Biomass and litter dynamics in a Melaleuca forest on a seasonally inundated floodplain in tropical, northern Australia

Finlayson, C. Max; Cowie, I. D.; Bailey, B. J.

doi:10.1007/bf00188152

Cited by 33 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Another possibility is leaf litter. Using data in Table 3 and an assumed annual leaf litter fall rate of 0.7 kg m 2 yr -1 (based on Greenway 1994 andFinlayson et al 1993) an estimate of the annual contribution of leaf litter to soil solute accumulation can be derived. Using profile 1 to represent open swamp and profile 4 to represent M. quinquenervia forest and assuming an identical initial soil accumulation prior to encroachment and complete loss from the leaves to the soil via leaching, litter accumulation from senescent leaves could theoretically account for 3% and 40% of the differences in soil Cl -and Al, respectively.…”

Section: Surface Accumulation Of Soluble Ionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alteration of groundwater and sediment geochemistry in a sulfidic backswamp due to Melaleuca quinquenervia encroachment

Johnston¹,

Slavich²,

Hirst³

2003

Soil Res.

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Extensive encroachment of the native tree species Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) Blake has occurred on a coastal floodplain sulfidic backswamp in eastern Australia. Almost 50% of the open swamp area c. 1870 is now monospecific M. quinquenervia forest. Encroachment has been associated with shortened hydroperiods and land management changes following drainage for agriculture. Large differences to shallow groundwater and sediment geochemistry were observed beneath both individual M. quinquenervia trees and encroaching forests compared to open swamp. Groundwater beneath M. quinquenervia had enhanced titratable acidity and acidic metal cations, increased concentrations of other ionic species (Cl–, SO42–), altered ionic ratios, and increased dissolved organic carbon. Soil beneath M. quinquenervia displayed enhanced accumulation of acidity and soluble ions, with concentration profiles suggesting vertical redistribution towards the surface. Deepening of the sulfide oxidation front in the soil beneath encroached M. quinquenervia suggests that enhanced sulfide oxidation may be occurring. Changes in soil pH, redox potential, and Fe mineral precipitation/dissolution were also evident. These changes appear to be the result of interactions between M. quinquenervia physiology and the unique groundwater and sediment geochemistry of the surrounding sulfidic/sulfuric horizons. Mechanisms to explain the observed changes are discussed along with potential management implications.

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Section: Surface Accumulation Of Soluble Ionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alteration of groundwater and sediment geochemistry in a sulfidic backswamp due to Melaleuca quinquenervia encroachment

Johnston¹,

Slavich²,

Hirst³

2003

Soil Res.

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“…Despite its occurrence in many parts of the world (Holliday 1989), only limited short-term litterfall data (Finlayson et al 1993;Greenway 1994; Van et al 2002) are available for melaleuca, and these data do not address variations in litter production among differently structured stands within various hydrologic regimes. Therefore, we elaborated upon Lonsdale's (1988) approach by including hydrological and tree size categories in our litterfall studies to account for variations due to stand structure within and among habitats.…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

Temporal and structural effects of stands on litter production in Melaleuca quinquenervia dominated wetlands of south Florida

Rayamajhi¹,

Van²,

Pratt³

2006

Wetlands Ecol Manage

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Melaleuca quinquenervia dominates large areas of the Florida Everglades in the southeastern USA where it has transformed sedge-dominated marshes into melaleuca forests. Despite its prevalence, very little is known about the ecology and stand dynamics of this invasive tree. We delineated large-, intermediate-, and small-tree stands in non-flooded, seasonally flooded and permanently flooded areas of Florida in 1997, measured their biological attributes, and then quantified litterfall components for 3-4 year periods. Melaleuca wood components and mature seed-capsules comprised the largest and the smallest portions of aboveground biomass, respectively, while leaves, fine stems, mature fruits, bud scales, floral structures, and residues represented decreasingly smaller fractions of the litter during the succeeding year. Dry weight proportion of leaves in litter was greatest (80.9%) in non-flooded and least (69.1%) in permanently flooded habitats. It was also greatest in small (85.6%) and least in large (64.7%) tree stands. Reproductive structures and mature-fruit fractions in litter were highest in large-tree stands whereas the bud-scale fraction showed no relationship to tree size. Seasonally flooded habitats had the most litterfall, wherein small-, intermediate-, and large-tree stands generated 0.662, 0.882, and 1.128 kg m À2 yr À1 , respectively. Dry weight of stems, leaves, bud-scales, floral structures, and mature fruit fractions in litter increased as the predominant size of the trees in the stand increased. Total annual litter production was highest during 1999-2000. Leaf fall occurred year-round with maximal amount during April, July, and October. Highest amounts of bud scales and floral structures fell during October-January, which corresponded with flushes of vegetative growth and major flowering events. Overall, melaleuca alone accounted for nearly 99% of the total litterfall dry weight in all habitats and months sampled. The amount of non-melaleuca litter was greater in small-tree stands than in intermediate-or large-tree stands. Litterfall data of this nature will be helpful in detecting changes occurring in melaleuca canopies in response to biological control impact and in prescribing site-specific management strategies.

