Cool Temperate Rainforest Research Articles

Palaeocene high-latitude leaf flora of Antarctica Part 2: Tooth-margined angiosperms

The late Palaeocene (Thanetian) Cross Valley Formation on Seymour Island is one of the few floras of this age in Antarctica. Understanding the diversity is critical for comparisons with coeval high-latitude forests and their evolution across South America and Australasia. This macroflora has few conifers and ferns but a significant diversity of angiosperms. Taxonomic assessment of previously undescribed morphotypes, based on new and existing collections, facilitated the identification of twelve new tooth-margined angiosperms of uncertain affinities. Comparisons to Gondwanan families already established in the Cross Valley Flora from pollen and wood records include Nothofagaceae, Proteaceae and Cunoniaceae. A total of 37 angiosperm taxa, including 23 tooth-margined and 14 entire-margined morphotypes, have been described from the Cross Valley Flora. They provide evidence that the most diverse Palaeocene floral assemblage recorded from this region inhabited the east side of the Antarctic Peninsula. The new morphotypes enrich the cool-temperate nature of the angiosperms that dominated over the conifers in these high-latitude forests. They indicate dynamic forests that responded to frequent disturbance as they grew on the slopes of active volcanoes; a physical divide that created a rainfall and climatic gradient from east to west across the Antarctic Peninsula. Floral elements, such as Proteaceae that indicates drier climates and Nothofagaceae that indicates cooler climates, signify that these forests were on the lee side of volcanoes on the Antarctic Peninsula. These forests represent extirpation and retraction of the Valdivian cool-temperate rainforests, which extended further south than their modern Patagonian distribution, in southern South America. Thus, the new morphotypes suggest additional floral diversity was present in the late Palaeocene and highlight the diversity contrast between the east and west Antarctic Peninsula.

Do Fire Cues Enhance Germination of Soil Seed Stores across an Ecotone of Wet Eucalypt Forest to Cool Temperate Rainforest in the Central Highlands of South-Eastern Australia?

Soil seed banks play an important role in plant species persistence in fire-prone systems. Response to fire related germination cues often reflect historical fire regimes and can be important in maintaining ecotones between different forest types. We assessed the effects of heat and/or smoke on the soil stored seed banks across an ecotone of eucalypt to rainforest overstorey comprising wet forest, cool temperate mixed forest, and cool temperate rainforest in south-eastern Australia. Soils from five replicates of each forest type were subjected to very low (45 °C), low (65 °C) and high (90 °C) heat with or without two different smoke treatments: –smoke-infused vermiculite, and karrikinolide—a phytoreactive compound derived from smoke. Soils were placed in a glasshouse and germinants were identified and counted at weekly intervals. Response to fire cues was consistent among forest types despite underlying differences in the diversity of soil seed banks. There was no overall response of species richness, abundance, or composition to fire cues. Phanerophytes and ant-dispersed species with hard seed coats demonstrated positive response, and endozoochores negative response, to high heat independent of smoke. Endozoochores were concentrated (albeit at low densities) in cool temperate rainforest with no overall effect of seral affiliation on response to fire cues. Given the lack of response to karrikinolide, response to soil disturbance would most likely be associated with mechanical seed abrasion and/or exposure to increased light availability than to non-fire related production of smoke products. Forest type was a stronger determinant of floristics in the germinated soil seed bank than simulated fire related germination cues. Both smoke treatments had little influence on floristics in the germinated seed bank suggesting other, non-fire disturbances such as treefalls and soil turnover by fauna may be more important for germination for many of the species in these forest types.

Combining Environmental, Multispectral, and LiDAR Data Improves Forest Type Classification: A Case Study on Mapping Cool Temperate Rainforests and Mixed Forests

Predictive vegetation mapping is an essential tool for managing and conserving high conservation-value forests. Cool temperate rainforests (Rainforest) and cool temperate mixed forests (Mixed Forest, i.e., rainforest spp. overtopped by large remnant Eucalyptus trees) are threatened forest types in the Central Highlands of Victoria. Logging of these forest types is prohibited; however, the surrounding native Eucalyptus forests can be logged in some areas of the landscape. This requires accurate mapping and delineation of these vegetation types. In this study, we combine niche modelling, multispectral imagery, and LiDAR data to improve predictive vegetation mapping of these two threatened ecosystems in southeast Australia. We used a dataset of 1586 plots partitioned into four distinct forest types that occur in close proximity in the Central Highlands: Eucalyptus, Tree fern, Mixed Forest, and Rainforest. We calibrated our model on a training dataset and validated it on a spatially distinct testing dataset. To avoid overfitting, we used Bayesian regularized multinomial regression to relate predictors to our four forest types. We found that multispectral predictors were able to distinguish Rainforest from Eucalyptus forests due to differences in their spectral signatures. LiDAR-derived predictors were effective at discriminating Mixed Forest from Rainforest based on forest structure, particularly LiDAR predictors based on existing domain knowledge of the system. For example, the best predictor of Mixed Forest was the presence of Rainforest-type understorey overtopped by large Eucalyptus crowns, which is effectively aligned with the regulatory definition of Mixed Forest. Environmental predictors improved model performance marginally, but helped discriminate riparian forests from Rainforest. However, the best model for classifying forest types was the model that included all three classes of predictors (i.e., spectral, structural, and environmental). Using multiple data sources with differing strengths improved classification accuracy and successfully predicted the identity of 88% of the plots. Our study demonstrated that multi-source methods are important for capturing different properties of the data that discriminate ecosystems. In addition, the multi-source approach facilitated adding custom metrics based on domain knowledge which in turn improved the mapping of high conservation-value forest.

Acclimation of leaf respiration temperature responses across thermally contrasting biomes.

Short-term temperature response curves of leaf dark respiration (R-T) provide insights into a critical process that influences plant net carbon exchange. This includes how respiratory traits acclimate to sustained changes in the environment. Our study analysed 860 high-resolution R-T (10-70°C range) curves for: (a) 62 evergreen species measured in two contrasting seasons across several field sites/biomes; and (b) 21 species (subset of those sampled in the field) grown in glasshouses at 20°C:15°C, 25°C:20°C and 30°C:25°C, day:night. In the field, across all sites/seasons, variations in R25 (measured at 25°C) and the leaf T where R reached its maximum (Tmax ) were explained by growth T (mean air-T of 30-d before measurement), solar irradiance and vapour pressure deficit, with growth T having the strongest influence. R25 decreased and Tmax increased with rising growth T across all sites and seasons with the single exception of winter at the cool-temperate rainforest site where irradiance was low. The glasshouse study confirmed that R25 and Tmax thermally acclimated. Collectively, the results suggest: (1) thermal acclimation of leaf R is common in most biomes; and (2) the high T threshold of respiration dynamically adjusts upward when plants are challenged with warmer and hotter climates.

Terrestrial cooling record through the Eocene-Oligocene transition of Australia

Abstract A new mid-latitude terrestrial climate proxy record is presented for southeastern Australia. The Middle Eocene to Middle Miocene palynofloral and δ13C record of the Latrobe Group, Gippsland Basin, details that the climate of southeastern Australia, paleolatitude 60–50°S, supported the growth of highly diverse subtropical to cool-temperate rainforests. These forests are characterized by mesothermal to microthermal floral elements that are here interpreted as subtropical (Malvacipollis subtilis and Cupanieidites orthoteichus dominated palynofloras), warm-temperate (Beaupreadites elegansiformis and Phyllocladus mawsonii dominated palynofloras) and cool-temperate (Nothofagus spp. and Dacrycarpidites australiensis dominated palynofloras) rainforests. The palynofloral record of the Latrobe Group indicates that mean annual temperatures were between 20 and 24 °C during the Middle Eocene resulting in subtropical rainforests, between 14 and 20 °C for the late Middle Eocene to earliest (i.e. pre-Oi1) Oligocene resulting in warm-temperate rainforests, between 10 and 14 °C for the late Early Oligocene to Early Miocene resulting in cool-temperate rainforests and between 14 and 20 °C in the Middle Miocene, facilitating the resurgence of warm-temperate rainforest floras. Rainfall was also likely in excess of 1500 mm throughout the Middle Eocene to the Middle Miocene in southeastern Australia. The climatic trends preserved within this mid-latitude terrestrial record relate to global Cenozoic cooling, the exception being the Middle Miocene records, which instead relate to the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum. In the mid-latitude Gippsland Basin, cooling appears to have begun in the Middle Eocene. Correlation of our palynoflora with records from Antarctica and New Zealand, in addition to benthic δ18O records, reaffirms that the Latrobe Group coals provide a long-term, largely authochthonous mid-latitude floral record that directly relates to global climatic evolution through the Cenozoic. Our new mid-latitude terrestrial record provides critical insight into the validation of Eocene-Oligocene climate models and improves our understanding of mid-latitude terrestrial ecosystem responses to increased carbon dioxide forcing. The correlation between the δ13C values of the Yallourn and Morwell coal seams to benthic δ13C records also highlights that a relationship exists between the terrestrial and marine benthic δ13C record.

Throughfall and its spatial variability in a temperate rainforest of simple structure

There are few throughfall data from southern hemisphere closed-forest, and none from Tasmanian callidendrous cool-temperate rainforest, which has a simpler structure than most primary rainforests. We determined throughfall, measured its local spatial variation, and tested its relationships with rainfall, rainfall intensity, wind speed, canopy dryness, canopy cover, and other structural variables in a cool-temperate callidendrous rainforest in Tasmania. Eighty-two percent of the precipitation was measured as throughfall, which occurred after 2.3 mm of rain fell on dry canopies. The cumulative rainfall in 25 randomly located funnel rain gauges on the forest floor varied from 160 to 567 mm. Canopy cover and other structural variables did not predict the spatial pattern of throughfall. While throughfall in rainfall events was related to rainfall amount and intensity, wind speed did not affect throughfall as a percentage of rainfall. Percentages of throughfall to rainfall over 100 for many low rainfall events may indicate a contribution of fog drip to precipitation on the forest floor. The high local spatial variability in throughfall indicates the mean moisture conditions on the forest floor may not be a good indicator of the potential for localised fire damage.

A new species of Lithothelium (lichenized Ascomycota, Pyrenulaceae) from the Tarkine region, north-western Tasmania

Lithothelium kantvilasii sp. nov. (lichenized Ascomycota, Pyrenulaceae) is described from cool-temperate rainforest in the Tarkine region of north-western Tasmania, Australia. It has a whitish and largely endophloeodal thallus, minute, solitary perithecioid ascomata with an apical ostiole and small, hyaline 3-septate ascospores. A key is provided to the seven Australian species of Lithothelium.

Light requirements of Australian tropical vs. cool-temperate rainforest tree species show different relationships with seedling growth and functional traits

A trade-off between shade tolerance and growth in high light is thought to underlie the temporal dynamics of humid forests. On the other hand, it has been suggested that tree species sorting on temperature gradients involves a trade-off between growth rate and cold resistance. Little is known about how these two major trade-offs interact. Seedlings of Australian tropical and cool-temperate rainforest trees were grown in glasshouse environments to compare growth versus shade-tolerance trade-offs in these two assemblages. Biomass distribution, photosynthetic capacity and vessel diameters were measured in order to examine the functional correlates of species differences in light requirements and growth rate. Species light requirements were assessed by field estimation of the light compensation point for stem growth. Light-demanding and shade-tolerant tropical species differed markedly in relative growth rates (RGR), but this trend was less evident among temperate species. This pattern was paralleled by biomass distribution data: specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf area ratio (LAR) of tropical species were significantly positively correlated with compensation points, but not those of cool-temperate species. The relatively slow growth and small SLA and LAR of Tasmanian light-demanders were associated with narrow vessels and low potential sapwood conductivity. The conservative xylem traits, small LAR and modest RGR of Tasmanian light-demanders are consistent with selection for resistance to freeze-thaw embolism, at the expense of growth rate. Whereas competition for light favours rapid growth in light-demanding trees native to environments with warm, frost-free growing seasons, frost resistance may be an equally important determinant of the fitness of light-demanders in cool-temperate rainforest, as seedlings establishing in large openings are exposed to sub-zero temperatures that can occur throughout most of the year.

Cool temperate rainforest and adjacent forests classification using airborne LiDAR data

The traditional methods of forest classification, based on the interpretation of aerial photographs and processing of multi-spectral and/or hyper-spectral remote sensing data are limited in their ability to capture the structural complexity of the forests compared with analysis of airborne LiDAR (light detection and ranging) data. This is because of LiDAR's penetration of forest canopies such that detailed and three-dimensional forest structure descriptions can be derived. This study applied airborne LiDAR data for the classification of cool temperate rainforest and adjacent forests in the Strzelecki Ranges, Victoria, Australia. Using normalised LiDAR point data, the forest vertical structure was stratified into three layers. Variables characterising the height distribution and density of forest components were derived from LiDAR data within each of these layers. The statistical analyses, which included one-way analysis of variance with post hoc tests, identified effective variables for forest-type classifications. The results showed that using linear discriminant analysis, an overall classification accuracy of 91.4% (as verified by the cross-validation) was achieved in the study area.

Pollen-based biome reconstructions for Latin America at 0, 6000 and 18 000 radiocarbon years ago

Abstract. The biomisation method is used to reconstruct Latin American vegetation at 6000±500 and 18 000±1000 radiocarbon years before present (14C yr BP) from pollen data. Tests using modern pollen data from 381 samples derived from 287 locations broadly reproduce potential natural vegetation. The strong temperature gradient associated with the Andes is recorded by a transition from high altitude cool grass/shrubland and cool mixed forest to mid-altitude cool temperate rain forest, to tropical dry, seasonal and rain forest at low altitudes. Reconstructed biomes from a number of sites do not match the potential vegetation due to local factors such as human impact, methodological artefacts and mechanisms of pollen representivity of the parent vegetation. At 6000±500 14C yr BP 255 samples are analysed from 127 sites. Differences between the modern and the 6000±500 14C yr BP reconstruction are comparatively small; change relative to the modern reconstruction are mainly to biomes characteristic of drier climate in the north of the region with a slight more mesic shift in the south. Cool temperate rain forest remains dominant in western South America. In northwestern South America a number of sites record transitions from tropical seasonal forest to tropical dry forest and tropical rain forest to tropical seasonal forest. Sites in Central America show a change in biome assignment, but to more mesic vegetation, indicative of greater plant available moisture, e.g. on the Yucatán peninsula sites record warm evergreen forest, replacing tropical dry forest and warm mixed forest presently recorded. At 18 000±1000 14C yr BP 61 samples from 34 sites record vegetation reflecting a generally cool and dry environment. Cool grass/shrubland is prevalent in southeast Brazil whereas Amazonian sites record tropical dry forest, warm temperate rain forest and tropical seasonal forest. Southernmost South America is dominated by cool grass/shrubland, a single site retains cool temperate rain forest indicating that forest was present at some locations at the LGM. Some sites in Central Mexico and lowland Colombia remain unchanged in the biome assignments of warm mixed forest and tropical dry forest respectively, although the affinities that these sites have to different biomes do change between 18 000±1000 14C yr BP and present. The "unresponsive" nature of these sites results from their location and the impact of local edaphic influence.

Last interglacial climates of south-eastern Australia: plant and beetle-based reconstructions from Yarra Creek, King Island, Tasmania

This paper explores the palaeoclimatic significance of a fossil plant and insect record from Yarra Creek, on King Island, between Tasmania and the Australian mainland. The record dates, based upon a thermoluminescence chronology and other evidence, to Marine Isotope Stage 5 (MIS 5); the exact timing is impossible to ascertain given the resolution of the thermoluminescence results and the presence of an unconformity in the dated section. The presence of a cool-temperate rainforest flora, outside its modern range, and other independent evidence, suggest the sequence may represent the last interglacial (MIS 5e) rather than a later MIS 5 substage. Using coexistence methods that compare modern climatic ranges of the taxa in the assemblage we reconstruct independent beetle and plant based annual and seasonal temperate and precipitation parameters. The results imply the assemblage was deposited under a wetter summer climate and suggest conditions of enhanced temperature seasonality. It is probable that enhanced temperature seasonality is a methodological artefact reflecting the rarity of extremely equable climates (like King Island) in modern climate space. This would indicate a limitation of most methods of palaeoclimatic reconstruction that rely on modern datasets – it is only possible to reconstruct past climates as being within the range of values in that currently exist in modern climate space.

