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Lack of ecological knowledge is a major challenge for effective conservation of threatened plant species in Australia as disturbance events, such as wildfire, increase in frequency and magnitude. Rapid on‐ground surveys are increasingly important to inform recovery strategies for rare and threatened plants in response to extreme wildfire events, yet resources are rarely available to deploy time‐sensitive surveys. Here, we utilize a rapid on‐ground survey and monitoring program to document basic biological and ecological information for 21 rare and threatened plant species from the New England bioregion in northern New South Wales, which were affected by the catastrophic 2019–2020 megafires. Our results fill an important knowledge gap of ecology, population size, distribution and response to fire for these taxa, document for the first time a species distribution pattern within the Torrington State Conservation Area and reveal previously undocumented plant–insect interactions for nine species, including likely pollination of Persoonia terminalis ssp. terminalis and Monotaxis macrophylla by native bee (Hymenoptera) and fly (Diptera) species. Our findings reveal that two species (Cassinia heleniae and Hakea macrorrhyncha) have scarce distribution and low population sizes, despite neither having a conservation listing and their threat status should be urgently assessed. Simple rapid on‐ground surveys can be more cost effective for delivering long‐term conservation outcomes for rare and threatened taxa and we advocate that future funding and prioritisation processes must support the immediate delivery of such surveys in response to disturbance events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study examined the relationship between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and myocardial infarction in men and women, while controlling for social determinants (i.e., socioeconomic status, social support, mental health) and traditional cardiovascular risk factors (i.e., age, race, obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, diabetes mellitus). Methods: Population-based data were obtained from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Myocardial infarction was ascertained by self-report of a health-professional diagnosis. CSA was defined as forced sex with someone at least 5 years older before the age of 18. The final sample included 5,095 men and 7,768 women. Results: After adjustment for 15 factors, abused males had nearly 3 times the odds of heart attack compared to non-abused males (OR=2.96; 95% CI=1.12, 7.85). Among women, CSA was not associated with heart attack in the age-race adjusted (OR=1.20; 95% CI=0.39, 3.68) or fully-adjusted (OR=0.88; 95% CI=0.28, 2.75) analyses. Conclusions: CSA was associated with heart attack in men, even when controlling for traditional risk factors; however, no association was found among women. Future research is needed to replicate the study's unique findings. (Contains 2 tables.)

Summary: Contemporary Indigenous cultural fire management facilitates opportunities for Indigenous peoples to connect to and manage their Country, as well as providing scope for research. Right‐way science is defined as collaborative process of bringing Indigenous and Western scientific knowledge and methods together to create ethical, productive and mutually beneficial research. Five key requirements of right‐way science emerge from the literature, including: building relationships and trust; formal research approval processes; co‐development of research; acknowledging challenges; and ethical, productive and mutually beneficial research. This article explores the question: how can right‐way science enhance Indigenous cultural fire management? By reflecting on research collaborations between Western scientists and Indigenous ranger groups of New South Wales (Banbai) and the Northern Territory (Yugul Mangi), this paper, firstly, describes the methods we used to explore right‐way science around cultural fire management. Secondly, it synthesises key findings of the research projects, including how we addressed the five key requirements of right‐way science elicited from the literature. Thirdly, we provide insight on how right‐way science can be applied more broadly to enhance Indigenous cultural fire management. We found that increasing opportunities for Indigenous peoples to care for their Country, supported by right‐way science, places them in a unique position to contribute to solving some of the ongoing challenges and research questions associated with fire management. Western scientists have an important role to play, as supporters and followers of Indigenous research partners, and advocates of right‐way science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding broad trends in the distribution and composition of wetlands is essential for making evidence‐based management decisions. Determining temporal change in the extent of inundation in wetlands using remote sensing remains challenging and requires on‐ground verification to determine accuracy and precision. Therefore, optimization and validation of remote sensing methods in threatened wetlands is a high priority for their conservation. Despite their ecological importance in the landscape, we have little knowledge of the variation in the spatial extent of inundation in upland lagoons, a threatened ecological community in New South Wales, Australia. Our project developed locally trained algorithms to predict the extent of water and emergent vegetation using imagery from the Landsat‐5, ‐7, and ‐8 satellites. The best model for upland lagoons used shortwave infrared reflectance (performing better than normalized difference spectral indices), with model accuracy against validation transects greater than 95%. We applied the model to images from 1988 to 2020 across 58 lagoons to generate a dataset that demonstrates the variable water regime and vegetation change in response to local rainfall over 32 years such as in the lagoons. Our results reduce threats to a dynamic threatened ecological community by filling an important knowledge gap and demonstrate a valuable method to understand historical and current changes in the hydrology of dynamic wetland systems more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous knowledge emphasises the importance of cultural connections between humans and the biophysical world. In the face of threats to the maintenance and transfer of Indigenous knowledge, novel approaches such as seasonal calendars are emerging as tools to share knowledge and guide management of natural and cultural resources. The renewal of Indigenous cultural fire management in southeast Australia provided an opportunity to explore whether the co‐production of a fire and seasons calendar, using Western and Indigenous knowledges, can support cultural fire management. We present a case study of cross‐cultural collaboration between scientists and the Banbai Aboriginal rangers at Wattleridge Indigenous Protected Area, New South Wales. We reviewed literature from various disciplines (archaeological, ethnohistorical, Indigenous and ecological) and undertook participatory action research and interviews to collate relevant information. This was synthesised in Winba = Fire, the Banbai Fire and Seasons Calendar, which is used by the Banbai rangers to guide cultural burning, share cross‐cultural knowledge and increase awareness of Indigenous cultural fire management. The process of co‐producing knowledge, revitalising culture, caring for Country, working together and supporting self‐determination is relevant for many Indigenous communities around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation classification requires the defining of a hierarchy of types based on a spatial and temporal dimensionality. Spatial variation is achieved by plots being placed across the landscape; however, temporal dimensionality is generally only inferred but not directly tested and is rarely incorporated within the circumscription of types. Here, 108 permanent plots are surveyed across 7 years within the Mulga Lands Bioregion of north-western New South Wales through a drought cycle to assist in incorporating temporal dimensionality within community definition. Herbaceous biomass and species density decreased significantly and species composition changed associated with increasing drought conditions, with a return to closer to original conditions by the end of the study. Here, nine temporal associations and 31 synusiae are defined. The changes noted have significant implications for current vegetation classification methods, benchmarking and threatened community listings. The use of permanent plots in vegetation classification is recommended at least for threatened communities and highly dynamic vegetation types associated with less predictable climates. Vegetation classification requires the defining of a hierarchy of types based on a spatial and temporal dimensionality. Here, 108 permanent plots are surveyed across 7 years within the Mulga Lands Bioregion of north-western New South Wales through a drought cycle to assist in incorporating temporal dimensionality within community definition. The changes noted have significant implications for current inflexible vegetation classification methods, benchmarking and threatened community listings. The use of permanent plots in assisting in vegetation classification is recommended at least for threatened communities and highly dynamic vegetation types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in conceptual frameworks in vegetation classifications, such as the EcoVeg approach that underpins the International Vegetation Classification (IVC) developed by NatureServe staff and colleagues, offer opportunities to enhance national classification initiatives. National level initiatives provide an important stepping-stone between international units and subnational units. Australia has a long history of developing various vegetation typologies at local to regional scales, but ecologists recognise the need for an Australia-wide, plot-based vegetation classification system that incorporates the principles of the EcoVeg approach, and thereby helps build an international classification system. Using two case studies, we provide a comparison of various structures and criteria for relevant Australian classifications in the context of the IVC, and exemplify how Australian classifications of forest, shrublands, grasslands, and deserts could potentially link into the IVC hierarchy to illustrate the capacity of the IVC to summarise the full range of Australian vegetation at a broad formation (biome) scale. We then discuss how the IVC might inform future work towards an Australian vegetation classification system and, vice versa, the implications of an Australian vegetation classification for IVC development. In Australia, ecologists have recognised the need for a quantitative national vegetation classification system to serve a broad spectrum of land management and research needs. Here we provide two case studies of how the International Vegetation Classification approach could potentially provide a framework for the development of an Australian National Classification. We then discuss building the national classification through a collaborative, nation-wide initiative that can incorporate ongoing local and regional efforts while making a unique contribution to the International Vegetation Classification itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many previous vegetation description and mapping programs have highlighted the need for a hierarchical classification that easily translates from regional through to international scales. Often programs have not selected appropriate levels of vegetation classification and mapping for management purposes. Here, we provide an alternative broad vegetation classification at the macrogroup level in the international vegetation classification for eastern New South Wales (NSW) that could be applied in regional and local environmental planning and management. Existing aerial photographic interpretation (API) floristic and canopy maps available for eastern NSW were collated and reclassified and incorporated into a unifying dataset of macrogroups, which also included types dominated by exotic vegetation such as exotic plantations. There we identified, in total, 71 macrogroups across eastern New South Wales (NSW) of a total of 85 identified for NSW mapped at 1:25 000 scale, or finer, in the following three sections: north-east, Sydney basin and central west, and southern coast and Snowy Mountains. These were then amalgamated into a single remnant vegetation map covering 23 525 280 ha. This alternative broad vegetation hierarchy provides a reliable and overt vegetation classification and mapping dataset that can easily incorporate future revisions as new mapping data become available. A seamless remnant vegetation-mapping dataset for broad vegetation has been created for eastern NSW from existing legacy vegetation mapping data for the most part at a scale of 1:25 000 and, in one instance, at 1:100 000. The method involved collating vegetation-mapping data for that area and then classification of vegetation-map units from those legacy maps into 57 broad vegetation categories equivalent to Level 5 (macrogroups) in the international vegetation classification (IVC) system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In areas of poor plot data, limited funding and expertise, alternate approaches are needed to create elements of a hierarchical classification schema to assist in landscape planning. This is especially important for vulnerable systems under pressure from human activities. Within this paper we introduce an approach to help create a consistent classification section for riparian vegetation at a subcontinental scale, within the context of low plot data availability. We collated occurrence data for selected dominant plants known to occur within riparian environments from electronic databases and our own unpublished survey data. We used generalised dissimilarity modelling (GDM), which models species turnover between pairs of 0.01° grid cells as a function of environmental differences between those cells. Eight climatic and landscape variables were derived for each grid cell. Average temperature and average rainfall had the greatest contribution to species turnover followed by elevation. A model incorporating eight climatic, physiognomic and spatial variables accounted for 48% of the turnover of species. Six ecoregions were defined and used to circumscribe the equivalent number of interim Macrogroups based on the GLM outputs and diagnostic species. In areas of poor plot data, limited funding and expertise, alternate approaches are needed to create elements of a hierarchical classification schema to assist in landscape planning. We used generalised dissimilarity modelling (GDM), which models species turnover between pairs of 0.01° grid cells as a function of environmental differences between those cells. Here we created a subjective semi-supervised alternative protocol to fully supervised classifications within areas of disproportional and often poor plot data coverage, using individual species occurrences from accessible databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vegetation communities within semi-permanent or ephemeral montane marshes colloquially known as lagoons are an under investigated wetland type of the New England Tablelands Bioregion (NETB) yet they are listed (Upland Wetlands) on both state and federal acts as endangered. Lack of survey and analysis of plot data has meant that the variation in vegetation due to zonation, seasonality and unpredictable wetting and drying cycles are poorly understood. Here, 317 full floristic 2 × 2-m plots were placed across 13 lagoons. The plot data were classified to allow description of native and novel vegetation types using the hierarchical EcoVeg schema. The updated classification includes one Division and Macrogroup with 15 Alliances and 47 Associations. Permanent 50-m transects with a 1 × 1-m plot at every 5 m (10 per transect) were placed within lagoons. Five lagoons were resurveyed annually for 3 years. Within transects, each plot was assigned an Association after each survey period. Approximately one third of transect plots changed in vegetation type each year, often at the Alliance level. Over the 3-year period the number of Associations reduced by ~30% across transects associated with increasing drought and drying out of the wetlands. Transitional environments with the greatest level of hydrological periodicity had the greatest variety of Associations recorded. Highly dynamic systems with increased temporal turnover are likely to require increased sampling effort both spatially and temporally than more stable vegetated systems. The constant changing nature of these communities poses significant issues for management and conservation planning, including benchmarking and offsetting, which may require novel solutions. Ephemeral wetlands form complex mosaics. Unpredictable wetting and drying events of variable duration create diverse patterns that are lost when using from simplified classifications. A hierarchical classification based on adequate sampling gives better understanding of these complexities so that management and conservation targets are not misdirected particularly for benchmarking and offsetting. Highly dynamic systems require specialised more intensive sampling over extended periods. Highly dynamic systems do not fit easily within standard survey, mapping, management and conservation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aeolian sand dunes on the Broughton Island are heavily disturbed by nesting birds and invaded by Opuntia stricta (Prickly Pear). Biological control agents do not establish well on exposed coastal systems and thus herbicide treatment is currently the main control, but it is expensive in terms of resource allocation. Invasive species are generally considered by many to be controlled at all cost but in many situations, they are benign or even beneficial. We test if O. stricta causes significant change to the vegetation on aeolian sands on Broughton Island. 40100 m2 plots were placed randomly over areas of differing cover of O. stricta. Within these plots additional six subplots of 4 m2 were placed. All flora species were scored for cover. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed testing the effects of O. stricta on floristic composition and species density and turnover. Regression models showed a non-significant (r2 = 0.95; P = 0.0557) negative effect of O. stricta cover on species density at the 100 m2 plot size and at the 4 m2 scale (r2 = 0.013; P = 0.0858). Global comparison of species density between plots with and without O. stricta at the 4 m2 scale was non-significant. Homogenisation occurred (lowered beta diversity) across plots with O. stricta presence at the 4 m2 scale. More species had their average cover reduced by O. stricta presence than those that were benefited. The scale at which the investigation was undertaken (4 or 100 m2; species density and beta diversity) affected the magnitude and significance of O. stricta on the results obtained. The scale at which investigations are made was found to be of importance. Overall, although negative changes were noted in flora species diversity and homogenisation was apparent the negative impact may not be sufficient to justify the costs and resources needed to control the species which is unlikely to be eradicated from the site. Opuntia stricta was found to be associated with homogenisation within the dunal communities in which it commonly dominated. However, the magnitude of these effects on diversity and the inability to eradicate the species may not constitute effective use of labour, funds and time and the potential detrimental effects of long-term use of herbicides. There are limited resources available and such resources need more specific targeting to maximise the chances of reducing biodiversity loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental degradation is threatening biodiversity and ecosystem function globally. Mandating ecosystem-level protection in policy and legislative frameworks is essential to prevent biodiversity loss. Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is the key legislative mechanism for supporting biodiversity at the national level, but has so far been ineffective at protecting habitat and ecological communities. Here we identify a major flaw in the current approach to listing threatened ecological communities (TECs): restrictive condition thresholds that threaten ecosystem function in dynamic ecosystems. Using two wetland TECs as a case study (Upland Wetlands and Coolibah-Black Box Woodlands), we argue that Australia's environmental legislation should adopt a landscape-scale approach to TEC protection that acknowledges ecosystem function, accounts for different states in temporally dynamic systems, and sustains landscape connectivity of TEC distribution. We present a state-and-transition model for each TEC to show how human activities affect the reference-state continuum of wet and dry phases. We also show that the current listed condition thresholds do not acknowledge alternative ecosystem states and exclude areas that may be important for restoration and conservation of the TEC at the landscape-scale. Description of alternative and transitional states for dynamic systems, including how, when and why ecological communities shift between different states, should be formally integrated into the TEC listing process to protect Australia's vulnerable ecosystems from further degradation and loss. We identify a major flaw in the EPBC Act listing framework for threatened ecological communities: restrictive condition thresholds that threaten ecosystem function in dynamic ecosystems. Description of alternative states for dynamic systems should be formally integrated into listing processes to protect Australia's vulnerable ecosystems from further degradation and loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Ecosystems nationally at risk in Australia are listed under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act (EPBC Act), and many cross State jurisdictional boundaries. The determination of these ecosystems across the State boundaries are based on expert knowledge. The International Vegetation Classification has the potential to be useful as a cross-jurisdictional hierarchy which also gives global perspective to ecosystems. Study Area: All bioregions that include Eucalyptus populnea as a dominant or major component of woodlands across the species known distribution. Methods: We use plot-based data (455 plots) from two states (Queensland and New South Wales) in eastern Australia and quantitative classification methods to assess the definition and description for the Poplar Box Woodland ecosystem type (hereafter "ecological community" or "community") that is listed as endangered under the EPBC Act. Analyses were conducted using kR-CLUSTER methods to generate alliances. Within these alliances, analyses were undertaken to define associations using agglomerative hierarchical clustering and similarity profile testing (SIMPROF). We then explore how assigning this community into the IVC hierarchy may provide a mechanism for linking Australian communities, defined at the association and alliance levels, to international communities at risk. Results: We define three alliances and 23 associations based on the results of floristic analysis. Using the standard rule-set of the IVC system, we found that the IVC hierarchy was a useful instrument in correlating ecological communities across jurisdictional boundaries where different classification systems are used. It is potentially important in giving a broader understanding of communities that may be at risk continentally and globally. Conclusions: We conclude that the IVC hierarchy can incorporate Australian communities at the association level into useful units at higher levels, and provides a useful classification tool for Australian ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To use unsupervised techniques to produce a hierarchical classification of grasslands on coastal headlands of New South Wales in eastern Australia. Methods: A dataset of 520 vegetation plots scored on cover and placed across grasslands on coastal headlands (ca. 2000 km of coastline). Vegetation assemblages were identified with the aid of a clustering method based on group averaging and tested using similarity profile analysis (SIMPROF) using Bray-Curtis similarity. A hierarchical schema was developed based on EcoVeg hierarchy and was circumscribed using positive and negative diagnostic taxa via similarity percentage analysis (SIMPER) and importance based on summed cover scores and frequency. Mapping the occurrences grasslands was initially constructed using remote sensing which was verified and modified with on ground observations. Results: One group Themeda - Pultenaea - Zoysia - Cynodon grasslands and heathy grasslands was defined to include all coastal headland grassland vegetation of the New South Wales, and within this, three alliances and ten associations. Only one of the circumscribed associations is represented within the current state classification schema. In total 107 ha were mapped of which 68 ha occurred within secure conservation tenure. Conclusions: A number of unique and rare grassland assemblages on coastal headlands have to date gone undescribed. The most common alliance constitutes approximately 87% of extant grassland occurrences but is currently the only type listed as endangered and afforded protection. Although Poa spp. are listed as a threat to Themeda dominated assemblages on headlands data from this study suggest that this is unlikely to be the case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To use unsupervised techniques to produce a hierarchical classification of montane mires of the study region. Study area: New England Tablelands Bioregion (NETB) of eastern Australia. Methods: A dataset of 280 vascular floristic survey plots placed across the variation in montane mires of the NETB was collated. Vegetation types were identified with the aid of a clustering method based on group averaging and tested using similarity profile analysis (SIMPROF) and through ordinations using Bray-Curtis similarity and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). A hierarchical schema was developed based on EcoVeg hierarchy and was circumscribed using positive and negative diagnostic taxa via similarity percentage analysis (SIMPER) and importance based on summed cover scores and frequency. Results: We defined one macrogroup to include all montane mire vegetation of the NETB and within these two groups and twelve alliances. Conclusions: Our study re-enforced the separation of bogs from other montane mire systems and confirmed the separation of fens and wet meadows, a distinction that previously had not been independently tested. Based on our results many existing montane mire communities of the NETB have been ill-defined at multiple hierarchical levels, leading to confusion in threat status and mapping. Additionally, nearly half of the alliances we recognise were found to have no correlates within current classification systems, which necessarily has implications for the effectiveness of current conservation planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We respond to Neil Gibson's reply to our paper "Overview of plot-based classification approaches within Australia" where Gibson advised on the location of plot data held by the Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Attractions (DBCA). Based on that advice we have tabulated the available vegetation plot data on DBCA's NatureMap site. NatureMap stores vegetation plot data as Excel files within data directories rather than in a unified database. We accessed 5,318 vegetation plots from 19 flora surveys sourced from NatureMap and a further 1144 from other government or university sources. In addition, we sourced a further 9,588 vegetation survey sites in a privately-held database. We updated the bioregional analyses of plots for WA, outlined in Gellie et al. 2018, using the combined plot data. It is likely additional data exists that would increase the plot density in Western Australian bioregions. Irrespective, our updated analysis of all the plots we located indicates the quantities are well below that required for either supervised or unsupervised vegetation classification, except for a few sub-bioregional areas. From a practical perspective, the plot data held by DCBA as Excel files are not readily available to external users. Few of the WA data are assigned cover or abundance scores with implications for statistical classification of vegetation types. Adopting a sampling protocol that conforms to a national standard would enhance plot data consistency for recording site and floristic attributes. WA DBCA data could more usefully be stored in a properly constructed centralised vegetation plot database containing government and non-government data maintained to agreed standards with protocols for ensuring plant taxonomy is maintained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We review vascular plant plot survey data, plot-based terrestrial vegetation classification protocols and schema by state and bioregions across Australia, discussing recent regional approaches in States and bioregions. A high degree of inconsistency exists in vegetation classification methods and management of plot data across jurisdictions and Australia currently lacks a unified national vegetation plot database, vegetation plot-recording protocols and agreed thematic outputs for classification. Broad-scale classifications were developed largely to support vegetation mapping based on remote sensing of image patterns. Since the 1970s, plot datasets from well-sampled regions have been subjected to a range of analyses (sometimes numerical) producing finer-scaled but idiosyncratic classifications. There are robust numerical classifications for less than 5% of the Australian continent. In poorly sampled and plot-free regions, vegetation classification has focussed on expert description or hybrid approaches using patchy quantitative outputs where they exist. A rigorous quantitative continental regional to local scale approach to classification will not be possible until major data gaps are filled. Additionally, the impact of Australia's inconsistent rainfall on species composition and abundance in analyses of combined datasets requires careful consideration. Given that vegetation classification is integral to Australian biodiversity laws and regulations, there would be benefits in extending quantitative plot coverage to data-poor areas, encouraging cross jurisdictional co-operation of classification procedures, promoting the use of comparable methodologies and sampling under different disturbance and climatic regimes. The development of a consistent vegetation classification across Australia will also require inter-state co-operation, higher standards of plot data curation and plant taxa nomenclature, agreed nation-wide classification protocols and a scientifically defensible hierarchical classification that should integrate with the International Vegetation Classification (IVC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While classification of vegetation can be conducted in many ways, international homogenization of procedures and typologies is desirable for human societies that are highly connected in terms of sharing biodiversity information. This Special Issue of Phytocoenologia includes 12 papers that document several of the plot-based classification approaches currently used throughout the world. The issue includes approaches from five continents, but noticeable gaps are South America, middle-eastern countries, northern Africa and southeastern Asia. We include in this editorial a brief synthesis of the papers included in the Special Issue, with respect to (1) the amount of vegetation-plot data and characteristics of the classification systems developed in different areas and (2) the concepts and procedures of classification approaches. One of the most important common attributes among the classification approaches is the need to define vegetation units at a low level of abstraction. 