthropods were collected for 3 years in savanna woodland at Wollomombi, New South Wales, from the foliage of eucalypts, bipinnate acacias, Olearia viscidula Jacksonia scoparia, Exocarpos cupressiformis and Cassinia spp., and from the ground-layer. The second and third years of the study coincided with the worst drought recorded for the area. Biomass of arthropods matched primary productivity and decreased greatly during the drought. In the first year there was a pronounced summer peak and winter low. Some species of plants showed peaks that did not conform to the overall pattern. Most arthropod groups were greatly reduced in number during the drought and some groups virtually disappeared, although coleopterans were not significantly affected. Arthropods were less severely reduced in shrubs than they were in the tree-layer of eucalypts. Arthropods were on average smaller during winter.     

Art,Culture and Ambiguity in Wilcannia,New South Wales

The claim of most town whites that Aboriginal people of Wilcannia make art but have no culture and the claim by Aboriginal people of the town that their art work and art designs demonstrate their culture and cultural traditions opens up the powerful and productive dimensions of art and culture for closer scrutiny. In so doing, the ambivalence and ambiguity which saturates these categories is ethnographically revealed. How can the presence and production of artworks in Wilcannia and the white denial of culture be considered? Why indeed do these questions matter, in what ways do they matter, and to whom do they matter? How do the categories of traditional/remote, urban/settled and their avatars intersect with black and white notions of Aboriginal art and Aboriginal culture discursively and experientially?     

Ecological association of habitats and bird species during the breeding season in southeastern New South Wales

Bird communities in southeastern New South Wales, as determined by classification and ordination techniques, were seldom discrete. The most cohesive assemblage was associated with wet sclerophyll and rainforest habitats. These moist forests also supported the richest avifaunas and had high population densities. Although most birds occurred throughout the region, most species were uncommon. Of the 116 species recorded, 51 (44%) were found on fewer than 10% of the 143 plots censused. Only 19 species occurred on more than half the plots, with six of these recorded on more than 90% of the plots. Other than a small group of birds primarily restricted to moist forest, only the most common and widely distributed species regularly occurred together. Species were grouped with habitats on an elevational gradient from coastal forests to the tablelands. Within this elevational range, species were associated with major structural features of the vegetation. In terms of bird assemblages, open habitats were distinguished from those with dense vegetation. Plots which had been recently logged were separated from mature forest. The results indicate that plans for wildlife management should consider both the assemblages of species which are associated with major forest habitats and the requirements of individual species.