The vegetation of Dover and Erith Islands, Kent Group, Bass Strait

The terrestrial vegetation of Dover and Erith Islands is comprised oflow forest dominated by Allocasuarina verticillataor Myrtaceae species (including Eucalyptus nitida, Melaleuca ericifolia and Leptospermum laevigatum), closed-scrub, heath, Poa poiformis tussock grassland and a wide variety of coastal vegetation types. While Dover Island, which is infrequently burned and ungrazed by stock, is largely covered by low forest, closed-scrub and heath which almost totally lack exotics, Erith Island, which is frequently burned and grazed by cattle, is largely covered by P. poiformis tussock grassland with a high proportion of introduced species. Variation in the less disturbed vegetation of the two islands largely relates to soil nutrient conditions, as indicated by pH, soil drainage and exposure to salt-laden winds. Both islands have significant nature conservation values

Plant species diversity of the Lake Dora Islands, Tasmania

The relationship between the areas and plant species number of sixteen small islands in a Tasmanian subalpine lake is described. The nature of the island area species diversity curve seems to be strongly affected by island area rather than habitat heterogeneity, and by differences in species diversity in the vegetation zones found on the island

The importance of integrating science and management: lessons from terrestial vegetation change on Macquarie and Heard Islands.

Scientific observations have demonstrated massive changes in tall tussock and megaherb cover on Macquarie Island, substantial colonisation of bare ground by native vegetation on Heard Island, expansion of the range of Poa annua on Heard Island, and local changes in vegetation associated with changes in the locations of animal aggregations. Suggested recent declines in Sphagnum and Azorella on Macquarie Island may have occurred but are yet to be proven. Climate change seems certain to have been responsible for vegetation expansion on Heard Island, but its role on Macquarie Island is less clear. The role of variation in rabbit populations on Macquarie Island in causing changes in the areas of vegetation dominated by tall tussocks and megaherbs is scientifically well-established. However, the relative contribution of variation in cat populations, variation in the effectiveness of the Myxoma virus and climate change on variation in rabbit populations has been the subject of unresolvable differences in scientific opinion. While science has been generally productive in determining needs for vegetation management and its appropriate course when needed, the bureaucratic separation of managers and scientists within Tasmania, and an emphasis on peer review and strategic research within the Australian Antarctic Division, have contributed to some fracturing of management-related science in the twenty-first century, and have resulted in scientific publication and publicity that has criticised, rather than supported, appropriate conservation management. Long-term involvement of individual scientists in both research and management planning seems to have been a key driver of good nature conservation. A renewed focus on the integration of science and management is recommended

The characteristics and management problems of the vegetation and flora of the Huntingfield Area, southern Tasmania

The Huntingfield area has a varied vegetation, including substantial areas of Eucalyptus amygdalina heathy woodland, heath, buttongrass moorland and E. amygdalina shrubby forest, with smaller areas of wetland, grassland and E. ovatashrubby forest. Six floristic communities are described for the area. Two hundred and one native vascular plant taxa, 26 moss species and ten liverworts are known from the area, which is particularly rich in orchids, two of which are rare in Tasmania. Four other plant species are known to be rare and/or unreserved in Tasmania. Sixty-four exotic plant species have been observed in the area, most of which do not threaten the native biodiversity. However, a group of fire-adapted shrubs are potentially serious invaders. Management problems in the area include the maintenance of open areas, weed invasion, pathogen invasion, introduced animals, fire, mechanised recreation, drainage from houses and roads, rubbish dumping and the gathering of firewood, sand and plants

Phytosociological analysis of the vegetation of Lagoon Beach, Tasmania

The vegetation of the Lagoon Beach area is mapped and described. Classification and ordination of thirty-five randomly located quadrats, and central chi-squared distribution analysis of association between species, reveal three main species/stand groups. The wombat-grazed closed-herbfields dominated by Samolus repens and Schoenus nitens form one strong group associated with the lagoonal flats. A second group consists of stands which include characteristic heath species such as Casuarina monilifera and Hypolaena fastigiata. A third, less well-defined group consists mainly of Eucalyptus viminalis open forests with an understory characteristically dominated by pteridium esculentum. The factors that could be responsible for the differentiation of the vegetation of the area are discussed, and a species list is appended

The vegetation of the Rheban Spit, Tasmania

The vegetation of the Rheban spit, Tasmania is described and discussed. The vegetation on the frontal dunes, which have largely been developed in the last twenty years, can be divided into three zones, one dominated by Ammophila arenaria, one dominated by small herbs, and one dominated by Pteridium esculentum and Banksia marginata. The beach ridge vegetation cannot be divided so clearly into zones, but continuous variation is demonstrated through the use of polar ordination. The saltmarsh vegetation is briefly described, and the case for the preservation of the vegetation of the spit outlined

The vegetation of Schouten Island, Tasmania

Thirty-seven communities defined by structure and dominance are mapped for Schouten Island which lies within the Freycinet National Park on the east coast of Tasmania. The communities dominated by herbs are mainly coastal in occurrence, those dominated by shrubs are mostly confined to the granitic east of the island, and those dominated by trees are most widespread on the dolerite and sandstone of the west. Thirteen floristic communities are recognized as a result of a monothetic divisive classification of species lists from 160 quadrats. The distribution of these communities, like that of the structure-dominance communities, is most closely related to surface geology and exposure to salt-laden winds. However, their structural expression, and to some extent their distribution, is moulded by other influences such as fire incidence and intensity, topography, and disturbances by man and other animals. Over 450 native higher plant species are recorded for the Freycinet National Park

Responses to waterlogging and frost related to the topographic sequences of eucalypt species at three sites in central Tasmania

The boundaries between the eucalypt species typical of flats and hollows and those typical of slopes have been commonly attributed to variable waterlogging and/or frost resistance. Seedlings from three pairs of eucalypt species from the flats and slopes at three altitudes in central Tasmania (Eucalyptus ovata, E. rubida, 500 m; E. rodwayi, E. pauciflora, 800 m; E. gunnii, E. coccifera, 1000 m) were grown in a glasshouse experiment to test the interactive effects of species, waterlogging and fertiliser application on growth, frost resistance and frost recovery. The flats species largely proved more resistant to waterlogging, especially when fertilised, and less resistant to frost than the slopes species. Thus, it seems likely that the boundaries between the pairs of species are caused by relative frost resistance not waterlogging resistance