'Association' (and perhaps 'alliance' too) may be a classification level for which international homogenization of procedures would be most easy to achieve, perhaps establishing different consistent classification sections depending on ecological conditions. Several papers in this issue demonstrate that multiple approaches may coexist for higher levels, as long as they abstract vegetation from the same low level units by focusing on a specific set of concepts and defined from the perspective of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describing, classifying and quantifying vegetation communities is fundamental for understanding their current distribution, rarity, interrelationships and ecosystem functions. In the present study, we apply a consistent objective classification system for ephemeral wetlands of arid and semi-arid areas of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Our approach uses a two-step statistically based, hierarchical, multiscale classification of environmental data at broad scales and floristics data at intermediate scales. At broad scales, ecoregionalisation methods were used to describe three wetland macrogroups. Within these groups, we performed unsupervised analyses of 640 floristic survey plots using the Bray-Curtis algorithm, clustering by group averaging and testing of clusters using similarity profile analysis (SIMPROF). From this we delineated 18 vegetation groups with class definition based on a combination of diagnostic and nondiagnostic similarity percentage analysis (SIMPER) outputs and dominant taxa. We show that a consistent classification system can be effectively created for subsets of vegetation that have adequate plot data within a general matrix that is poorly sampled if outputs are restricted to appropriate scales of resolution. We suggest that our approach provides a stable and robust classification system that can be added to as more data become available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We surveyed subtropical closed tussock grasslands on headlands within the North Coast Bioregion of New South Wales. The aims of the investigation were to provide baseline data on this listed threatened community. Additionally, we tested 'he effects of macropod grazing and biomass changes on assemblages. In total, 117 full floristic survey plots were placed within extant natural grassland occurrences on 16 headlands. Data collected included the percentage cover and frequency of each species. In addition, we ranked the three species contributing most to overall biomass. Analysis of the full floristic cover data (percentage cover) was performed using the Kulzynski association measure and Unweighted Pair Group Arithmetic Averaging fusion strategy. Further analysis was performed using constrained and unconstrained ordinations and Generalised Additive Modelling using species frequency data and explanatory variables including overall, and proportional species biomass, and macropod grazing impact. Seven distinct grassland assemblages were derived, of which three were Themeda dominated. Concentrating on the Themeda-AommsAsd assemblages, it was found that increasing biomass depth and a reduction in macropod grazing impact were associated with a reduction in plot species richness and diversity and trait richness and diversity. These changes were associated with a shift in floristic assemblage identity. All three Themeda assemblages are likely to provide a unique combination of functional resources anc all should be maintained in order to promote landscape diversity. We predict that use of frequent fire is likely to cause homogenisation (reduced landscape richness) and loss of important components including listed threatened taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inselbergs and the adjacent matrix represent extremes of different environmental conditions and should shed light on the changing allocation of plant resources across strong and abrupt resource gradients. Here I use collated life history trait data from 840 taxa found within typical insular inselberg and adjacent matrix floras from the New England Batholith region of eastern Australia. These species were sorted into guilds of specificity to the inselberg environment. Scored traits include life form, plant height, leaf area, fruit size, seed size, mono- or polycarpy, underground storage organs, regenerative/clonality, and flowering phenology. With reduced water and nutrient resources, typical of inselbergs, allocation of plant resources to vegetative reproduction and storage organs is a disadvantage. Plants restricted to inselbergs were shorter, usually polycarpic shrubs, with smaller leaves, fruits, and seeds. Flowering time was found to be earlier and reduced in length; diaspores often have dormancy and are dispersed locally in comparison to the matrix. The results show that with limited resources the creation of underground storage organs or vegetative reproduction becomes unviable on habitats characterised by shallow soil. Inselberg taxa of the study region are likely to be under greater threat than the matrix due to anthropogenic climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three co-occurring temperate montane non-riparian freshwater wetland communities of the New England Batholith of eastern Australia were chosen to test differences in resource allocation to select functional traits. Each of the wetlands was tested against inferred gradients of nutrient availability, fire and disturbance frequency. Collated functional trait data on 563 native vascular plant taxa known to occur in bogs, fens and lagoons were used against a centrally weighted means redundancy analysis. Traits included life form, plant height, leaf area, fruit size, seed size, mono- or polycarpy, storage organs, fruit type, vegetative spread and geographic range size. Where disturbances were moderate to low in frequency and habitats persistent, tolerance and in-situ permanence traits were favoured. With high nutrient availability and a low disturbance regime polycarpic species with large leaves that allow for larger fruit development were more common. Under low nutrient availability and a moderate disturbance regime, persistence was shifted to a longer lived polycarpic life history that includes woody taxa with increased seed size and a greater diversity of fruit types. In frequently inundated habitats, with shifting windows of available habitats, avoidance was the best strategy. Here persistence shifts to long-lived soil stored diaspores and a monocarpic life history with rapid vegetative growth to capture above ground spatial resource within temporary habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roff et al. ( Ecological Management and Restoration, 17, 2016, 000) provide a discussion of the criteria expected for the best approach to validation of mapping programs and uses Hunter ( Ecological Management & Restoration 17, 2016, 40) to highlight issues involved. While we support the general principles outlined, we note that the review does not apply the same standards to Sivertsen et al. ( Greater Hunter Native Vegetation Mapping Geodatabase Guide (Version 4.0). Office of Environment and Heritage, Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Sydney, Australia, 2011), the original document critiqued by Hunter ( Ecological Management & Restoration 17, 2016, 40). The Hunter ( Ecological Management & Restoration 17, 2016, 40) validation was based on a larger sample size, greater sampling within mapping units and greater representation of landscapes than Sivertsen et al. ( Greater Hunter Native Vegetation Mapping Geodatabase Guide (Version 4.0). Office of Environment and Heritage, Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Sydney, Australia, 2011). Survey and validation sites being placed along public roads and lands are common to both the general Office of Environment and Heritage ( OEH) and Hunter ( Ecological Management & Restoration 17, 2016, 40) validation methodologies. Thus, the criticisms of Roff et al. ( Ecological Management and Restoration, 17, 2016, 000) of the Hunter ( Ecological Management & Restoration 17, 2016, 40) approach apply equally, if not more, to Sivertsen et al. ( Greater Hunter Native Vegetation Mapping Geodatabase Guide (Version 4.0). Office of Environment and Heritage, Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Sydney, Australia, 2011). We outline in the article how the Roff et al. ( Ecological Management and Restoration, 17, 2016, 000) critique was selective and in some cases incorrect in its analysis of issues presented in Hunter ( Ecological Management & Restoration 17, 2016, 40) and did not apply the same criteria to their own work. We conclude by discussing future directions for validating and mapping vegetation communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thresholds for burning vegetation communities in New South Wales (NSW) are based on plant species’ responses to fire and do not consider other issues such as site attributes or fauna requirements. We investigated knowledge gaps concerning the impact of fire on habitat features of open forests and woodlands, and consider the adequacy of fire management based on the fire responses of flora. The consequences of managing fire at broader scales are complex and this study tests ideas concerning landscape attributes in relation to fire planning and biodiversity conservation. Habitat attributes of long unburnt vegetation were determined at sites with varying time since fire and fuel loads in these communities were measured. Time since fire was the most important variable for explaining the abundance of critical faunal habitat attributes. Tree and log hollows and fallen timber volume were markedly more abundant in long-unburnt vegetation, while fuel loads in open forests and woodlands unburnt for 100 or more years were low to moderate and similar to the hazard in recently burnt sites. Fire-interval thresholds based only on plant responses to fire compromises the achievement of optimal fauna habitat. Recommended upper thresholds are too low to cater for the habitat requirements of fauna. Consequently, long-unburnt vegetation should be identified as a threatened asset in fire planning and management and should be protected and actively promoted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliable vegetation maps are an important component of any long-term landscape planning initiatives. A number of approaches are available but one, in particular, pattern recognition (segmentation) combined with modelling from floristic site data, is currently being used to map vegetation across NSW. An independent assessment of this approach based on a review of the Greater Hunter Native Vegetation Mapping ( GHM_v4) was undertaken in order to assess its ability to cater for regional, local, strategic and landscape planning. The validation process tested 2151 locations across the Upper Hunter Valley region of New South Wales ( NSW), Australia. The results suggest that mapping at the coarsest level of NSW vegetation classification, the Formation, is generally poor, with only Dry Sclerophyll Forest and Woodland modelled with some level of reliability. The modelled mapping of individual plant community types ( PCTs) was found to be highly inaccurate with only 17% of validation points attributed as 'correct' and a further 13% 'essentially correct'. Therefore, a majority of PCTs were mapped with an accuracy of less than 30%. The results of this validation suggest that the GHM_v4 is of such a low level of accuracy within the upper Hunter as to be inherently unusable for broad-scale regional and local landscape planning or environmental assessment, including locating compensatory offsets for the loss of native vegetation due to developments. The GHM_v4 methods of pattern recognition of mainly SPOT5 satellite imagery combined with modelling from plot data have not produced reliable vegetation maps of plant community types. Yet this mapping programme is extending across NSW and could be misused for environmental decisions or as a regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We surveyed temperate montane natural grasslands across the New England Tablelands Bioregion (NETB) and assessed the phytosociology, occurrence and threats to these assemblages. In total, 123 full floristic survey plots were placed within natural grasslands across the NETB. Mapping was undertaken within a subset of the NETB using ADS40 imagery. Analysis of the floristic data was performed using the Kulzynski association measure and UPGMA fusion strategy. Canonical correspondence analysis was performed with species data in association with 42 environmental variables. An estimated 25 000 ha of native tussock and sod tussock grasslands within six floristic assemblages were found within the NETB. The maximum extent of predicted high-quality stands may only be 2500 ha with most occurrences degraded and threatened by agricultural practices, exotic species and changes in above- and below-ground water resources. Native taxa were significantly associated with altitude, rock type and differential temperature tolerances. Altitude, eastness (longitude) and radiation of the wettest period were significant drivers of exotic species occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canonical correspondence analysis and linear regressions were used to relate height, diameter, and dispersion measurements of 36,380 stems from 197 species recorded in 2,341 plots against both climatic and landscape variables. Above ground biomass increased in wetter and cooler locations that ameliorate the seasonal rainfall deficits. Taller and greater diameter trees with lower wood densities occur at higher altitudes. Differences between locations are based on a change in the composition of species rather than a change in the allometric properties within a species. The results support the hydraulic limitation and species packing hypotheses. These interrelationships may be affected by the interactions of fire frequency and drought which are a common feature of much of the study area. Under current climate change scenarios it is likely that there will be a reduction in above ground biomass, the number of stems per hectare, average height, average diameter, and basal area due to increasing seasonality of rainfall, temperatures, and the intensity and frequency of fires. The largest of trees are likely to be removed early due to their inability to cope with increased drought stress. The results suggest a marked reduction in carbon storage will occur across the study region in eastern Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tree hollow number is investigated across an altitudinal and climatic gradient in eastern Australia. The relationship between seasonal climate and local site factors to hollow number at a regional scale was investigated. Moisture retention, rainfall, and solar radiation during the summer period were the highest contributing factors to hollow number in the model presented. The relationship of hollow number with the significant variables was unimodal in nature with either extreme causing a decline within the region. The results indicate that increased seasonality of rainfall, solar radiation, and temperatures as predicted by anthropogenic climate change will cause a shift in the optimal location for hollow number. Change in tree hollows is reliant on taxonomic replacement through dispersal and establishment and subsequently time to allow individuals to mature. The reduction in this resource stimulated by changes in seasonality predicted within the ensuing decades is likely to cause a loss of hollows across the landscape with the resource not being replaced for hundreds of years. The number of hollows within a landscape may drastically reduce due to climate change alone irrespective of tree clearing rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant diversity is threatened in many agricultural landscapes. Our understanding of patterns of plant diversity in these landscapes is mainly based on small-scale (<1000 m2) observations of species richness. However, such observations are insufficient for detecting the spatial heterogeneity of vegetation composition. In a case-study farm on the North- West Slopes of New South Wales, Australia, we observed species richness at four scales (quadrat, patch, land use and landscape) across five land uses (grazed and ungrazed woodlands, native pastures, roadsides and crops). We applied two landscape ecological models to assess the contribution of these land uses to landscape species richness: (i) additive partitioning of diversity at multiple spatial scales, and (ii) a measure of habitat specificity - the effective number of species that a patch contributes to landscape species richness. Native pastures had less variation between patches than grazed and ungrazed woodlands, and hence were less species-rich at the landscape scale, despite having similar richness to woodlands at the quadrat and patch scale. Habitat specificity was significantly higher for ungrazed woodland patches than all other land uses. Our results showed that in this landscape, ungrazed woodland patches had a higher contribution than the grazed land uses to landscape species richness. These results have implications for the conservation management of this landscape, and highlighted the need for greater consensus on the influence of different land uses on landscape patterns of plant diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how vegetation composition varies with season and interannual climate variability is important for any ecological research that uses vegetation data derived from surveys for the basis of inference. Misunderstanding this variation can influence land management and planning decisions, leading to poor implementation of biodiversity offsetting mechanisms, for example. We monitored plots (400 m2) grazed by livestock paired with adjacent ungrazed plots in derived native pastures four times a year over 2.5 years on the North-West Slopes of New South Wales. Species density in plots varied greatly with season and interannual rainfall. Highest species density was recorded in spring, though species density in summer was not significantly lower, nor was a spring-summer peak in species density evident in the 2009 drought. Surveys in spring 2008 had the highest species density, and recorded only 60-72% of the total species recorded at each site over 2.5 years. Variation in the proportion of total site diversity represented in combinations of two or three surveys was large, though the best combinations comprised surveys from spring and summer in years of above-average rainfall, either from the same spring-summer, or from different years. Compositional differences among sites were much greater than within sites, showing that differences among sites related to broad environmental gradients were not overwhelmed by seasonal and interannual variability in site composition. When grazing was excluded, there was no evidence of competitive exclusion by the dominant grasses, and no directional shift in composition. The implications of these findings for ecological research depend on the question being addressed: if capturing a large proportion of site diversity is important, then surveys must be carefully timed, or repeat surveys must be conducted. Single surveys did not effectively capture site diversity for use in biodiversity offsetting, and the timing of repeat surveys was critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tree hollows are a major feature within Australian habitats and an important functional resource for many species in terms of shelter, reproduction, and thermoregulation. Water-filled tree hollows, or phytotelmata, also function as a valuable resource, but their use is only scarcely documented. We used camera trapping to determine which vertebrate species were utilising a known water-holding hollow in dry woodland habitat, and assessed whether antagonistic behaviour, such as hoarding of the resource, was occurring. Camera footage was obtained over a period of three days and nights, and species' use of the hollow analysed. A total of seven vertebrates (one frog, two reptile and four mammal species) were recorded using the hollow, which included diurnal and nocturnal species. Use by the Feathertail Glider was the most frequent compared to other species. The study highlights an ecological significance of water-filled hollows that should be considered in the management of dry woodland habitats, where the availability of these resources may be depleted by land clearing and loss of existing hollow-bearing trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]