Coastal South-eastern Australia Research Articles

Late Holocene hunting economies in coastal southeastern Australia: Insights from the archaeological fauna of Curracurrang 1 Rockshelter, Royal National Park

ABSTRACTCurracurrang 1 (1CU5) is a rockshelter site located in the Royal National Park (RNP) on the coast south of Sydney. Excavated from 1962 to 1966, the site's rich Holocene cultural deposit has become important for understanding regional Late Holocene developments in Australian lithic and shell technologies. Our comprehensive analysis of 1CU5's faunal remains is presented here, accompanied by new AMS radiocarbon dates and a reinterpretation of the site's occupation sequence. Much of the midden deposit spans from about 2500 BP to approximately 1850 AD, rather than only the last ∼1500 years as originally believed based on less comprehensive dating. A wide range of terrestrial and marine fauna were exploited at 1CU5, with the relative importance of the latter group increasing within the last ∼1500 years. Greater fish consumption during the later period may relate to use of novel hook and line fishing technology using hooks made from shellfish, but concurrent increases in seals, seabirds and marine invertebrates suggest a broader increased reliance on marine resources. By comparison, the earlier period, which coincides with the manufacture of backed microliths, displays relatively greater reliance on terrestrial marsupials. Taxonomic representation suggests occupation of the shelter from winter through spring, and potentially into summer. Analysis of the 1CU5 fauna marks an important contribution to the understanding of Late Holocene economies at the interface of the greater Sydney and NSW South Coast cultural and biogeographic regions.

Comparative diversity in glochidia of Australasian freshwater mussels

Most freshwater mussels have larvae (glochidia in Unionidae, Margaritiferidae and Hyriidae) that are parasitic on fishes. This study describes and compares the diversity of glochidia among 17 species of Australasian Hyriidae. Here, scanning electron microscopy was used to illustrate shell morphology, while patterns of diversity in size, shape and morphological characteristics were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively with Principal Component, Linear Discriminant, and Multiple Correspondence Analyses to separate species with varying degrees of discrimination. Results showed shell lengths ranged from 50 to 390 μm. Shape varied, from sub-oval to sub-triangular, bilaterally symmetrical to scalene, and hook morphology varied from unicuspid, bicuspid, tricuspid or complex with varying length and structure. Unique observations of this study include the consistent variation in glochidial release mechanisms among Australian subfamilies and New Zealand genera. Hyridellini species and Echyridella aucklandica (Gray and Dieffenbach, 1843) are released either freely or as “mesoconglutinates” (presumed brood lures), whereas Velesunioninae and Echyridella menziesii (Gray and Dieffenbach, 1843) release glochidia in “amorphous mucous conglutinates”. Hyridellini predominantly occur within perennially flowing rivers of coastal south-eastern Australia with generally low turbidity, whereas the Velesunioninae occur more typically in slower flowing, intermittent waters, many prone to extended periods of high turbidity. Thus, where Hyridellini occur, mesoconglutinates as visual brood lures may be a more efficient mechanism for infesting host fishes than the passive infestation strategy typical of velesunionine species frequenting more turbid waters. Finally, this study presents systematic descriptions of glochidia and a provisional key for identification of Australasian hyriid glochidia, making an important contribution to the current understanding of taxonomy and life history traits, both critical for hyriid conservation.

Subtropical-temperate forested wetlands of coastal south-eastern Australia – an analysis of vegetation data to support ecosystem risk assessment at regional, national and global scales

Context Forested wetlands occurring on fluvial sediments are among the most threatened ecosystems in south-east Australia. The first quantitative diagnosis of forested wetland types in NSW was completed in 2005. Since then, there has been a three-fold increase in survey data on coastal floodplains, vegetation classification systems have been developed in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, and methods for the assessment of ecosystem conservation risks have been adopted by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Aims To ensure an evidence base that can support conservation decisions and national conservation assessments, there is a need to review and update the classification of forested wetlands and integrate classification schemes across jurisdictions. Methods We evaluated the efficacy of a multi-stage clustering strategy, applied to data from different sources with largely unknown methodological idiosyncrasies, to retrieve ecologically meaningful clusters. We assessed the veracity and robustness of the 2005 classification of forest wetlands as a framework for national risk assessments over an expanded range. Key results We derived a quantitative, cross-jurisdictional classification of forested wetlands based on a synthesis of 5173 plot samples drawn from three states and identified the status of our units in relation to IUCN's Global Ecosystem Typology. Conclusions Our analyses support the retention of the five legacy types which are the basis for threatened ecosystem listings under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 and Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Implications Our results will support revised assessments of current listings and facilitate their integration at state, national and global scales.

