Time in the geomorphology of Western Australia

Wyrwoll, Karl-Heinz

doi:10.1177/030913338801200206

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…South-west Western Australia is an old, deeply weathered landscape with flat topography and large expanses of nutrient deficient soils (Mulcahy, 1967; Wyrwoll, 1988). The steep rainfall gradient with distance from the coast (Figure 1) means the extreme south-west supports wet sclerophyll forest and permanent wetlands while more inland areas contain open woodland or shrub lands and episodically flooded waterbodies (Hopper, 1979;Beard, 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodiversity patterns and their conservation in wetlands of the Western Australian wheatbelt

Halse¹,

Lyons²,

Pinder³

et al. 2004

Rec West Aust Mus Sup

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A total of 197 wetlands were sampled between 1997 and 2000 in a survey designed to record wetland biodiversity across the wheatbelt and south coast of Western Australia, an area of 205000 km 2 Altogether, 986 wetland-associated plant, 844 aquatic invertebrate and 57 waterbird species were recorded, with an average of 73 and a range of 10-174 species per wetland. Thirty-four per cent of species were found at only one wetland.Sixteen types of wetland were recognized, based on their biological assemblages. Overall, salinity was the factor most responsible for differentiation between wetlands in terms of biodiversitv but differences between some freshwater wetland types, such as sedge sw~mps and granite rock pools, were largely attributable to other abiotic factors Among saline wetlands, the biota of naturally saline (and usually very salty) seasonal playas was distinct from that of wetlands with longer penods of inundation. It was unclear whether differences related to inundation or salinitv.Usmg cluster analysis, 22 assemblages of co-occur;ing species were identified and the distributions of 18 of them were modelled. Between 33 and 86'/'0 of the species richness of each assemblage at a wetland was explained by two to four abiotic variables. The assemblages that modelled most poorly consisted of species that were widespread and had broad ecological tolerances, with ranges extending beyond the wheatbelt, so that the survey was unlikely to have circumscribed their ecological requirements. Most assemblages consisted of a mix of plant, invertebrate and (fewer) waterbird species. Factors affecting the distribution of plants and animals within a cooccurring assemblage often appeared to differ, especially for plants growing on the bank of a wetland. Riparian plants are probably exposed to different environmental factors, especially salinity patterns, than those influencing animals using the waterbody itself.The dramatic increase in secondary salinisation that has been observed in the wheatbelt and south coast over the past 100 years, with associated loss of freshwater habitat and changes to naturally saline playas, is likely to lead to significant loss of biodiversity. Most assemblages (and species) were associated with particular salinity ranges and there was an inverse relationship between overall community richness and salimty, especially within the waterbody. Many species typical of naturally saline playas were rarely found at secondarilv saline wetlands.Th'e predictable occurr~nce of some species assemblages, such as those characteristic of sedge swamps and saline playas of the north-eastern wheatbelt, makes it possible to identify wet lands that, if protected from secondary salinisation, will conserve large proportions of them. Some other assemblages occur at many wetlands and their conservation is assured by almost any strategy, even if they are unpredictably distributed. However, protection of rare species and assemblages that occur infrequently and somewhat randomly within the wheatbelt poses a significa...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodiversity patterns and their conservation in wetlands of the Western Australian wheatbelt

Halse¹,

Lyons²,

Pinder³

et al. 2004

Rec West Aust Mus Sup

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“…This feature is over 1000 km long and forms a scarp raised at heights up to 300 m above the adjacent Swan Coastal Plain, which is comprised of up to 15 000 m of sediments (Wyrwoll, 1988). The southern edge of the Yilgarn Craton is bounded by the Proterozoic Albany Fraser Province, which is overlain in parts by Eocene Plantagenet sediments.…”

Section: Geologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Southwestern Australia is dominated by the Archaean Yilgarn Craton, one of the former nuclei of Gondwana (Wyrwoll, 1988;Anand and Paine, 2002) ( Fig. 1).…”

Section: Geologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although Late Quaternary climates have only been sparsely researched in Western Australia (Wyrwoll, 1988), broad indications of their nature can be derived from studies from eastern and central Australia. Here, evidence such as fluvial, aeolian and lacustrine sediments and landforms have been used to reconstruct the nature of late Quaternary climates Wasson, 1986;Nanson et al, 1995).…”

Section: Late Quaternary Climates In Southwestern Australiamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although southwestern Australia has a contemporary semi-arid climate, it has been more arid in the past (Wyrwoll, 1988), and several aeolian features, such as lunettes and source-bordering sand dunes, have been reported, which are thought to date from these periods. These are described in more detail later.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Aeolian influences on the soils and landforms of the southern Yilgarn Craton of semi-arid, southwestern Australia

Harper

Gilkes

2004

Geomorphology

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Calcicole–calcifuge plant strategies limit restoration potential in a regional semi‐arid flora

Cross

Lambers

2021

Ecology and Evolution

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Aim To examine calcicole and calcifuge plant strategies, as well as nutrient‐acquisition strategies, as drivers of the distribution of species in response to edaphic factors, and the degree to which these strategies may act as filters to species establishment in ecological restoration on heavily altered or reconstructed substrates. Location An 82,000‐ha area within a major mining province in the Mid‐West region of Western Australia, harboring vegetation communities ranging from species‐poor halophytic scrub on saline flats to dense biodiverse shrubland on the skeletal soils of ancient Banded Ironstone Formations (BIF). Methods Univariate and multivariate analyses were employed to examine how variation in soil chemistry and landscape position (undulating plains, slopes, and BIF crests and ridges) influenced patterns of floristic diversity, calcifuge plant strategies, and nutrient‐acquisition strategies in 538 plant species from 830 relevés. Results Landscape position was the strongest driver of species richness and vegetation functional composition. Soils became increasingly acidic and P‐impoverished along an increasing elevational gradient. Vegetation from different landscape positions was not compositionally dissimilar, but vegetation of BIF crests and ridges was up to twice as biodiverse as vegetation from adjacent lower‐relief areas and harbored higher proportions of calcifuge species and species with mycorrhizal associations. Main conclusions Topographic and edaphic complexity of BIF landforms in an otherwise relatively homogenous landscape has likely facilitated species accumulation over long time periods. They represent musea of regional floristic biodiversity, excluding only species that cannot establish or are inferior competitors in heavily weathered, acidic, skeletal, and nutrient‐impoverished soils. Plant strategies likely represent a major filter in establishing biodiverse, representative vegetation on postmining landforms in geologically ancient regions.

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Time in the geomorphology of Western Australia

Cited by 10 publications

References 57 publications

Biodiversity patterns and their conservation in wetlands of the Western Australian wheatbelt

Biodiversity patterns and their conservation in wetlands of the Western Australian wheatbelt

Aeolian influences on the soils and landforms of the southern Yilgarn Craton of semi-arid, southwestern Australia

Calcicole–calcifuge plant strategies limit restoration potential in a regional semi‐arid flora

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