Recruitment of Eucalyptus strzeleckii (Myrtaceae) in intensive livestock production landscapes
Claire Moxham A C and Josh Dorrough A BA The Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Sustainability and Environment, PO Box 137, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia.
B Currently visiting CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, GPO Box 284, Canberra City 2601, ACT, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: Claire.Moxham@dse.vic.gov.au
Australian Journal of Botany 56(6) 469-476 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT07187
Submitted: 15 October 2007 Accepted: 27 May 2008 Published: 16 September 2008
Abstract
Eucalyptus strzeleckii K. Rule (Strzelecki gum) is a medium-to-tall forest swamp gum, endemic to Victoria and listed as Nationally Vulnerable in Australia. This species occurs in the high rainfall (up to 1600 mm) region of Gippsland in south-eastern Victoria. The region has been intensively developed for agriculture, in particular dairy production. Surviving trees are often old and in varying stages of dieback and natural recruitment is rarely observed. The removal of cattle-grazing as a sole mechanism to encourage recruitment is rarely sufficient to promote regeneration of this species. The aim of this study was to examine the role of soil disturbance, weed competition, seed supply and parent plant competition, in the absence of cattle-grazing, in the recruitment of E. strzeleckii. Seed availability, distance from mature tree, soil disturbance, soil moisture and pasture competition all influenced seedling establishment and survival in the field. Removal of ground layer vegetation immediately before seedling emergence appears to be essential for successful establishment of E. strzeleckii. However, both soil disturbance and pasture removal by spraying had similar effects, suggesting that competition rather than soil disturbance per se is a limiting factor in these environments. In the absence of understorey vegetation manipulation, regeneration by this species is unlikely even in the absence of grazing.
Acknowledgements
We thank the farmers who allowed the trial to take place on their land. Thanks go to Rhiannon Apted, Alicia Lucas, Steve Sinclair, Geoff Sutter and Nathan Wong for field assistance. Thanks also go to Mark Brammar and Bill Hill for their knowledge contribution. This research was funded through the Ecological Sustainable Agricultural Initiative of the Victorian State Government.
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