New Devonian plant fossil occurrences on the New South Wales South Coast: geological implications

Devonian fossil localities are summarised for coastal southeastern Australia, including both marine invertebrates representing a major late Frasnian (Late Devonian) transgression, and plant remains of Middle–Late Devonian age in associated non-marine strata. Lycopsid plant specimens (Leptophloeum) from near Majors Creek, NSW, first documented by Edgeworth David and E. F. Pittman in association with marine fossils to demonstrate a Late Devonian age, are illustrated for the first time. Lycopsid plants of presumed Middle Devonian age are illustrated from three new localities: Yowrie River inland from Cape Dromedary, Tuross River northwest of Narooma and Charlies Forest Road northeast of Braidwood. The Yowrie River occurrence (in float) indicates probable Middle Devonian strata upstream that are not shown on published maps. The Tuross River occurrence is in sheared and folded strata previously mapped as Ordovician, and the Braidwood occurrence demonstrates Devonian black shales adjacent to previously mapped Ordovician. Evidence supporting alternative thrust or simple fold interpretations for the Budawang Synclinorium is discussed, and relevant Ordovician fossil localities are listed.

Delineation of an endemic tick paralysis zone in southeastern Australia

Tick paralysis has a major impact on pet dog and cat populations in southeastern Australia. It results from envenomation by Ixodes holocyclus and Ixodes cornuatus ticks, the role of Ixodes cornuatus in the epidemiology of this disease in Australia being unclear. The aim of this study was to describe the geographical distribution of tick paralysis cases in southeastern Australia using data from a national disease surveillance system and to compare characteristics of “endemic” cases with those reported outside this endemic zone (“sporadic” cases). Data were collated and a proportional symbol map of all cases by postcode was created. A 15-case isopleth was developed based on descriptive spatial statistics (directional ellipses) and then kernel smoothing to distinguish endemic from sporadic cases. During the study period (January 2010–December 2015) 12,421 cases were reported, and 10,839 of these reported by clinics located in 434 postcodes were included in the study. Endemic cases were predominantly reported from postcodes in coastal southeastern Australia, from southern Queensland to eastern Victoria. Of those cases meeting selection criteria, within the endemic zone 10,767 cases were reported from 351 (88%) postcodes and outside this zone 72 cases were reported from 48 (12%) postcodes. Of these latter 48 postcodes, 18 were in Victoria (26 cases), 16 in New South Wales (28 cases), 7 in Tasmania (9 cases), 5 in South Australia (7 cases) and 2 in Queensland (2 cases). Seasonal distribution in reporting was found: 62% of endemic and 52% of sporadic cases were reported in spring. The number of both endemic and sporadic cases reported peaked in October and November, but importantly a secondary peak in reporting of sporadic cases in April was found. In non-endemic areas, summer was the lowest risk season whilst in endemic areas, autumn was the lowest risk season. Two clusters of sporadic cases were identified, one in South Australia (P=0.022) during the period 22 May to 2 June 2012 and another in New South Wales (P=0.059) during the period 9 October to 29 November 2012. Endemic and sporadic cases did not differ with respect to neuter status (P=0.188), sex (P=0.205), case outcome (P=0.367) or method of diagnosis (P=0.413). However, sporadic cases were 4.2-times more likely to be dogs than cats (P<0.001). The endemic tick paralysis zone described is consistent with previous anecdotal reports. Sporadic cases reported outside this zone might be due to a history of pet travel to endemic areas, small foci of I. holocyclus outside of the endemic zone, or in the case of southern areas, tick paralysis caused by I. cornuatus.

Are mangroves in Victoria (south-eastern Australia) already responding to climate change?

