Tasmanian Journal of Natural Science

The dates of publication of the separate parts of the tasmanian Journal of Natural Science have been determined. Some comment is made on the history of the publication of the Journal, on the quality of the articles and their scientific value, and on a few of the contributions

Pre-settlement exploration of Tasmania and the natural sciences: the Clive Lord Memorial Lecture 1983

The unfolding of knowledge of Australian natural history as a result of the visits of marine explorers is briefly reviewed, particular attention being paid to Tasmania. The importance of the D'Entrecasteaux and Baudin expeditions is stressed, the unique observations of the Baudin expedition on the Tasmanian Aborigines being emphasised. The observations of exploring expeditions must form the basis for the study of the ecology of the Australasian region because they provide evidence as to the state of the country before it was disturbed by European settlement

Some notes on the anterior dorsal fin and venous drainage in Callorhinchus (Holocephali)

The region of the anterior dorsal fin of the elephant-fish (CalZorhinchus callorhynchus (L.) has been examined by dissection, by injection of radio-opaque material and in serial sections. Particular attention has been paid to the venous system in the region. A large venous sinus lies below the basal plate of the fin skeleton and has connections running anteriorly and posteriorly in the midline. Anteriorly, the sinus is connected with the left posterior cardinal vein by a large communicating vein which lies close against the left side of the vertebral column. This arrangement is generally similar to that found in the Selachii, but in the latter group two venae circulares are found instead of the median dorsal sinus of Callorhinchus and other Holocephali

The form of the hair follicle in the human scalp as an indicator of human relationships

The form of the hair follicle has been examined in some human isolates. There is no relationship between follicular structure and hair form, that is, similar hair forms may be the end product of different follicular structures. Such diversity means that it is not possible to use hair form as an indicator of human relationships. The usefulness of follicular structure as such an indicator must await a much wider sampling from an extensive variety of human isolates

Notes on some Tasmanian Aborigines and on portraits of them

Notes are given on the parentage and histories of Fanny Cochrane and Mathinna, the first a half-caste Tasmanian and the second a full-blood. The busts of the Tasmanian aborigines attributed to P-M-A-Durnoutier are all, or nearly all, based on originals by other hands. Some sculptures by Benjamin Law are listed. Some new information about Thomas Bock's portraits of the Tasmanian aborigines is considererd

How old is the Tasmanian cultural landscape? a test of landscape openness using quantitative land-cover reconstructions

Aim: To test competing hypotheses about the timing and extent of Holocene landscape opening using pollen-based quantitative land-cover estimates. Location: Dove Lake, Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, Australia. Methods: Fossil pollen data were incorporated into pollen dispersal models and corrected for differences in pollen productivity among key plant taxa. Mechanistic models (REVEALS-Regional Estimates of VEgetation Abundance from Large Sites) employing different models for pollen dispersal (Gaussian plume and Lagrangian stochastic models) were evaluated and applied in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time. Results: Validation of the REVEALS model with vegetation cover data suggests an overall better performance of the Lagrangian stochastic model. Regional land-cover estimates for forest and non-forest plant taxa show persistent landscape openness throughout the Holocene (average landscape openness similar to 50%). Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus, an indicator of moorland vegetation, shows higher values during the early Holocene (11.7-9 ka) and declines slightly through the mid-Holocene (9-4.5 ka) during a phase of partial landscape afforestation. Rain forest cover reduced (from similar to 40% to similar to 20%) during the period between 4.2-3.5 ka. Main conclusions: Pollen percentages severely under-represent landscape openness in western Tasmania and this bias has fostered an over-estimation of Holocene forest cover from pollen data. Treeless vegetation dominated Holocene landscapes of the Dove Lake area, allowing us to reject models of landscape evolution that invoke late-Holocene replacement of a rain forest-dominated landscape by moorland. Instead, we confirm a model of Late Pleistocene inheritance of open vegetation. Rapid forest decline occurred after c.4 ka, likely in response to regional moisture decline.Australian Research Council; AINSE AWARD [ALNGRA16024]; AINSE PGRA scholarship [12039]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio