Regeneration after fire in Triodia R. Br.

Hummock grasses in the genus Triodia R. Br. were examined at 116 recently burned locations across mainland Australia, and were recorded as regenerating by resprouting, or by seed only. Prior to this survey it was known that the capacity to resprout varies considerably in Triodia, but it was unclear whether some species might be entirely resprouting and other species entirely fire-killed; whether this might be associated with particular traits of species or particular landscape types; or whether resprouting might be more common in particular regions such as the northern monsoonal grasslands. Seven species had both fire-killed and resprouting populations represented among the sites examined. Three species [T. basedowii E. Pritzel, T. marginata N.T. Burbidge and T. melvillei (C.E. Hubbard) Lazarides] were recorded as fire-killed at all sites examined, and five species [T. bynoei (C.E. Hubbard) Lazarides, T. bunicola (S.W.L. Jacobs) Lazarides, T. intermedia Cheel, T. molesta N.T. Burbidge and T. spicata N.T. Burbidge] were recorded as resprouting at all sites. Another seven species were recorded at one site only. There was no clear overall trend for fire-killed populations to be more prevalent in south rather than north, or east vs west, or coastal vs inland parts of the continent. No clear relationships were found between regeneration strategy and site attributes. Considered as a group, resprouting species were more likely to have an open growth form than a dense growth form, whereas the opposite was true for fire-killed species. Given that no trait either of species or of landscape was found to be a consistent correlate of resprouting, a likely inference is that resprouting might vary between different fires, even for a given population at a given site. Against this inference, fire-killed populations had substantial densities of seedlings much more often. Longitudinal studies would be needed to demonstrate directly whether resprouting varied between different fires at a site, and to investigate the implications of this for maintenance or extinction of local populations.     

Land-plant ecology on the basis of functional traits

The tissue traits and architectures of plant species are important for land-plant ecology in two ways. First, they control ecosystem processes and define habitat and resources for other taxa; thus, they are a high priority for understanding the ecosystem at a site. Second, knowledge of trait costs and benefits offers the most promising path to understanding how vegetation properties change along physical geography gradients. There exists an informal shortlist of plant traits that are thought to be most informative. Here, we summarize recent research on correlations and tradeoffs surrounding some traits that are prospects for the shortlist. By extending the list and by developing better models for how traits influence species distributions and interactions, a strong foundation of basic ecology can be established, with many practical applications.     

The conservative low‐phosphorus niche in Proteaceae

Plant and Soil - Intercropping cereals with legumes may achieve high crop yields at reduced input levels. Several studies have indicated that intercropping increases phosphorus use efficiency but...     

Safety and streamlining of woody shoots in wind: an empirical study across 39 species in tropical Australia

? Wind is a key mechanical stress for woody plants, so how do shoot traits affect performance in wind? ? We used a vehicle mounted apparatus to measure drag, streamlining and mechanical safety in 127 vertical lead-shoots, 1.2 m long, across 39 species in tropical Australia. ? Shoot dimensions and stem tissue properties were closely coupled so that shoots with low stem specific gravity or larger projected area had thicker stems. Thicker stems provide larger second moment of area (I), which increased shoot safety and bending stiffness but impeded shoot reconfiguration in strong winds, including frontal area reduction. Nonetheless, increasing I also improved streamlining. Streamlining was unrelated to traits except I. Stem tissue material properties only had small effects. Higher modulus of rupture increased shoot safety and higher Young's modulus impeded shoot reconfiguration. ? We found no conflict between bending stiffness and streamlining for woody shoots. Stiffness might help streamlining by increasing damping and stability, thereby reducing flagging in wind. Tissue-level traits did influence shoot-level mechanical safety and behaviour, but shoot geometry was much more important. Variable shoot and stem traits, which all influenced shoot biomechanics, were integrated in shoots to yield a relatively narrow range of outcomes in wind.     