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“…The productivity of the fl oodplain vegetation on the Magela fl ood plain has been investigated, covering seasonal changes in the dry weight of aquatic grasses and litterfall from Melaleuca trees (Finlayson, 1988(Finlayson, , 1991Finlayson et al, 1993b). Changes in the Table 3.…”

Section: Macrophytesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The annual dry weight production for these species was 0.51 kg m -2 for Orzya meridionalis, 1.91 kg m -2 for Pseudoraphis spinescens, and 2.09 kg m -2 for Hymenachne acutigluma. Dry weight production of the widespread Melaleuca woodlands and forests on the Magela fl ood plain were estimated through an analysis of litterfall data (Finlayson, 1988;Finlayson et al, 1993b). In an intensively sampled forest the total litterfall was approximately 0.7 kg m -2 y -1 compared to 1.5 kg m -2 y -1 at a less intensively sampled site (Finlayson, 1988).…”

Section: Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The value of 0.7 to 1.5 kg m -2 y -1 is within the range recorded for other forests at the same latitude (Lonsdale, 1988). The above ground biomass of Melaleuca species on the Magela fl ood plain was also calculated using an algorithm relating diameter at breast height to tree height and fresh weight (Finlayson et al, 1993b). This resulted in a calculated tree weight of 260 ± 0.3 t ha-1 based on a tree density of 294 trees ha -1 ; elsewhere on the fl oodplain tree densities were much higher, although an analysis of density across the entire fl oodplain was not undertaken.…”

Section: Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biodiversity of the wetlands of the Kakadu Region, northern Australia

Finlayson

Lowry²,

Bellio

et al. 2006

Aquat. Sci.

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The biodiversity values of the wetlands in the Kakadu Region of northern Australia have been recognised as being of national and international signifi cance, as demonstrated through their listing by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Analyses of the wetland biodiversity have resulted in the production of species list for many taxa, and some population and community-level analyses of biomass and abundance, and the mapping of habitats at multiple scales. Wetland habitats include inter-tidal mud-fl ats, mangroves, hyper-saline fl ats, freshwater fl ood plains and streams. The tidal infl uence on the saline wetlands is pronounced, as is the infl uence of the annual wet-dry cycle of the monsoonal climate on the fl ood plains and streams. The vegetation is diverse and highly dynamic with rapid turnover of organic material and nutrients. The fauna is abundant with endemism being high in some habitats. Most fauna analyses have focussed on vertebrates with a large amount of information on waterbirds and fi sh in particular. However, despite extensive effort over the past two decades much is still unknown about the biota. While the invertebrate fauna in the streams has received some attention, a large taxonomic classifi cation effort is required. The functional inter-relationships between habitats and species have largely not been assessed. Further, the ecology of many species is only cursorily known. At the same time there has been increased attention to pressures on the wetlands, such as weeds and feral animals, water pollution, and the potential impact of climate change and salinisation of freshwater habitats. Importantly, given the social context of the region, increased attention is being directed towards traditional use and management of the wetlands.

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Biomass and litter dynamics in a Melaleuca forest on a seasonally inundated floodplain in tropical, northern Australia

Cited by 33 publications

References 19 publications

Alteration of groundwater and sediment geochemistry in a sulfidic backswamp due to Melaleuca quinquenervia encroachment

Alteration of groundwater and sediment geochemistry in a sulfidic backswamp due to Melaleuca quinquenervia encroachment

Temporal and structural effects of stands on litter production in Melaleuca quinquenervia dominated wetlands of south Florida

Biodiversity of the wetlands of the Kakadu Region, northern Australia

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