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Pits, mounds, and vernal ponds in a Tasmanian subalpine grassland
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-20, 14:12 authored by Violet Harrison-DayViolet Harrison-Day, James KirkpatrickJames KirkpatrickFalling trees commonly turbate soils in primary forest, creating characteristic edaphic patterns related to pit and mound topography. Vernal ponds with associated mounds were observed in mineral soils on a treeless plain in subalpine Tasmania, Australia. The hypothesis that paired ponds and mounds on the plain originated as pit and mound features in forests that were later destroyed by fire was tested by comparing the soils and landforms caused by recent tree falls in adjacent forest with those on the plain. The soil characteristics, orientations, and dimensions of the ponds and mounds were consistent with a tree fall origin, although rare secondary ponds on the tops of mounds may derive from the burrowing activities of the medium‐sized marsupial, Vombatus ursinus (common wombat). The characteristics of pond and mound soils suggested that most were hundreds to thousands of years old, with the ponds persisting because of differences in deflation, deposition, and organic matter formation between themselves and adjacent persistently dry land.
History
Publication title
Geographical ResearchVolume
57Pagination
230-237ISSN
1745-5863Department/School
School of Geography, Planning and Spatial SciencesPublisher
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing LtdPlace of publication
AustraliaRights statement
Copyright 2019 Institute of Australian GeographersRepository Status
- Restricted