Understanding seedling growth relationships through specific leaf area and leaf nitrogen concentration: generalisations across growth forms and growth irradiance

Seedling relative growth rate (RGR) achieved under favourable growth conditions can be thought of as a useful bioassay of the potential ability of species to take advantage of favourable growth opportunities; that is, of a species' growth strategy. The consistency of relationships between RGR and its component attributes leaf nitrogen productivity (LNP), leaf N per area (LNCa), specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf mass ratio (LMR) was assessed across 12 datasets comprising three growth forms (grasses, herbaceous dicots and woody plants; 250 species in total). These relationships were characterised in terms of scaling slopes (regressions on log-log axes, the slopes giving the proportional relationship between the variables). Mathematically, the expected scaling slope between RGR and each component is 1.0, giving an appropriate null hypothesis to test against (whereas the widely used null hypothesis of zero correlation is in fact inappropriate for this situation). Deviations below 1:1 scaling slopes indicate negative covariance between the components. Consequently, the correlation structure between the components of RGR should also be investigated. Biologically, RGR should scale 1:1 with SLA at a given LNCa and somewhat more weakly with LNCa at a given SLA. SLA and LNCa should themselves scale with a slope of between 0 and -1, with the actual slope indicating the extent to which between-species variation in SLA dilutes leaf N on an area basis versus the ability of species to maintain LNCa at a given growth irradiance. On average, across the 12 datasets RGR scaled close-to-proportionally with SLA, and 1:1 with SLA at a given LNCa. RGR scaled with LNCa with null or negative slopes, since SLA and LNCa scaled negatively (with slopes generally shallower than -1); however, RGR scaled positively (but less than proportionally) with LNCa at a given SLA. For these key relationships there were no qualitatively different conclusions with respect to the growth form under consideration or the growth irradiance at which the seedlings were grown. RGR also scaled close-to-proportionally with LNP, while LNP and LNCa were negatively associated. These relationships involving LNP are difficult to interpret since it can be shown that they are, at least potentially, the result of the interactions between RGR, SLA and LNCa, as well as reflecting intrinsic differences in the efficiency of nitrogen use in the growth process.     

Assessing climate change associated sea‐level rise impacts on sea turtle nesting beaches using drones,photogrammetry and a novel GPS system

Climate change associated sea‐level rise (SLR) is expected to have profound impacts on coastal areas, affecting many species, including sea turtles which depend on these habitats for egg incubation. Being able to accurately model beach topography using digital terrain models (DTMs) is therefore crucial to project SLR impacts and develop effective conservation strategies. Traditional survey methods are typically low‐cost with low accuracy or high‐cost with high accuracy. We present a novel combination of drone‐based photogrammetry and a low‐cost and portable real‐time kinematic (RTK) GPS to create DTMs which are highly accurate (<10 cm error) and visually realistic. This methodology is ideal for surveying coastal sites, can be broadly applied to other species and habitats, and is a relevant tool in supporting the development of Specially Protected Areas. Here, we applied this method as a case‐study to project three SLR scenarios (0.48, 0.63 and 1.20 m) and assess the future vulnerability and viability of a key nesting habitat for sympatric loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green turtle (Chelonia mydas) at a key rookery in the Mediterranean. We combined the DTM with 5 years of nest survey data describing location and clutch depth, to identify (a) regions with highest nest densities, (b) nest elevation by species and beach, and (c) estimated proportion of nests inundated under each SLR scenario. On average, green turtles nested at higher elevations than loggerheads (1.8 m vs. 1.32 m, respectively). However, because green turtles dig deeper nests than loggerheads (0.76 m vs. 0.50 m, respectively), these were at similar risk of inundation. For a SLR of 1.2 m, we estimated a loss of 67.3% for loggerhead turtle nests and 59.1% for green turtle nests. Existing natural and artificial barriers may affect the ability of these nesting habitats to remain suitable for nesting through beach migration.