Australian Vegetation And It's Management Sle317

Front 1

What are the three types of Eucalypt forest? And what is the height of the trees that define each?

Back 1

-E. Tall Open Forest (wet sclerophyll forest >30m
-E. Open Forest 10-30m
-E. Low Open Forest (orpnbarks, sub alpine) 5-10m

Front 2

In TOF's, what does the understorey depend on?

Back 2

•soil types
•climate &
•TIME SINCE FIRE

Front 3

In OF's what does the understorey depend on?

Back 3

Soil nutrient status
-nutrient poor soils = sclerophyllus shrubs
-higher nutrient soils = grassy

Front 4

What is the understorey of OFs generally like?

Back 4

Low to moderatly high shrubby understorey. At drier sites grass with scattered shrubs/cycads.

Front 5

Where do LOFs grow?

Back 5

Less favourable sites such as subalpine (cold) areas, dry areas (ironbark), drainage impeded sites, steep rocky slopes

Front 6

What are some issues for management of sclerophyll forest?

Back 6

-fire
-logging
-weeds
-visitor impact
-fragmentation
-herbicides
-human development
-edge effects
-clearing
-isolation/faunal barriers (roads)
-feral animals
-disease management
-indiginous cultural values

Front 7

What are some dominant species of TOFs?

Back 7

-Eucalyptus regnans
-Acacia melanoxylon
-Melaleuca leucodendron
-Lophostemon conferta
-

Front 8

What type of forests are wet sclerophyll forests?

Back 8

TOFs

Front 9

What are the 3 broad groups of wet sclerophyll forest?

Back 9

1. Central NSW and south QLD
2. Vic and Tas
3. S.W Western Aus

Front 10

What are some dominant species of wet sclerophyll forests in central NSW and south QLD?

Back 10

E. cloeziama
E. microcorys
E. pilularis
E. grandis

Front 11

What are some dominant species of wet sclerophyll forests in Vic and Tas?

Back 11

E. regnans
E. viminalis
E. obliqua
E. globulus
E. nitens

Front 12

What are some dominant species of wet sclerophyll forests in SW western Aus?

Back 12

E. diversicolor
E calophylla
E. guilfoylei
E jacksonii

Front 13

Where abouts do treeferns occur in the understorey of TOFs?

Back 13

Vic and Tas

Front 14

Where do palms and vines occur in TOF understorey?

Back 14

NSW and QLD

Front 15

What is the leaf size in the under storey of TOFs in NSW and QLD?

Back 15

notophyllus (7.5-12.5cm) and microphyllus (2.5-7.5cm)

Front 16

What is the leaf size in the under storey of TOFs in Vic and Tas?

Back 16

notophyllus (7.5-12.5cm) and microphyllus (2.5-7.5cm)

Front 17

What is the leaf size in the under storey of TOFs in WA?

Back 17

Very similar to south eastern forests but with the absence of tree ferns and few ground ferns.

Front 18

How are the fastest growing eucalypts in wet sclerophyll forests able to grow up to 2m a year? (saplings)

Back 18

High rainfall, 1500-2000mm a year

Front 19

In WSF, how many mature trees are there in a square hectare in a stable system?

Back 19

40-80

Front 20

In central Vic, what species covers half of the water supply catchments?

Back 20

E. regnans

Front 21

Why would water yield decrease in a forested catchment post fire?

Back 21

Because young trees transpire much faster and hence use more water. The leaves of mature trees have thicker cuticles.

Front 22

Why do few eucalypt seeds germinate in mature TOFs?

Back 22

Because the seeds require light to germinate, hence the mass germination after a bushfire when more light reaches the substratum.

Front 23

What changes about the leaves of some Eucalypts as they mature?

Back 23

The leaves change from being dorsiventral to being iso-bilateral.

Front 24

What is one disadvantage for Eucalypts having dorsiventral leaves?

Back 24

They dont recover as rapidly from fungal/insect attack (unless they have a lignotuber).

Front 25

Why are large areas of rainforest rare in Vic?

Back 25

Because of fire frequency, it takes 100-300 years for rainforest to develop. More rainforest in Tas as there is more rainfall and less fire.

Front 26

What are the three zones of eucalypt open forests?

Back 26

1. coastal and subcoastal SE Australia from Adelaide to Brisbane
2.Tasmania
3.S.West WA

Front 27

What is needed to define dry sclerophyll forests in NSW?

Back 27

Two or more eucalypt species.

Front 28

What are the conditions of co-dominance?

Back 28

1. Absence of cross breeding eg genetically incompatible or different flowering times
2. Tolerance of species overlap leading to co-dominance eg tolerance for temp, nutrients, moisture, altitude etc

Front 29

What are some common understorey genera australia wide?

Back 29

Shrubs - Acacia, Daviesia , Hakea, Hibbertia, Leptospermum, Pultenaea
Rhizomatous herbs - Dianella, Lomandra, Lepidosperma
Ferns - Pteridium, Adiantum

Front 30

What are disjunctions?

Back 30

continuous Populations broken by climatic, topographic or edaphic barriers bridged by long distance dispersal of propagules. eg Bass strait forms a barrier between the mainland and Tas

Front 31

What does vegetation mean?

Back 31

It is the collective term for plants (individual species and their structure) at a particular site or landscape.

Front 32

What percentage of Australia's vegetation is endemic?

Back 32

85%

Front 33

What are the two largest tree and shrub groups?

Back 33

Eucalypts and phyllodinous Acacias

Front 34

In Aust Veg, what kind of habit is rare?

Back 34

Deciduous

Front 35

What is an organism that aids in seed dispersal?

Back 35

Ants

Front 36

What are some reasons why we should classify plants? ie Why is it important to classify plants?

Back 36

1.Communication
2.Comparison of composition
3.Deduction of generalizations about range of compositional variation
4.Correlation of vegetation with environment
5.Assessment of resource potential
6.Prediction of future changes
7.Critical to planning for improved management
8.Facilitates priority setting for investment
9.Provides basis for monitoring effects of interventions

Front 37

What does NVIS stand for?

Back 37

Native Vegetation Information System

Front 38

What does MVG stand for?

Back 38

Major Vegetation Group (23 are recognised)

Front 39

What are the dominant MVGs?

Back 39

Hummock grassland, Eucalypt woodlands, Acacia shrublands

Front 40

What percentage of Australia is hummock grasslands?

Back 40

18%

Front 41

What percentage of Australia is Eucalyptus woodlands?

Back 41

12%

Front 42

What percentage of Australia is Acacia shrublands?

Back 42

11%

Front 43

What are the most restricted MVGs?

Back 43

-Rainforest and vine thickets
-E. Tall open forests
-Callitris forests/woodlands
-Low closed forests and tall closed shrublands
-Mangroves
-Heathlands
-E. low open forests

Front 44

What determines the distribution of high mountain veg?

Back 44

Summer temperatures

Front 45

What mean summer temp is required for tree growth?

Back 45

~10 celcius or above

Front 46

What elevation are Australian alpine areas on the mainland and in Tas?

Back 46

Mainland - 1370 - 1525m+
Tas - 915m+

Front 47

What percentage of Australia's land mass is taken up by alpine areas?

Back 47

~.15%

Front 48

What are the 10 main plant communities that occur in alpine areas?

Back 48

1. Subalpine woodland
2. Closed Heath
3. Open Heath
4. Tussock grassland/tall alpine herbfield
5. Fen
6. Wet heath
7. Bog
8. Bolster
9. Short alpine herbfield
10. Fjaeldmark

Front 49

What are two species that occur in subalpine woodlands?

Back 49

Eucalyptus pauciflora (snow gum)
Northofagus gunnii

Front 50

What are two species that occur in (alpine) closed heath?

Back 50

Podocarpus lawrencii
Tasmannia acrophylla

Front 51

What are two species that occur in (alpine) open heath?

Back 51

Grevillea victoriae
Leucopogan montana

Front 52

What are two species that occur in (alpine) tussock grassland?

Back 52

Danthonia
Themeda

Front 53

What are two species that occur in (alpine) fen?

Back 53

Scirpus
Carex

Front 54

What are two species that occur in (alpine) wet heath?

Back 54

Epacris
Kunzea

Front 55

What are two species that occur in (alpine) bogs?

Back 55

Sphagnum
Epacris

Front 56

What are two species that occur in short alpine herb field?

Back 56

Colobanthus
Helipterum albicans

Front 57

How is the alpine treeline in Australia compared to that of the northern hemisphere?

Back 57

It is indistinct and low comparatively. But they are not really different as both have the same average summer temperatures.

Front 58

What are the six most important features of Australian Vegetation that indicate it is unique in composition and structure.

Back 58

•high endemicity –85%
•two large tree and shrub groups-eucalypts and phyllodinous wattles
•includes sclerophyll forest, mallee woodland & hummock grassland
•deciduous habit is rare
•woody scleromorphic forms feature in many communities
•ant dispersal of seeds high

Front 59

What are the most restricted Major Vegetation Groups's in Australia?

Back 59

•Rainforests and Vine Thickets
•Eucalypt Tall Open Forests
•Callitris Forests and Woodlands
•Low Closed Forests & Tall Closed Shrublands
•Mangroves
•Heathlands
•Eucalypt Low Open Forests

Front 60

Initially after a fire in TOF there is a high density of seedlings, which results in reducing
evapotranspiration. There are three reasons for this reduction in evapotranspiration. What are they?

Back 60

The high density of seedlings causes a high humidity, lowers temperatures & protects from drying winds, all of which are important as they reduce evapotranspiration.

Front 61

In terms of leaf type, explain why eucalypts decrease in tree density as a forest ages.

Back 61

the seedlings are tolerant of relatively low light.ie have horizontal, dorsiventral foliage= Important as juveniles grow in dense populations.As the seedling matures, iso-bilateral leaves develop& the light compensation point (photosynthesis = respiration) increases sharply
>more light needed
>thinning

Front 62

than size, list the general differences between juvenile and adult eucalypts.

