Quantitative Floristic Studies of the Ground Layer in Some Mulga (Acacia aneura F. Muell.) And Mitchell Grass (Astrebla Spp.) Communities in South-Western Queensland

Abstract

A survey of 36 sites of known history in S.W. Queensland was made with a wheel-point apparatus to establish quantitative standards of botanical composition and basal cover for the ground layer vegetation of 4 main soil types in the mulga and Mitchell grass regions.

It was shown that dominant species were similar on sites within a soil group, over a wide range of rainfall conditions. Basal cover over all sites averaged 3.0%, while an average of 23 species made up the ground layer of the vegetation. A total of 65 grasses and 95 non-grasses was recorded in the wheel-point surveys. The implications of the survey results are discussed.