Range extension, habitat and conservation status of three rare mallees, Eucalyptus castrensis, Eucalyptus fracta and Eucalyptus pumila from the Hunter Valley, NSW

New populations of three threatened mallee species, Eucalyptus castrensis K.D.Hill, Eucalyptus fracta K.D.Hill and Eucalyptus pumila Cambage (all Myrtaceae), have recently been found in the Singleton Military Area in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales (32°45’S, 151°15’E). Each population is significant as they increase the known distribution and total numbers of three highly restricted species. Details of the habitat and size of each additional population are given and conservation notes provided

Leionema westonii (Rutaceae), a rare, new species from north-eastern New South Wales, Australia

Leionema westonii L.M.Copel. & I.Telford (Rutaceae), a rare, new species endemic to montane north-eastern New South Wales, is named as new. The species appears to be allied to L. gracile (C.T.White) Paul G.Wilson and a table comparing selected attributes of the two species is presented. A map showing the distributions of both species is presented. The conservation status, habitat and phenology of the new species are discussed

Post-fire recovery of woody plants in the New England Tableland Bioregion

The resprouting response of plant species to fire is a key life history trait that has profound effects on post-fire population dynamics and community composition. This study documents the post-fire response (resprouting and maturation times) of woody species in six contrasting formations in the New England Tableland Bioregion of eastern Australia. Rainforest had the highest proportion of resprouting woody taxa and rocky outcrops had the lowest. Surprisingly, no significant difference in the median maturation length was found among habitats, but the communities varied in the range of maturation times. Within these communities, seedlings of species killed by fire, mature faster than seedlings of species that resprout. The slowest maturing species were those that have canopy held seed banks and were killed by fire, and these were used as indicator species to examine fire immaturity risk. Finally, we examine whether current fire management immaturity thresholds appear to be appropriate for these communities and find they need to be amended

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Range extensions and conservation status of 18 restricted plant species in north-eastern New South Wales

During recent surveys within north-eastern New South Wales new records of range extensions for some significant plant taxa were recorded. The implications for the conservation status of each taxon in terms of their ROTAP status (Briggs & Leigh 1996) are discussed. It is important that management decisions concerning rare taxa are made using the most up-to-date information possible, hence the need to report new distributions and suggest changes in conservation status. Vouchers of all taxa discussed have been lodged at the NCW Beadle Herbarium at the Division of Botany, University of New England and/or at the Herbarium of the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden, Coffs Harbour. In the following notes National Park is abbreviated to NP and Nature Reserve to NR

Acacia atrox subsp. planiticola (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae), a new threatened subspecies from the North Western Plains of New South Wales, Australia

Acacia atrox Kodela subsp. planiticola Kodela & L.M.Copel., a new, rare and threatened subspecies, is described and illustrated. Notes are also given on its distribution, habitat, etymology and conservation status. The subspecies is known only from a single population in Kirramingly Nature Reserve on the North Western Plains of New South Wales, Australia. With its unusual, sharply pungent-pointed, sessile, basally dilated phyllodes, subsp. planiticola appears to be closely related to typical Acacia atrox Kodela, and both taxa are thought to be clonal with plants spreading vegetatively beneath the ground via root suckers. Although all plants are in a conservation reserve, Acacia atrox subsp. planiticola is considered threatened due to its small population size and its vulnerability to stochastic event

Leionema westonii (Rutaceae), a rare new species from north-eastern New South Wales, Australia

Leionema westonii L.M.Copel. & I.Telford (Rutaceae), a rare species endemic to montane north-eastern New South Wales, is named as new. The species appears to be allied to L. gracile (C.T. White) Paul G.Wilson, and a table comparing selected attributes of the two species is presented. A map showing the distributions of both species is also provided and the conservation status, habitat and phenology of the new species are discussed

Bursaria cayzerae (Pittosporaceae), a vulnerable new species from north eastern New South Wales, Australia

Bursaria cayzerae I.Telford & L.M.Copel. (Pittosporaceae), endemic to north-eastern New South Wales, is described. Its distribution is mapped, and habitat and conservation status discussed. A table comparing distinguishing attributes of the new species to those of B. longisepala and B. spinosa is provided. The keys to species in NSW FloraOnline and the Flora of New South Wales are modified to accomodate the new species

Leaf oils of the genus 'Homoranthus' (Myrtaceae)

The leaf oils from all 23 published and four unpublished species in the genus 'Homoranthus' have been examined. All species produced oils, which were dominated by monoterpenes, accounting for up to 75% of all oils. α-Pinene was usually a major component in all species. (Z)-β-Ocimene was a major component (>40%) in 'H. biflorus', 'H. binghiensis', one chemotype of 'H. cermus', 'H. flavescens', 'H. montanus' and 'H'. sp. nov.Nandewar Range. When present in large amounts, it was usually not accompanied by the (E)-isomer. Limonene was the principal component of 'H. bornhardtiensis', one chemotype of 'H. decumbens', 'H. homoranthoides', 'H. prolixus', and one chemotype of 'H. sp. nov. Nandewar Range'. γ-Terpinene was the principal component of one chemotype of 'H. decumbens', 'H. thomasii', 'H. tropicus' and one chemotype of 'H. sp. nov. Nandewar Range, while methyl geranate was a significant component of 'H. tropicus'. Of the sesquiterpenes found in the leaf oils of the genus, bicyclogermacrene was always a significant component, ranging in amounts up to 30% in individual samples. Globulol was usually the most significant oxygenated sesquiterpene, though never in amounts greater than 10%. Occasionally (E)-nerolidol was present in similar amounts. Oil yields were in the range 0.5-2% w/w (dry weight) over the whole genus

The Essential Oil Composition of Trachymene incisa Rudge subsp. incisa Rudge from Australia

Trachymene incisa subsp. incisa is an Australian endemic taxon that varies greatly in the abundance and length of the leaf trichomes. The essential oil composition of five populations of this subspecies, three corresponding to the typical glabrous form and two of the particularly hairy variant, has been analyzed in an attempt to determinate if that variability is also reflected in their composition. The oils have been extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by Gas Chromatography (GC) and Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS). The essential oils of T. incisa subsp. incisa were characterized by the high amount of sesquiterpenes that were the major fraction. The sesquiterepene hydrocarbons were significantly higher in the hairy variant in comparison to the glabrous one. According to the main compound, three different chemotypes were found: I.—βselinene + bicyclogermacrene and II.—γ-bisabolene + α-pinene for the typical glabrous variant and III.—bicyclogermacrene + β-caryophyllene for the hairy variant