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Tasmanian lentic wetland lawns are maintained by grazing rather than inundation
Citation
Roberts, Cynthia and Kirkpatrick, JB and McQuillan, PB, Tasmanian lentic wetland lawns are maintained by grazing rather than inundation, Austral Ecology: a journal of ecology in the Southern Hemisphere, 36, (3) pp. 303-309. ISSN 1442-9985 (2011) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2010 Ecological Society of Australia
DOI: doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.2010.02168.x
Abstract
Vertebrate grazers have been shown to be a critical element in maintaining lawns, although lawns can
also form in places without such herbivores. In Tasmania lawns are widespread in lentic wetlands. We used
environmental observations and exclosure experiments at two altitudinally contrasting lentic wetland lawns, and
waterlogging experiments, to test the hypotheses that their structure is maintained (i) periodic inundation; and (ii)
grazing.Waterlogging experiments and field observations demonstrated that the two main invading shrubs were
indifferent to immersion for several months and that the distribution of the lawns was independent of inundation
period, results inconsistent with the first hypothesis. The exclosure experiments showed that both woody and
non-woody plants became taller in the lawns when marsupial grazers and rabbits were excluded. It therefore seems
that the lawn structure is maintained by grazing and that alternative structural states result from exclusion of
grazing pressure in less than 2 years.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | grazing, lawn, lentic wetlands, marsupials, short herbfield, shrub invasion, Tasmania, waterlogging. |
Research Division: | Environmental Sciences |
Research Group: | Environmental management |
Research Field: | Conservation and biodiversity |
Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
Objective Group: | Terrestrial systems and management |
Objective Field: | Evaluation, allocation, and impacts of land use |
UTAS Author: | Roberts, Cynthia (Ms Roberts) |
UTAS Author: | Kirkpatrick, JB (Professor James Kirkpatrick) |
UTAS Author: | McQuillan, PB (Mr Peter McQuillan) |
ID Code: | 65191 |
Year Published: | 2011 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 11 |
Deposited By: | Geography and Environmental Studies |
Deposited On: | 2010-10-12 |
Last Modified: | 2012-08-03 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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