Patterns of soil water repellency in response to coarse woody debris and fire: implications for eucalypt regeneration in dry forests

Bailey, Tanya G.; Davidson, Neil J.; Close, DC

doi:10.1007/s11104-015-2605-3

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 28 publications

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“…Fire can help germination around CWD by creating favourable soils (Bailey et al . ) and by clearing competition. However, due to many ACT woodland reserves being close to urban settlement the intense fires needed for this to happen would unlikely be allowed to occur.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coarse woody debris can reduce mammalian browsing damage of woody plant saplings in box‐gum grassy woodlands

Stapleton¹,

Ikin²,

Freudenberger³

2017

Eco Management Restoration

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Summary The critically endangered box‐gum grassy woodlands of south‐east Australia face numerous threats including the failure of woody plant regeneration caused by over‐browsing. In the Australian Capital Territory, over‐browsing of tree and shrub saplings is likely caused by dense populations of Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) found in many nature reserves free of livestock. One possible way to protect these saplings is using coarse woody debris (CWD) as a browsing deterrent. We tested this idea by planting palatable Red Stemmed Wattle (Acacia rubida) saplings among manually applied CWD, among naturally fallen CWD, and in the open, in five woodland reserves. We recorded the proportion of saplings browsed, the number of weeks to first browsing and the browsing severity (sapling height lost). Applied CWD protected saplings from being browsed only at relatively low‐to‐moderate kangaroo browsing pressure (as measured by faecal pellet counts). At relatively high browsing pressure, the probability of a sapling being browsed among applied CWD was 100%, similar to the probability in the open treatment (no CWD). Natural CWD, in contrast, provided some protection even at high browsing pressures. Time to browsing was most affected by browsing pressure, although CWD cover also had an influence. Browsing severity was similar between the three treatments and was only affected by browsing pressure. These results indicate that without protection, palatable woody plant saplings have a high chance of being browsed by kangaroos in woodland reserves, and therefore, some protection is needed for successful regeneration. The CWD being applied to reserves has a limited capacity to protect regenerating saplings. If more protection is wanted a CWD structure more resembling natural fallen timber should be used. This could be done by artificially placing branches around plantings. However, the most important action to facilitate regeneration is to manage kangaroo populations to reduce overall browsing pressure.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coarse woody debris can reduce mammalian browsing damage of woody plant saplings in box‐gum grassy woodlands

Stapleton¹,

Ikin²,

Freudenberger³

2017

Eco Management Restoration

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Induction of water repellency by leaves of contrasting Australian native species: effects of composition and heating

et al. 2022

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Aims This study identifies the contribution of leaf matter from individual plant species on water repellency with a focus on the composition of organic compounds and the role of heat in releasing these compounds to soil. Methods Leaf powder from four plant species (Banksia menziesii, Eucalyptus marginata, Allocasuarina fraseriana, Xanthorrhoea preissii) was mixed with acid-washed sand (AWS) under a range of temperatures and WR measured. Plant chemical composition was characterized by extraction of leaf powder and GC/MS analysis. Results Increasing concentrations of plant powder mixed with AWS increased WR for three species; whereas for X. preissii there was no WR at any concentration. Heating increased WR for all species over the range of 30 to 120 °C. B. menziesii had the greatest WR, which was associated with the largest diversity of fatty acids and n-alcohols and highest concentration of alkanes, whereas X. preissii with the smallest WR had only C16 alcohol and C16 fatty acids at relatively low concentration. Conclusions Physically mixing leaf powder with AWS allows the contribution of different plant species on WR to be directly examined. WR appears to be related to differences in the concentrations and diversity of n-alcohols, n-fatty acids, and high n-alkanes in the leaves. The observed temperature effects on WR provide insights into the kinetics of release and dispersal of organic compounds from interstitial material.

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Soil water repellency and plant cover: A state-of-knowledge review

Popović

Cerdà

2023

CATENA

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Patterns of soil water repellency in response to coarse woody debris and fire: implications for eucalypt regeneration in dry forests

Cited by 5 publications

References 28 publications

Coarse woody debris can reduce mammalian browsing damage of woody plant saplings in box‐gum grassy woodlands

Coarse woody debris can reduce mammalian browsing damage of woody plant saplings in box‐gum grassy woodlands

Induction of water repellency by leaves of contrasting Australian native species: effects of composition and heating

Soil water repellency and plant cover: A state-of-knowledge review

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