Diversity and abundance of fungivorous thrips (Thysanoptera) associated with leaf-litter and bark across forest types and two tree genera in subtropical Australia

Leaf-litter thrips were much more common and diverse in dry sclerophyll forest than in wetter forest types in subtropical southeast Queensland, Australia. In dry sclerophyll forest, the species composition of thrips in leaf-litter was strongly differentiated from the thrips fauna associated with bark of the trees Eucalyptus major and Acacia melanoxylon (4 of 34 species in common). The species composition of bark-dwelling thrips was similar across the two tree species and also across two eucalypts with different bark types, Eucalyptus major (flaky) and Eucalyptus siderophloia (rough). The diversity of thrips from the leaf-litter was not differentiated across all of these tree species. Virtually all thrips collected were Phlaeothripidae, subfamilies Idolothripinae and Phlaeothripinae. Idolothripinae were associated almost exclusively with leaf-litter, but Phlaeothripinae were in leaf-litter and bark. The association of fungal-feeding thrips with dry sclerophyll forest raises questions about their ecological requirements and the role they play in nutrient cycling. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

The effect of long-term repeated burning and fire exclusion on above- and below-ground Blackbutt (Eucalyptus pilularis) forest vegetation assemblages

We used a long-term fire experiment in south-east Queensland, Australia, to determine the effects of frequent prescribed burning and fire exclusion on understorey vegetation (<7.5 m) richness and density in Eucalyptus pilularis forest. Our study provided a point in time assessment of the standing vegetation and soil-stored vegetation at two experimental sites with treatments of biennial burning, quadrennial burning since 19711972 and no burning since 1969. Vegetation composition, density and richness of certain plant groups in the standing and soil-stored vegetation were influenced by fire treatments. The density of resprouting plants <3 m in height was higher in the biennially burnt treatment than in the unburnt treatment, but resprouters 37.5 m in height were absent from the biennial burning treatment. Obligate seeder richness and density in the standing vegetation was not significantly influenced by the fire treatments, but richness of this plant group in the seed bank was higher in the quadrennial treatment at one site and in the long unburnt treatment at the other site. Long unburnt treatments had an understorey of rainforest species, while biennial burning at one site and quadrennial burning at the other site were associated with greater standing grass density relative to the unburnt treatment. This difference in vegetation composition due to fire regime potentially influences the flammability of the standing understorey vegetation. Significant interactions between fire regime and site, apparent in the standing and soil-stored vegetation, demonstrate the high degree of natural variability in vegetation community responses to fire regimes.

Resilience of a eucalypt forest woody understorey to long-term (34–55 years) repeated burning in subtropical Australia

We investigated the effects of annual burning since 1952, triennial burning since 1973, fire exclusion since 1946 and infrequent wildfire (one fire in 61 years) on woody understorey vegetation in a dry sclerophyll eucalypt forest, south-eastern Queensland, Australia. We determined the influence of these treatments, and other site variables (rainfall, understorey density, topsoil C : N ratio, tree basal area, distance to watercourse and burn coverage) on plant taxa density, richness and composition. The richness of woody understorey taxa 0–1 m in height was not affected by burning treatments, but richness of woody plants 1–7.5 m in height was lower in the annually burnt treatment than in the triennially burnt treatment from 1989 to 2007. Fire frequency and other site variables explained 34% of the variation in taxa composition (three taxon groups and 10 species), of which 33% of the explained variance was explained by fire treatment and 46% was explained by other site variables. Annual burning between 1974 and 1993 was associated with lower understorey densities mainly due to reduced densities of eucalypts 1–7.5 m in height. Triennial burning during the same period was associated with higher densities of eucalypts 0–7.5 m in height relative to the annually burnt and unburnt treatments. Most woody taxa persisted in the frequently burnt treatments through resprouting mechanisms (e.g. lignotuberous regeneration), and fire patchiness associated with low-intensity burning was also found to be important. Persistence of plants <1 m tall demonstrates the resilience of woody taxa to repeated burning in this ecosystem, although they mainly exist in a suppressed growth state under annual burning.

Effect of rodents on seed fate of five hornbill-dispersed tree species in a tropical forest in north-east India

Hornbills are important dispersers of a wide range of tree species. Many of these species bear fruits with large, lipid-rich seeds that could attract terrestrial rodents. Rodents have multiple effects on seed fates, many of which remain poorly understood in the Palaeotropics. The role of terrestrial rodents was investigated by tracking seed fate of five horn bill-dispersed tree species in a tropical forest in north-cast India. Seeds were marked inside and outside of exclosures below 6-12 parent fruiting trees (undispersed seed rain) and six hornbill nest trees (a post-dispersal site). Rodent visitors and seed removal ere monitored using camera traps. Our findings suggest that several rodent species. especially two species of porcupine were major on-site seed predators. Scatter-hoarding was rare (1.4%). Seeds at hornbill nest trees had lower survival compared with parent fruiting trees, indicating that clumped dispersal by hornbills may not necessarily improve seed survival. Seed survival in the presence and absence of rodents varied with tree species. Some species (e.g. Polyalthia simiarum) showed no difference, others (e.g. Dysoxylum binectariferum) experienced up to a 64%. decrease in survival in the presence of rodents. The differing magnitude of seed predation by rodents can have significant consequences at the seed establishment stage.