Back 62

Juveniles - horizontal, dorsiventral foliage, tolerant of shading, dont recover well from insect/fungal attack

Adults - isobilateral leaves, less sapwood

Front 63

There are three main reasons why eucalypt seeds generally do not germinate under a mature TOF canopy. What are they?

Back 63

-ants harvest too much of the seed
-seed buried too deeply
-no light for germination

Front 64

In N.S.W., more than half the dry sclerophyll forests require two or more eucalypt species to define them. This condition is referred to as what?

Back 64

The condition is called codominance.

Front 65

What are the three conditions of codominance in dry schlerophyll forests in NSW?

Back 65

1. Absence of cross breeding - either genetically incompatible or ecologic (ie different flowering times), absence of specificity of certain pollinators.
2.Tolerance of species overlap leading to codominance
ie.
tolerances for:temperature
moisture
altitude & radiation
nutrients
drainage
geology etc.
biotic eg. Leaf damage by invertebrates/fungi can inhibit growth so a species wont dominate

Front 66

Mineral concentration & plant tissue associations are considered important in
understanding nutrient cycling in Australian forests. Explain why.

Back 66

Nutrient cycling is important to understand as Australian soils are nutrient poor yet few studies have been done.
Correlation found between
nitrogen
Phosphorous
Zinc
Iron
& Copper content in litter.
May be because of functional differences in plant
Eg
N, P, Fe, Cu & S are related to nucleic acid & protein metabolism.
Ca, Mg, Mn were related which could be attributed to them forming a structural photosynthetic set.
Also important is
rainfall
Foliar leaching
Soil chemistry
Mineralisation of litter & decaying roots
Availability of nutrients
Internal recycling & rock weathering

Front 67

On what is the rate of nutrient withdrawal prior to leaf drop dependent in TOF? Explain your answer.

Back 67

The rate of nutrient withdrawal prior to leaf drop is dependant on the concentrations of any particular nutrient in the soil. EG. if the soil has a low nitrogen concentration, more nitrogen will be leached from the leaves prior to drop. If this didn't happen, plants could become nutrient deficient as in the example of Eucalypt leaves, it takes 2-3 years for the leaves to break down and the nutrient to be returned to the soil.

Front 68

Foliar leaching is an important component in the recycling of nutrients within sclerophyll forests. The amounts of nutrient leached are dependent on four factors. What are they?
Explain their interdependence.

Back 68

1.Mobility of element
2.Tissue being leached
3. Soil content
4. Withdrawal of nutrients prior to leaf fall.
Rate of nutrient withdrawal prior to leaf fall is dependant on soil nutrient content.
Rate of return of less mobile elements to soil from litter determined from decomposition rates:Euc leaf 2-3 yrsTwigs 4-8 yrsBranches/logs many yrs

Front 69

List five leaf adaptations of alpine plants. Explain why they are adaptations.

Back 69

1. Some species have small leaves and have a large volume of them with small surface area leading to more efficient heat dissipation then large leaved spp.
2.Low growth form protects from heat
3. Leaf hairs help to protect from cold
4. Plants form clumps to protect from wind and cold.

These are adaptations as they are hereditary traits that have have evolved over time through the process of natural selection.

Front 70

Discuss the fate of our alpine and subalpine vegetation with climate change.

Back 70

-climate change could result in
•a longer, warmer growing season,
•changes (overall decreases) in soil moisture,
•increased vegetative competition,
•increased herbivory and
•changes to the reproductive ecology of some species

imost specialised and biologically significant will be the most affected eg short alpine herbfeld and snowbank feldmark have restricted distribution and specific habitat requirements
-most common community, tall alpine herbfield, effects initially neutral/beneficial, may colonise other areas outcompeting other species, snow declines, they decline
-communities on waterlogged substrates eg bogs, fens. effects will vary as precipitation/runoff changes alter competitive ability of species
-heath communities will increase as temp increases and snow declines as these conditions favour shrubs over grasses and herbs
-huge threats from weeds able to survive at higher altitudes as snow line receds
-threats from tourism
-

Front 71

Seedlings of mallee are rare in unburnt areas eg. 1 per 300 m2 but After fire, 3-10,000 seedlings per hectare. To what is seedling survival post-fire attributed?

Back 71

Survival is due to:
-Mass seed release
-Subsequent satiation of seed eating ants
-Increased mortality of adults thus less competition
-Reduced community transpiration
-Soil heating effects on nutrient availability

Also need above average spring to summer rainfall or most seedlings will not survive 2-6 yrs post fire.

Front 72

What is the inverse texture effect often found in arid and semi-arid areas and from what does it result?

Back 72

The ITE is where soil water supply to plants decreases with increasing clay content.
It results from
a. the small depth of penetration of rainfall into soils with higher clay contents, with subsequent increases in evaporation losses.
b.the larger amount of rainfall needed to bring the clayiersoils from air-dry condition up to the ‘available water’ range of soil water potential, thus light showers can make water available on dry sandy soils but not on dry clayey ones.