The distribution and productivity of mangroves is directly affected by a wide range of climatic drivers, including temperature, frost, rainfall, evaporation and storm activity, which, in turn, influence a suite of secondary drivers, including changes in freshwater run-off and sediment supply, groundwater dynamics and inter-species competitiveness. The highest-latitude expression of mangroves globally is at Millers Landing, Victoria (38°45′S), and because the vigour and productivity of mangroves across much of Victoria is thought to be limited by low winter temperatures and the incidence and severity of frosts, it is likely that mangroves will be among the first plant communities to be affected by climate change in coastal south-eastern Australia. An increase in plant vigour is likely, but there are almost no historical data with which to compare current rates of primary production. An extension of mangroves to higher latitudes on the mainland is impossible because of the geomorphology of the land that lies further to the south. Small-scale changes in distribution, including the progressive encroachment of mangroves into coastal saltmarsh, are likely to be among the clearest indications of the response of mangroves to a warming climate. Increased effort into tracking changes in mangrove vigour, productivity and distribution is clearly warranted.

A review of Galaxiella pusilla (Mack) (Teleostei: Galaxiidae) in south-eastern Australia with a description of a new species.

The dwarf galaxias, Galaxiella pusilla (Mack), is a small, threatened freshwater fish from coastal south-eastern Australia. Recent genetic studies, using multiple nuclear and mitochondrial DNA markers, found substantial differences between populations in western Victoria and south Australia ('west region') compared to eastern Victoria, Flinders Island, and Tasmania ('east region') that suggest the presence of a cryptic species. Morphological measurements and meristic counts from multiple populations within each region were undertaken to investigate potential differences between regions. Several characters, found to discriminate between individuals in the regions and to be diagnostic for two taxa, were used to describe a new species, Galaxiella toourtkoourt, for the west region. This is only the second species in the Galaxiidae to exhibit sexual dimorphism. The original description of Galaxiella pusilla, based on five specimens, is revised following examination of a large number of individuals. Both species are considered nationally threatened and are categorised as 'endangered'; the revised distribution of G. pusilla s.s. is reduced by approximately 60%. A number of inconsistencies in the most recent revision of the genus Galaxiella are also corrected.

Analysis of operating environments: A diagnostic model for linking science, society and policy for sustainability

Through analysis of the dynamics between science and decision-making, we argue that diagnosing fit-for purpose approaches to linking science and decision-making may be possible. Such diagnosis should enable identification of appropriate processes, institutions, objects (e.g. tools, information products) and relationships that can facilitate outcomes. We begin the paper by unsettling the traditional constructions that science must distance itself from debates about values and what is at stake, and so from policy making. Then, drawing from mixed methods case studies in coastal South-eastern Australia, we describe how scientific research has had a bearing on decisions affecting society and the environment. These analyses suggest that the willingness and capacity of research organisations, programmes or projects to actively reflect on and participate in the evolution of the ‘operating environment’ for their research is integral to their ability to inform outcomes through science.

Devonian formations, vertebrate faunas and age control on the far south coast of New South Wales and adjacent Victoria

A diverse fossil vertebrate record in the Devonian of coastal southeastern Australia includes at least 30 genera and species representing all three major groups of extant jawed vertebrates (bony and cartilaginous fishes, and tetrapods), and both extinct groups (placoderm and acanthodian fishes). A bone recorded by W. B. Clarke in 1860 from Twofold Bay is the first published record of a Devonian vertebrate from the Southern Hemisphere. Abundant plant remains at some localities include large impressions of arborescent lycopsids, indicating one of the earliest forest environments for the Gondwana supercontinent. An early terrestrial invertebrate fauna is evidenced by fossil millipede remains. A review of the evidence for age control using paleontology and isotopic dating suggests that the lower part of the Devonian sequence (Bunga beds, Boyd Volcanic Complex) may be somewhat older (Emsian – Eifelian) than recently proposed; the tetrapod trackways at Genoa River in Victoria (lower part of the Combyingbar Formation) may correlate with the lowermost Twofold Bay Formation of the Merrimbula Group, which is overlain by the marine Bellbird Creek Formation, a manifestation of the global late Frasnian marine transgression and extinction event. Abundant placoderm remains at all higher fossil fish horizons in the overlying Worange Point Formation indicate a latest Devonian rather than Carboniferous age for the upper Merrimbula Group.

Habitat use and distribution of the Beautiful Firetail (Stagonopleura bella) in foothill forests of the Victorian Highlands, Australia

The Beautiful Firetail (Stagonopleura bella) is an uncommon, granivorous finch from coastal south-eastern Australia, with a distribution extending from mid-coastal New South Wales to south-eastern South Australia, including Tasmania. This paper presents a quantitative assessment of habitat use by the Beautiful Firetail based on data collected from 30 paired riparian and non-riparian sites in the foothill forests of the Victorian Highlands, Australia. The Beautiful Firetail occurred in two of the three forest blocks surveyed and was found almost exclusively at riparian sites. The Beautiful Firetail was most likely to occur at riparian sites on the coastal fall of the ranges at sites with high sedge cover and low cover of shrubs and bare ground. The species occurred at low densities (0.10–0.19 individuals ha−1) throughout the year. Records from the Atlas of Victorian Wildlife were used to describe the distribution of Beautiful Firetails in Victoria. Notable observations inland of the Great Dividing Range were recorded during the present study. Further study is required to understand the ecological requirements of the Beautiful Firetail throughout its range.

Media and social context: Influences on stylistic communication networks in prehistoric Sydney

This paper explores some inter-relationships between style, media and social context in a regional prehistoric art style in the Sydney Basin in coastal south-eastern Australia. Engravings on open sandstone platforms and a predominantly pigment tradition within sandstone shelters represent a dual media style which operated in the recent prehistoric past. These combined media provide insight into how style may have been used in the pursuit of differing social strategies within this region. There is an assumption that varying degrees of heterogeneity within two components of the one art system - operating simultaneously in the one environment - must be interpreted differently. It is argued that the differing stylistic uses of the two media reflects the pursuit of different social ends. In particular, varying degrees of heterogeneity within the assemblages of the two art media are interpreted in terms of varying social strategies associated with differing degrees of network 'openness'. The rock art is located in two distinct physical contexts provided by the sandstone bedrock which defines this region. Engravings, or petroglyph, sites occur in open locations. In rockshelter locations the art consists of drawings, stencils, paintings and engravings. Open rock platforms on ridgelines and hillslopes, and cavernously weathered overhangs and shelters in the valleys and gullies, are characteristic of the sandstone bedrock. These locations have been the foci for extensive artistic activity. While the region is generally classified as coastal, within this there is observable environmental variation. Art sites of both types occur across the full range of ecosystems within the region, i.e. coastal margin, estuarine, riverine, forest, woodland and the more marginal hinterland.

Numerical simulation of two heavy rainfall events over coastal southeastern Australia

AbstractPredicting rainfall along the New South Wales (NSW) coast is a major forecasting problem because of sharp gradients in rainfall amounts with the heaviest falls on the coastal fringe decreasing rapidly inland. On some occasions the rainfall pattern is less spatially coherent and consists of isolated maxima. Both rainfall patterns are associated with mesoscale coastal ridging. The first rainfall pattern arises from coastal ridging occurring in combination with an offshore trough. In the first case study presented here, a typical ridge–trough system was aligned parallel to the coast, and located just offshore, with the observed rainfall heaviest at the coast, decreasing rapidly from over 60 mm to near zero 30 km inland. The model captured well the southward temporal evolution of the maximum relative humidity values and rainfall. The second rainfall pattern occurs when shallow coastal ridging interacts with downdrafts from thunderstorm activity over the ranges to the west. The second case study was one in which convergence and condensation generated a quasi‐stationary line of thunderstorms, resulting in flash flooding. The model precipitation rates and accumulations matched very closely those of the squall line, as revealed by radar precipitation intensities and the observed rainfall. Copyright © 1998 Royal Meteorological Society

Transpiration by Trees From Contrasting Forest Types

Temperate rainforests and eucalypt forests of coastal south-eastern Australia are distributed differentially with aspect. Rainforests, in which Ceratopetalum apetalum D.Don and Doryphora sassafras Endl. are the dominant tree species, occur on slopes of southerly aspect and along gully bottoms, whereas eucalypt forests, dominated by Eucalyptus maculata Hook., occur on upper slopes of northerly aspect and on ridge tops. Whether transpiration rates of trees differed across the rainforest-eucalypt forest boundary on north and south facing aspects was tested by measuring stem sap flow in trees in a single catchment during winter, summer and autumn. Differences in transpiration rate by trees in these stands were due to various combinations of biological and physical factors. Firstly, mean maximum transpiration rate per tree (crown area basis) was greater in rainforest on the gully bottom where deep soil water from down-slope drainage was greater than in eucalypt forest located upslope on the northern aspect. By contrast, there was no difference between maximum transpiration rates in rainforest and eucalypt forest on the southern aspect. Variation in transpiration rate between seasons was not related to variation in surface soil moisture content (&lt; 0.35 m depth). Secondly, transpiration rates per unit crown area in rainforest at the gully bottom were associated with higher leaf area indices than upslope on the northern aspect. However, in rainforest upslope on the southern aspect, higher transpiration rates were not associated with higher leaf area indices. Thirdly, trees in eucalypt forest maintained similar sapwood moisture contents in summer as in winter and autumn, whereas sapwood moisture contents declined in rainforest trees in summer, suggesting that eucalypts had access to water from deep within the soil profile which was unavailable to more shallow rooting rainforest trees. Fourthly, higher modal and maximal sap velocities in eucalypt trees were partly due to wider xylem vessels and resulted in faster maximum sap flow and greater daily total water use in all seasons on both aspects than in rainforest species. Finally, as atmospheric demand for water increased from winter to summer, transpiration rates were mediated by stomata1 closure as indicated by lower average midday shoot conductance to water vapour during summer than other seasons. The interaction between microenvironment, which deteimines water availability, and physiological attsibutes, which determine tree water acquisition and use, may contribute to the differential distribution of rainforest and eucalypt forest with aspect in south-eastern Australia.

Long-term impact of orphaning on field colonies ofCoptotermes lacteus (Froggatt) (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Colonies ofCoptotermes lacteus (Froggatt) from a site in coastal south-eastern Australia were experimentally orphaned in early 1989. Sample colonies were examined 3, 6, 12, 18, 24 or 30 months later for their caste composition, the presence of replacement reproductives and brood. All replacement reproductives were nymphoid neotenics. The number of functional (physogastric) females ranged from 1 to 27; this variability was maintained irrespective of the length of time between orphaning and inspection of the colonies. The average live mass of individual females stayed at 30 to 40 mg over the period of 6 to 30 months after orphaning in groups of more than five neotenic queens, but increased from 38 mg three months after orphaning to about 125 mg after 24 months in colonies headed by fewer than five neotenic females. The combined live mass of neotenic females could approach or even exceed that of primary queens. Two key features characterized experimentally and naturally orphaned, neotenic-headed colonies: (1) Nymphs differentiated in significant numbers all year round for a period of at least 30 months right from the time neotenics commenced breeding (in primary-headed colonies nymph production is strictly seasonal). (2) All or most nymphs were males (in primary-headed colonies the sex ratio of nymphs is more or less balanced). The mechanism(s) for achieving the male-biased sex ratio is (are) unknown. Even when colonies have resumed breeding with the help of neotenics, colony survival is not guaranteed. Under such circumstances the gene pool is best preserved if colonies were to raise and release large numbers of alates as potential founders of new colonies. By producing largely male nymphs orphaned colonies ensure outbreeding and may prevent competition (and its disruptive impact an breeding) between existing reproducing neotenic queens and newly differentiating female neotenics. Competition between male neotenics is unlikely to have any impact on the rate of brood production and therefore would not require a mechanism to prevent it from occurring.

The Seasonal Abundance of Female Biting-Midges, Culicoides-Brevitarsis Kieffer (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae), in Coastal South-Eastern Australia

Daily light-trap collections of female C. brevitarsis were made at three localities along the northern coastal plains of New South Wales. Numbers increased during spring, were maximal in summer, declined during autumn and were minimal in winter. The generation time was about 3-4 weeks in the summer and several cohorts of nulliparous midges, probably representing different generations, were detected from spring to autumn. Some breeding continued throughout the winter. Summer abundance appeared to be associated with high rates of reproduction in late spring or early summer, and this occurred when rainfall was adequate for good pasture growth. Midge survival was better in the summer than in other seasons of the year, and numbers of parous females increased rapidly whenever it rained, probably due to their increased survival and longevity. At each locality, numbers fluctuated throughout spring, summer and autumn, with peaks and troughs of abundance which were often not obviously associated with concurrent climatic conditions or cattle movements.

Fluviatile evidence for a period of late-quaternary pluvial climate in coastal southeastern Australia

The Cranebrook Terrace near Sydney, New South Wales, yields sound evidence of a period of exceptional fluvial activity in lowland basins of southeastern coastal Australia well prior to the last glacial maximum. This episode, titled here the “Cranebrook Pluvial”, is dated from radiocarbon and thermoluminescence age determinations as ending about 40,000–45,000 yr B.P. It was characterised along the lower Nepean River by abundant gravel transported over a braid plain proximal to confining sandstone gorges. Thick basal gravels were deposited almost contemporaneously with a sandy-clay overburden until this time when the river quite quickly became confined to two laterally stable channels. Additional overbank deposition probably accompanied this stable phase. The easternmost channel was abandoned about 34,000–37,000 yr B.P. and the Nepean River appears to have occupied only the western channel since then. Isolated from eustatic changes occurring downstream, the Nepean River has left no significant alluvial deposits from the last glacial maximum or from the Holocene, periods of time which, in this fluvial environment, appear quiescent by comparison with preglacial pluvial. However, stripping and replacement of the fine overburden appears to have occurred over the western part of the terrace about 14,000 yr B.P., or somewhat younger from 14C determinations. These conclusions are at odds with the proposal that the main period of alluvial deposition in coastal valleys of southeastern Australia was triggered by widespread slope instability during the last glacial maximum. Alluvial and pollen data suggest the glacial was a cool dry period of relatively little fluvial activity in basins not affected by glaciation. The Cranebrook Pluvial was probably the most important erosional-depositional episode in the non-glacially effected areas of southeastern Australia in the last 50,000 years.

2. User-wear and residues on stone tools. Functional Analysis and its application to two southeastern Australian archaeological assemblages

The aims of this PhD thesis are (1) to describe use-wear and residue patterns on experimental stone tools, and (2) to apply functional analysis in the interpretation of two archaeological sites from coastal southeastern Australia. The relative importance of different forms of use-wear and their formation processes are still the subject of debate. In addition, the full potential of residue analysis has not been well described. Given this context, two specific methodological problems are addressed; the role of amorphous silica in polish formation, and the nature and identification of organic residues. Three hundred and twenty-four experimental tools were examined. The stone comprised mainly flint but also obsidian, hornfels, quartz, quartzite, chert, sandstone, impactite and silcrete. Experimental results indicate that even low amounts of amorphous silica are directly proportional to polish formation. However, polish is found to be a less reliable indicator of material worked than previously thought. Residues provide an independent and direct means for identifying material worked if they are preserved in sufficient amounts. Integration of both use-wear and residue analysis offers a more complete approach. Â Two archaeological case studies were selected to examine spatial and chronological variability. The Enclosed Chamber assemblage from Rocky Cape South was an intact 6,000 year old deposit (Jones 1971). From a sample of 152 stones, 52 utilised edges were identified on 43 implements. The Great Glennie Island assemblage was from four sequential layers deposited in the last 2,000 years (Head et al. 1983). All 458 artefacts were examined and 107 utilised edges identified on 75 implements. Animal and plant processing activities suggesting domestic usage were identified at the Enclosed Chamber. At GGI, there is change to a more generalised economy, with a more opportunistic use of stone and a higher proportion of maintenance tasks. Â

The Red-kneed Dotterel in Coastal South-eastern Australia

The Red-kneed Dotterel in Coastal South-eastern Australia