Molecular phylogeny of Archaea in boreal forest soil, freshwater and temperate estuarine sediment

Suurin osa luonnossa havaitsemistamme mikrobeista on sellaisia, joita emme edelleenkään osaa kasvattaa laboratorio-oloissa, vaikka tietomme mikrobien monimuotoisuudesta paranevat koko ajan. Luonnontilaisen mikrobieliöstön kokoonpano eri ympäristöissä on paljolti epäselvä ja ymmärrämme vielä hyvin puutteellisesti mikrobien ekologiaa ja niiden rooleja eliöyhteisöissä. Nykyaikaiset molekulaariset tutkimusmenetelmät auttavat selvittämään mikrobien monimuotoisuutta kokonaisvaltaisesti ja nopeasti. Ympäristöstä kemiallisesti puhdistetut ribosomaalista RNA:ta koodaavat geenit edustavat periaatteessa kaikkia eliöyhteisön geneettisesti toisistaan poikkeavia eliöitä. Niistä voidaan valikoida halutut genomit jatkotutkimuksia varten. Uusien menetelmien käyttö on tuonut esiin sen merkittävän seikan, että "tavanomaisten" elinympäristöjen eliöyhteisöihin kuuluu suuri joukko entuudestaan tuntemattomia arkkieliöitä. Aiemmin kuviteltiin, että arkkieliöt asuttavat vain sellaisia "epätavallisia" tai "äärimmäisiä" elinympäristöjä, joita luonnehtii joku seuraavista ominaisuuksista: hyvin korkea lämpötila, korkea suolapitoisuus, korkea happamuus tai emäksisyys, hapettomuus. Tutkijat ovat viimeisen noin kymmenen vuoden aikana osoittaneet, että arkkieliöt asuttavat hyvin monenlaisia kylmän ja lauhkean vyöhykkeen ympäristöjä, yhtä hyvin maaperää kuin suolaisen ja makean veden pohjaa tai pintakerroksia. Nämä löydöt ovat avanneet uuden alun arkkieliöiden tutkimukselle, erityisesti sen selvittämiselle, mitkä ovat niiden fysiologiset ja ekologiset roolit monimuotoisissa mikrobiyhteisöissä. Tämä väitöskirja kuvaa entuudestaan tuntemattomien arkkieliöiden löytymistä havumetsävyöhykkeen metsämaasta. Arkkieliöitä löytyi myös lauhkean vyöhykkeen vuorovesialueelta, murtoveden huuhtelemasta pohjasta. Nämä löydöt ovat perustavalaatuisia vuorovesialueen eliöyhteisöjen ymmärtämiseksi. Suomalaisen metsäjärven vedestä määritettiin molempien arkkieliöiden pääryhmien - tieteellisiltä nimiltään Crenarchaeota ja Euryarchaeota - edustajia. Euryarchaeota-ryhmän edustajia voitiin havainnoida myös fluoresenssi-mikroskopoinnilla. Löydöt viittaavat siihen, että arkkieliöillä on oma biogeokemiallinen roolinsa makeanveden ravintoketjujen hiilen käytössä. Tässä työssä määritetyt uudet arkkieliöiden genomien nukleotidisekvenssit on toimitettu ARB-tietokantaan, jonka kasvava vertailuaineisto edelleen parantaa uusien arkkieliösekvenssien analyysiä ja auttaa hybridisaatiokoetinten ja polymeraasiketjureaktioalukkeiden suunnittelussa ja arvioinnissa. Tässä väitöskirjassa esitellyt tulokset yhdessä lukuisien vesi-, maaperä- ja muiden ympäristöjen arkkieliöitä käsittelevien julkaisujen kanssa osoittavat, että arkkieliöt asuttavat monia erilaisia elinympäristöjä ja että ne ovat ekologisesti paljon menestyneempiä, kuin tieteenalalla on kuviteltu. Voimme olettaa, että heti kun joitain näistä eliöistä onnistutaan kasvattamaan ja ylläpitämään laboratorio-oloissa, niiden joukosta löydetään aivan uusia, entuudestaan tuntemattomia fysiologisia fenotyyppejä, jotka avaavat mielenkiintoisia näkymiä aineenvaihdunnan ja perinnöllisten ominaisuuksien tutkimukselle.

