Curtin University Homepage
  • Library
  • Help
    • Admin

    espace - Curtin’s institutional repository

    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
    View Item 
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item

    Floristic patterns and disturbance history in karri forest, south-western Australia 1. Environment and species richness

    Access Status
    Fulltext not available
    Authors
    Wardell-Johnson, Grant
    Williams, Matthew
    Mellican, A.
    Annells, A.
    Date
    2004
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Wardell-Johnson, G.W. and Williams, M.R. and Mellican, A.E. and Annells, A. 2004. Floristic patterns and disturbance history in karri forest, south-western Australia 1. Environment and species richness. Forest Ecology and Management. 199 (2): pp. 449-460.
    Source Title
    Forest Ecology and Management
    DOI
    10.1016/j.foreco.2004.05.057
    ISSN
    03781127
    Faculty
    Faculty of Science and Engineering
    School of Agriculture and Environment
    Department of Environmental Biology
    Remarks

    The link to the journal’s home page is: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/503310/description#description. Copyright © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/23906
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    We examined the influence of disturbance history on interactions between floristic composition and environmental factors in a single community type in karri forest (site type 10, after [For. Ecol. Manage. 32 (1990) 135]) in south-western Australia. The relationship of six disturbance and site-based environmental variables, and three plant species richness variables (native, introduced and total vascular plant species) were compared using numerical taxonomic, regression and correlation approaches. Disturbance and site variables were highly intercorrelated, limiting the opportunity to directly attribute causes to observed floristic patterns. Nevertheless, management practices in karri forest are based on interrelated disturbances (e.g. high intensity slash burns were used to initiate regeneration for timber production), limiting the necessity to separate effects. Community types in karri forest have both, low a diversity (quadrat-based species richness) and species richness of the community in comparison with neighboring vegetation types. For community type 10, a diversity was negatively correlated with time-since-fire (P <0.002) and time-since-regeneration (P <0.004), but was lowest at intermediate times since disturbance (11-20 years).Although, ordination revealed no discernable pattern of sites based on floristic composition, four plant assemblages defined a priori according to time-since-disturbance were significantly different from one another (P &lt; 0.01 by ANOSIM). Time-since-fire (and other disturbance) influenced floristic composition more than the number of recent past fires in contrast to the more species-rich, but drier and nutrient-poor neighboring jarrah forest communities where the number of past fires is more influential. Under the current climatic regime, karri forest communities are likely to undergo less long-term change in floristic patterns following disturbance than neighboring vegetation types. This is primarily because of the greater intervals between disturbance events, the few transformer weeds in the area and the rapid recovery of native plant cover following disturbance. This study has demonstrated the resilience of karri forest to various discrete disturbances currently associated with these environments, although more profound changes are likely following continuing disturbance intervention such as clearing and grazing.

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • Floristic patterns and disturbance history in karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor: Myrtaceae) forest, south-western Australia: 2. Origin, growth form and fire response
      Wardell-Johnson, Grant; Williams, Matthew; Mellican, A.; Annells, A. (2007)
      We examined the influence of disturbance history on the floristic composition of a single community type in karri forest, south-western Australia. Cover-abundance of 224 plant species and six disturbance and site-based ...
    • Fire impacts on restored shrublands following mining for heavy minerals near Eneabba, southwestern Australia
      Herath, Dulana Nilupul (2008)
      Following mineral-sand mining in the northern sandplains near Eneabba, southwestern Australia, rehabilitation managers have the difficult task of restoring shrubland communities of exceptional plant species richness. ...
    • Developing completion criteria for rehabilitation areas on arid and semi-arid mine sites in Western Australia
      Brearley, Darren (2003)
      Continued expansion of the gold and nickel mining industry in Western Australia during recent years has led to disturbance of larger areas and the generation of increasing volumes of waste rock. Mine operators are obligated ...
    Advanced search

    Browse

    Communities & CollectionsIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument TypeThis CollectionIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument Type

    My Account

    Admin

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    Follow Curtin

    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 

    CRICOS Provider Code: 00301JABN: 99 143 842 569TEQSA: PRV12158

    Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy statement | Accessibility

    Curtin would like to pay respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of our community by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which the Perth campus is located, the Whadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation; and on our Kalgoorlie campus, the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields.