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Four native obligate annual species once common in basalt grassland. (a) Wahlenbergia victoriensis on clay soil at Mount Cottrell (Photo SJS); (b) Triptilodiscus pygmaeus on clay soil at Melton (Photo: SJS); (c) Stuartina muelleri, Chepstowe (Photo GSW); (d) Millotia tenuifolia, now possibly extinct in the grassland community, persisting on sandy soil near Natimuk (Photo: JWM).
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Comparison of historical data with recent surveys of grasslands across Victoria’s basalt plain reveals a substantial decline in native annual forbs. Eleven of the 35 species once common in this ecosystem have not been recorded for decades. The near loss of a lifeform from an ecosystem should ring alarm bells, but it seems the warning has passed lar...
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Grass composition was assessed by plot method (1 m2; n= 1,749) in three habitats (dry deciduous-DDF, moist deciduous-MDF, and thorn forest-TF) at Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, southern India across different seasons from Jan 2004 to Dec 2007. The grass species richness and availability (per cent composition) varied significantly with habitats. Seventy-f...
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... We argue that the skeletal nature of the soils, their susceptibility to erosion and the belated recognition that they are not suitable for pasture improvement has enabled the persistence of many species that are considered rare. For example, the native annuals of the Victorian basalt grasslands are considered to be of particular concern due to their recent decline (Sinclair et al. 2021). Yet 15 of the 35 species identified by these authors have been recorded at the study site including significant populations (>1,000) of Daucus glochidiatus, Euchiton sphaericus, Stuartina muelleri, Triptilodiscus pygmaeus, Poranthera microphylla, Aphanes australiana and Sebaea ovata, all considered to be occasional, very rare or now absent from Victorian grasslands. ...
We document the transitioning of a 50 ha paddock from production grazing to conservation land use. Observations include: i) a quantitative ground layer vegetation baseline survey; ii) the species assemblage and iii) an estimate of the species dynamics in terms of colonization and local extinctions over a 15 year period. We interpreted site productivity to be the major factor influencing species composition, followed by moisture availability. The two vegetation types present, grassy woodland and sclerophyll forest, were floristically distinct but the lower slopes of the sclerophyll forest had a similar richness of native grassy ecosystem species to that of grassy woodland. The spontaneous colonization rate was one species per year (25% native, 75% exotic). Eradication efforts and spontaneous losses of species with small populations over the 15 years resulted in a net loss of one native and three exotic species. However, assisted colonization resulted in 17 local native species becoming naturalised. Our results demonstrate that significant native plant diversity (256 species, including 39 geophytes, 31 annuals and 187 other grassy ecosystem species) can persist under heavy livestock grazing if pasture improvement is limited. Moreover, the potential for introduction of additional species with active restoration is high. Conservation of grassland species would be better served if the significance of the grassy woodland-sclerophyll forest interface was recognized in conservation practice.
Given the urgent need for revegetation to address the climate and biodiversity crises, Paul Gibson‐Roy describes here how grassy ecosystem restoration technologies are ripe for scaling up. Buoyed by local and other examples of success he calls for action by regulators and the agricultural, land management and restoration sectors to refine legislation and tailor their environmental programs to, with gusto, support complex grassy ecosystem restoration at scale to deliver both biodiversity conservation and climate mitigation.
