The biogeography of Australian grasses

Clifford, H. T.; Simon, Brian

doi:10.1007/978-94-009-8629-9_18

Cited by 12 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…However, an alternative scenario in which Australasian Poa spp. have Asian origins remains possible (Clifford & Simon, ; Soreng, ; R. J. Soreng, pers. comm.).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phylogenetic investigation and divergence dating ofPoa(Poaceae, tribe Poeae) in the Australasian region

et al. 2014

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The Australasian region contains a significant proportion of worldwide Poa diversity, but the evolutionary relationships of taxa from this region are incompletely understood. Most Australasian species have been placed in a monophyletic Poa subgenus, Poa supersection Homalopoa section Brizoides clade, but with limited resolution of relationships. In this study, phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed for Australasian Poa, using three plastid (rbcL and matK genes and the rpl32-trnL intergenic spacer) and two nuclear [internal/external transcribed spacer (ITS/ETS)] markers. Seventy-five Poa spp. were represented (including 42 Australian, nine New Guinean, nine New Zealand and three Australian/New Zealand species). Maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference criteria were applied for phylogenetic reconstruction. Divergence dates were estimated using Bayesian inference, with a relaxed clock applied and rates sampled from an uncorrelated log-normal distribution. Australasian Poa spp. are placed in three lineages (section Brizoides, section Parodiochloa and the 'X clade'), each of which is closely related to non-Australasian taxa or clades. Section Brizoides subsection Australopoa is polyphyletic as currently circumscribed. In Australasia, Poa has diversified within the last 4.3 Mya, with divergence dating results broadly congruent with fossil data that record the appearance of vegetation with a prominent grassland understorey or shrubland/grassland mosaic vegetation dating from the mid-Pliocene.

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“…However, an alternative scenario in which Australasian Poa spp. have Asian origins remains possible (Clifford & Simon, ; Soreng, ; R. J. Soreng, pers. comm.).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phylogenetic investigation and divergence dating ofPoa(Poaceae, tribe Poeae) in the Australasian region

et al. 2014

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“…Osborn, who had previously spent most of his time lecturing, virtually on his own, to the whole of the first degree course in botany, plus acting as Consulting Botanist to the government of South Australia -largely as a plant pathologist -now turned his attention to plant ecology. Two important papers (Adamson & Osborn 1922, 1924 (Osborn 1928 ;Wood 1936;Hall et al 1964;Sinclair 2004Sinclair , 2005. The major scientific interests of Prof. J.…”

Section: The Development Of Ecosystem Studies In Australiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Management of Biodiversity in Australia

Specht

2014

JEE

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The concept of holistic ecosystem research, termed community-physiology, has gradually developed over the last 150 years. The discipline of community-physiology investigates the physico-chemical processes that determine the structure, growth and biodiversity of plant communities (with associated consumers and decomposers), both above and below ground, in space and time, from the tropical north to the tempera te south of Australia. These physico-chemical processes (aerodynamic fluxes -frictional, thermal, evaporative ± atmospheric salinity -plus available soil water and soil nutrients) need to be clearly enunciated and integrated in 'ecosystem models' in order to predict the effect of perturbations (such as Global Warming, nutrient pollution, invasive biota, fire, overgrazing, etc.) on Australian ecosystems. An increase in global temperatures of 2 o C is predicted to affect the development of the foliage covers of overstorey and understorey strata resulting in open-forests -> woodlands -> open-woodlands -> tall shrublands -> low shrublands throughout Australia.In order to conserve Australian biota for posterity, community-physiologists, ecosystem modelers and environmental impact ecologists must have a deep understanding of the eco-physiology of producers, consumers and decomposers that compose an ecosystem and how these organisms interact with the continually-changing physico-chemical processes in the atmosphere and soil, in space and time.

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“…Subtropical rainforest species in the palaeontological record included the Protead genera Gevuina, Knightia, Macadamia, and others [29]. Southern Gondwanan families such as Myrtaceae, Proteaceae, Restionaceae, Poaceae possess a subtropical to tropical heritage [30,31]. Fossil pollen grains of the typically Australian genus Eucalyptus have been found in the fossil records of the southern parts of Gondwanan • S to the South Pole [12].…”

Section: Gondwanan Vegetation Heritagementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tropical rainforest flora existed in the wettest areas of the north and north-east [37,38]. Gondwanan C4 grasses and associated flora must have been widespread in the warmer north of the continent [31,[39][40][41][42], while some 14% of the present-day sandstone flora contains woody species in common with the sandstone flora of India ( Figure 2)-and nowhere in between [37,[43][44][45]. Although the southern part of the Australasian Tectonic Plate was located at latitude [60][61][62][63][64][65] • S during the Late Cretaceous, palaeo-oxygen analyses of the sediments in the South Tasman Sea indicate a mean annual temperature of 19.5…”

Section: Gondwanan Vegetation Heritagementioning

confidence: 99%

Biodiversity of Terrestrial Ecosystems in Tropical to Temperate Australia

Specht

2012

International Journal of Ecology

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During the short period of annual foliage growth in evergreen plant communities, aerodynamic fluxes (frictional, thermal, evaporative) in the atmosphere as it flows over and through a plant community determine the Foliage Projective Covers and leaf attributes in overstorey and understorey strata. The number of leaves produced on each vertical foliage shoot depends on available soil water and nutrients during this growth period. The area of all leaves exposed to solar radiation determines net photosynthetic fixation of the plant community throughout the year. In turn, the species richness (number of species per hectare) of both plants and resident vertebrates is determined. The species richness of unicellular algae and small multicellular isopods in permanent freshwater lagoons in Northern Australia may possibly have been increased by radiation released from nearby uranium deposits. Evolution of new angiosperms probably occurred in refugia during periods of extreme drought. When favourable climates were restored, the vegetation expanded to result in high Gamma Biodiversity (number of plant species per region) but with each major plant community having essentially the same species richness (number of plant species per hectare). The probable effects of pollution and Global Warming on biodiversity in Australian ecosystems, that experience seasonal drought, are discussed.

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The biogeography of Australian grasses

Cited by 12 publications

References 14 publications

Phylogenetic investigation and divergence dating ofPoa(Poaceae, tribe Poeae) in the Australasian region

Phylogenetic investigation and divergence dating ofPoa(Poaceae, tribe Poeae) in the Australasian region

Management of Biodiversity in Australia

Biodiversity of Terrestrial Ecosystems in Tropical to Temperate Australia

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