Vegetation communities on the shores of a salt lake in semi-arid Western Australia

Abstract

The vegetation communities of the eastern and southern shores of Lake Lefroy, a large salt lake near Kambalda, Western Australia, were studied. The aim of the studies was to explore the relationship between the distribution of vegetation along salt lake shores in relation to soil conditions and the depth to ground-water. Four distinct lake shore types were investigated and two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) was used to classify the vegetation communities occurring on the lake shores. Seven vegetation communities, with a total of 50 vascular plant species, were identified. More than half of the species recorded were herbs. Those communities occurring on highly saline soils close to the shallow hypersaline ground-water-table included the halophytic genera Halosarcia and Frankenia. Communities on less saline soils and at greater elevations were more diverse. It was concluded that depth to ground-water and soil texture were likely to be key factors in determining the distribution of vegetation communities along the shores. The findings of the study have implications for the design of rehabilitation programmes for shores disturbed by mining activity.