Replacement of Cakile edentula with Cakile maritima in New South Wales and on Lord Howe Island

Two species of Cakile (Brassicaceae) have been introduced to Australia and the genus has been a common feature on the beaches of NSW for over 130 years; Cakile edentula has been present for at least 148 years (in NSW since about 1870), while Cakile maritima arrived approximately 114 years ago, (in NSW since about 1969). Collections at CANB and NSW confirm that since around 1970 plants more like Cakile maritima have almost entirely replaced Cakile edentula along the NSW coast. A similar phenomenon is reported for Lord Howe Island

Defining indigenous plants: some problematic species from Norfolk Island

Defining indigenous species may at first appear straight forward; most botanical texts provide similar definitions. The consistent requirement of such definitions is the lack of human intervention in the occurrence of the species within the area under consideration. Islands around the world have been invaded by plant species brought to their shores by humans. They are also places where self-introduced species can be continually arriving, as they have done for millennia. Scrutiny of the situation on Norfolk Island (1200 km east of Australia) finds that the distinction between indigenous and introduced taxa is sometimes unclear. There is also inconsistency regarding the acceptance of self-introduced species as indigenous. This paper explores these issues and notes that they are more important than idle botanical curiosity, because control of introduced (weed) species is a major area of activity in managing protected natural areas

Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq by Thomas E. Ricks

A book review of Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq (2006) by Thomas E. Ricks

Israeli Immigration: An Analysis

Israel is one of the most unique sociological experiments of immigration and assimilation in the modern world. Since its formation in 1948, Israel has depended on immigration of the Jewish Diaspora for nearly its entire population and continues to grant automatic citizenship to Jews hailing from all countries of the globe. The country has an official policy of assimilation and does not recognize ethnic differences among Jews. Such a situation has made Israel one of the most culturally pro-immigrant countries in the entire world. However, recent influxes of culturally diverse Jewish populations from the former USSR have emigrated to Israel and failed to assimilate to previously accepted cultural norms, thus threatening to challenge Israel’s long held policy of assimilation. This paper seeks to analyze the history of Jewish immigration and assimilation. It also seeks to evaluate the cultural and economic factors that affect perceptions of immigrants by comparing attitudes towards recent immigration from the USSR among various segments of Israeli society, including the Ashkenazi Jews, Mizrahim Jews, and Arab Israelis

WHAT CAN A KANSAS FARMER AFFORD TO PAY TO RENT CROPLAND?

Five years of continuous annual data are used to measure the marginal value product of cropland (return to land) on approximately 100 Kansas farms. Determinants of the marginal value product are investigated using regression.Land Economics/Use,

The conservation reserve system in the South Coast Region of NSW looks impressive, but does it adequately conserve threatened plant species?

The listed threatened plant taxa within the South Coast Region of New South Wales (Helensburgh to Batemans Bay, as designated by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service) are documented. Of the 100 NSW listed taxa, 69 are also listed by the Commonwealth, while two additional taxa are only listed by the Commonwealth. An analysis of the individual taxa and the 62 conservation reserves in the region, found that 30 taxa can with confidence be said to be adequately reserved, while 50 are assessed as inadequately reserved; for the remaining 22 taxa, reservation status is unknown. Examples of challenges for the conservation of threatened plants in the region are examined; these challenges have relevance well beyond the South Coast Region. Managing for individual plant species may be hampered by a lack of basic ecological information; this is particularly so for the rarer species such as orchids. One of the main areas where information is lacking is the response of most species to bushfire. Conservation on private land is becoming an increasingly important and challenging area for plant species conservation as the last large areas of public land are dedicated for one purpose or another. A more co-ordinated approach to conservation on private land may produce improved outcomes for many inadequately reserved taxa

Was "Phormium tenax" introduced to Norfolk Island by the Polynesians?

We establish a methodology and present baseline data for a long-term grassy woodland restoration study that commenced in 2007 in two nature reserves (Mulligans Flat, Goorooyarroo (35° 9–13’ S; 149° 9–12’ E)) totalling 1386 ha on the northern boundary of Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory in south eastern Australia. The experimental infrastructure comprises 96 × 1 ha sites established in Eucalyptus blakelyi / Eucalyptus melliodora dominated woodland. These are being subjected to varying kangaroo grazing pressure and augmentation with logs, while burning treatments are planned. One reserve (Mulligans Flat) has been fenced for feral predator control and contains half the sites, forming a companion experiment to Goorooyarroo. Our baseline floristic study comprised estimates, at the site level, of ground layer biomass, species biomass, ground cover types and soil (0–10 cm) properties. From these data we conclude that the groundlayer vegetation is dominated by Joycea pallida, Austrodanthonia spp., Themeda australis and Aristida ramosa. These grasses varied in abundance according to differences in soil pH, phosphorus and to a lesser extent nitrates. Forb frequencies were highly sensitive to nitrate levels with annual exotic forbs dominating at high nitrate sites. More generally, soil nutrient levels and exotic species in some sites indicated areas of previous pasture improvement activities. Biomass estimates indicated extremely high grazing pressure, sufficient to negatively affect the habitat quality for ground-dependent fauna and some soil processes. These data will provide an important basis for examining rates of ecosystem recovery under different restoration strategies