Long-term repeated burning reduces Lantana camara regeneration in a dry eucalypt forest

Previous short-term studies predict that the use of fire to manage lantana (Lantana camara) may promote its abundance. We tested this prediction by examining long-term recruitment patterns of lantana in a dry eucalypt forest in Australia from 1959 to 2007 in three fire frequency treatments: repeated annual burning, repeated triennial burning and long unburnt. The dataset was divided into two periods (1959–1972, 1974–2007) due to logging that occurred at the study site between 1972 and 1974 and the establishment of the triennial burn treatment in 1973. Our results showed that repeated burning decreased lantana regeneration under an annual burn regime in the pre- and post-logging periods and maintained low levels of regeneration in the triennial burn compartment during the post-logging period. In the absence of fire, lantana recruitment exhibited a dome-shaped response over time, with the total population peaking in 1982 before declining to 2007. In addition to fire regime, soil pH and carbon to nitrogen ratio, the density of taller conspecifics and the interaction between rainfall and fire regime were found to influence lantana regeneration change over time. The results suggest that the reported positive association between fire disturbance and abundance of lantana does not hold for all forest types and that fire should be considered as part of an integrated weed management strategy for lantana in more fire-tolerant ecosystems.

Jewish Planted Forest

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Jewish Eucalyptus Forest

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High frequency fire alters C:N:P stoichiometry in forest litter

Fire is a major driver of ecosystem change and can disproportionately affect the cycling of different nutrients. Thus, a stoichiometric approach to investigate the relationships between nutrient availability and microbial resource use during decomposition is likely to provide insight into the effects of fire on ecosystem functioning. We conducted a field litter bag experiment to investigate the long-term impact of repeated fire on the stoichiometry of leaf litter C, N and P pools, and nutrient-acquiring enzyme activities during decomposition in a wet sclerophyll eucalypt forest in Queensland, Australia. Fire frequency treatments have been maintained since 1972, including burning every two years (2yrB), burning every four years (4yrB) and no burning (NB). C:N ratios in freshly fallen litter were 29-42% higher and C:P ratios were 6-25% lower for 2yrB than NB during decomposition, with correspondingly lower 2yrB N:P ratios (27-32) than for NB (34-49). Trends in litter soluble and microbial N:P ratios were similar to the overall litter N:P ratios across fire treatments. Consistent with these, the ratio of activities for N-acquiring to P-acquiring enzymes in litter was higher for 2yrB than NB while 4yrB was generally intermediate between 2yrB and NB. Decomposition rates of freshly fallen litter were significantly lower for 2yrB (72±2% mass remaining at the end of experiment) than for 4yrB (59±3%) and NB (62±3%), a difference that may be related to effects of N limitation, lower moisture content, and/or litter C quality. Results for older mixed-age litter were similar to those for freshly fallen litter although treatment differences were less pronounced. Overall, these findings show that frequent fire (2yrB) decoupled N and P cycling, as manifested in litter C:N:P stoichiometry and in microbial biomass N:P ratio and enzymatic activities. These data indicate that fire induced a transient shift to N-limited ecosystem conditions during the post-fire recovery phase. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Remembering the Peel Island Lazaret through re-imagining the Teerk Roo Ra forest

This paper discusses my current research which aims to re-member the site of the Peel Island Lazaret through re-imagining the Teerk Roo Ra forest as a series of animated artworks. Teerk Roo Ra National Park (formally known as Peel Island) is a small island in Moreton Bay, Queensland and is visible on the ferry journey from Cleveland to Stradbroke Island. The island has an intriguing history, and is the site of a former Lazaret and quarantine station. The Lazaret treated patients diagnosed with Hansen’s disease (or Leprosy), and operated between 1907 and 1959. In this paper I will discuss conceptions of the non-indigenous historical context of the Peel Island Lazaret and the notion of the liminal state (Turner,1967). Through this discussion conceptions of place from Australian cultural theorist Ross Gibson are also examined. The concept of two overlapping realms is then explored through the clues and shared stories about the people who inhabited the site. There is then an explanation of my own approach to re-member this place through re-imagining the forest that witnessed the events of the Lazaret. I then draw on theories of the uncanny from German Psychiatrist Ernst Jentsch, Austrian Neurologist Sigmund Freud and South African animation theorist Meg Rickards to argue that my experience of the forest of Teerk Roo Ra was an uncanny experience where two worlds or states of mind existed simultaneously and overlapped, causing a viscerally unsettling uncanny experience. Through an analysis of Czech Surrealist Animator Jan Švankmajer’s cinematic narrative Down to the cellar (1982), my creative work Structure #24(2011), and Australian Artist Patricia Piccinini’s cinematic artwork The Gathering (2007), I discuss the situation of the inanimate and the animate co-existing simultaneously. Using this approach I propose an understanding of the uncanny as an intellectual uncertainty as outlined by Jentsch (1906). I also develop the notion of the familiar being concealed and becoming unfamiliar through mimicry (Freud, 1919). These discussions form an introduction to my creative work Nocturne #5(2014) which re-members the forests of Teerk Roo Ra as an uncanny place primarily expressed through animation.