Disturbance history and stand dynamics in tall open forest and riparian rainforest in the Central Highlands of Victoria

Abstract Spatial heterogeneity in the intensity of past disturbances has directly influenced the structure and composition of present‐day forests around the world. In south‐eastern Australia infrequent, high‐intensity wildfires are a major part of the historical disturbance regime. While these fires are often assumed to produce even‐aged stands, spatial heterogeneity in fire intensity due to highly variable topography may lead to more complex forest age structures. Our study describes the influence of disturbance on the age structure and dynamics of a mosaic of tall, open eucalypt forest, cool temperate rainforest and mixed species forest surrounding Bellel Creek in the Central Highlands of Victoria using dendrochronological techniques. We were particularly interested in the impacts of the 1939 Black Friday fire and its effects on forest age structure and subsequent stand development patterns. Within our study site tall open forest displayed two distinct age cohorts: (i) trees that established immediately after the 1939 fire and accounted for the majority of individuals in the forest, and (ii) scattered groups of older trees estimated to be approximately 200–250 years old. Cool temperate rainforest and mixed forest were also dominated by the post‐1939 fire age cohort. However, a greater proportion of trees in these forest types survived the 1939 fire relative to the tall open forest. The impact of the 1939 fire on the growth of surviving trees was highly variable but generally short‐lived. In most cases growth decreased after the 1939 fire, but generally returned to prefire levels within 1–3 years. Non‐fire disturbances were limited to small‐scale branch‐ and tree‐fall events, although the extreme snowstorm of 1977 appears to have caused extensive damage to rainforest communities. Our study demonstrates the opportunities for dendroecological studies to reconstruct historical dynamics and disturbance patterns in Australian forests and provides important insights into variation in landscape‐scale fire impacts and their effect on subsequent forest development patterns.

Contrasting water-use strategies in two sympatric cool-temperate rainforest species, Nothofagus cunninghamii (Nothofagaceae) and Atherosperma moschatum (Atherospermataceae)

Nothofagus cunninghamii (Hook.) Oerst. and Atherosperma moschatum Labill. co-occur in cool-temperate rainforest across the wetter parts of Tasmania and Victoria, Australia, but A. moschatum extends to drier areas than N. cunninghamii. Possible reasons include differential tolerance of drought and fire or dispersal capacity. Here, we compare these species in their responses to water deficits. Differences in seedling survival, leaf tissue damage, shoot water relations, stomatal sensitivity, allocation of biomass and the long-term water-use efficiency of each species in response to water stress were investigated. N. cunninghamii showed traits typical of a high-water-use species, such as high stomatal conductance, a strategy that is not surprising in a rainforest species. However, it also displayed an exceptional ability to draw water from the soil and longer seedling roots, allowing replacement of water lost, at least in the short term. A. moschatum showed a more conservative water-use strategy, surviving greater internal dehydration with less damage, and displaying greater stomatal sensitivity to drought and long-term water-use efficiency in trees. The apparently superior long-term drought resistance of A. moschatum may in part explain its more common occurrence in drier regions than N. cunninghamii, at least in Tasmania, while the capacity of N. cunninghamii to survive short but severe periods of water stress correlates well with its higher position in the canopy and greater exposure to sunlight and desiccating winds. However, there is little evidence to suggest that the absence of N. cunninghamii from the rainforests of eastern Victoria is due to drought. We also suggest that the water-use strategy of N. cunninghamii may relate not just to surviving water deficits, but to maximising annual carbon gain in a temperate climate that is, on average, driest during the warmest time of the year.

The Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers: Safe from more dams but still vulnerable

Introduction The Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA). It encompasses mainly cool temperate rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest ecologies. These ecologies contain some of the best representations of Australia's ancient flora dating back 60 million years to the time of Gondwana (Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania, 2005b). The habitat of many endemic, rare, threatened and endangered Australian animals are located in the area (Griffiths & Baxter, 1997, p. 1), which also contains many sites of spiritual and cultural significance to the indigenous people of the area, such as Kuti Kina Cave (Griffiths & Baxter, 1997, pp. 26-27). The area has a colourful history of use, abuse and shifting values dating back over 36,000 years to the first recorded human activity in the area by the Tasmanian Aborigines. However, the most dramatic impacts and changes have occurred in the last 140 years since white Australians first started visiting the area. The Franklin River became well known in the 1970s and 80s as a result of the controversial plan to dam the Franklin, and subsequently, as a popular destination for tourists and nature enthusiasts. In this paper, I plan to describe the Franklin River environment, the changes it has experienced over time, and to detail how visitors to the area can act responsibly to ensure the future health of this unique environment for generations to follow. I will also discuss some potential broader implications of tourism in the area. To assist the preparation of this paper, informal interviews were conducted with two commercial rafting company managers (Geoff Mitchell from Rafting Tasmania and Brett Fernon from Water by Nature), and an unknown representative of the Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania (PWST) from the Queenstown Office. The Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park environment Native flora The two main vegetation types around the Franklin River are: Cool Temperate Rainforests (CTR), which line the banks of the river; and Wet Sclerophyll Forests (WSF), which grow inland of the Rainforest. The main species that grow in the CTR include Myrtle, Leatherwood, Celery-top Pine, Sassafras, Huon Pine, Pencil Pine, King Billy Pine or Deciduous Beech (Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania, 2005b). The Huon Pine is endemic to south-west Tasmanian rivers and along with other slow growing pines, are Australia's oldest living trees. They are also one of the oldest living organisms in the world, some reaching 3,000 years of age (Parks and Wildlife Service, 2003c, p. 2). Wet Sclerophyll Forests have a shrub layer which consists mainly of musk (Olearia argophylla), blanket leaf (Bedfordia salicina) and wattles (Acacia). Species of Ash tend to dominate WSF with fertile soils as does the Swamp Gum (E. regnans). Where the soil is less fertile, endemic species like the Smithton Peppermint (E. nitida, and the alpine Yellow Gum (E. subcrenulata) dominate along with Brooker's Gum (E. brookeriana) (PWST, 2005a). Introduced species According to rafting guides who have been visiting the area for over 20 years (G. Mitchell, and B. Fernon, personal communication, October 28, 2005), blackberries are beginning to take hold in the upper reaches of the Franklin River near the paddling put in point. These have been cut out, and it remains to be seen if they will cause any more damage in the lower reaches of the river. Other weeds affecting the Franklin-Gordon National Park include Spanish Heath (a native to mainland Australia), Holly, and Gorse. Management involves physically removing the weeds without using pesticides and chemicals, which can contaminate the water catchment (PWST-Queenstown Office, personal communication, October 29, 2005). The root rot Phytophthora cinnamomi is present in the area and is a major threat to native plants. It is transmitted in mud and soil, especially on boots and vehicle tyres. …

Variation in Cool Temperate Rainforest Lichens of Victoria: Implications for Conservation

Variation in Cool Temperate Rainforest Lichens of Victoria: Implications for Conservation

Valdivian ecosystems in the Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary of Antarctica: further evidence from myrtaceous and eucryphiaceous fossil wood

Cool temperate rainforests growing on the flanks of the Andes and along the Coastal Range in Valdivia (Chile) today provide the closest analogue for the fossil floras of Antarctica during the Eocene. This paper records key Valdivian elements in a Maastrichtian to Eocene wood flora that extends the evidence for a Valdivian analogue back as far as possibly the Late Cretaceous. Here we record the first occurrences of myrtaceous and eucryphiaceous wood taxa from the Maastrichtian–Palaeocene sediments of the James Ross Basin. In addition, a previously unrecorded morphotype is described and assigned to the form genus Antarctoxylon which Poole and Cantrill erected for fossil angiosperm woods of Antarctica with uncertain taxonomic affinities. This increases the number and range of the described morphotypes from the Antarctic Peninsula and helps further our understanding of the southern high latitude angiosperm dominated floras.

Forest regeneration and the influences of white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus) in cool temperate New Zealand rain forests

Cool temperate rain forests on Stewart Island, southern New Zealand, have had little direct human modification, but introduced white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus) have influenced forest understoreys. Changes in life stages (seedlings, saplings and adult trees) of common tree and shrub species were recorded over at least 18 years in permanent plots in these forests. Faecal pellet indices of deer frequency in the forests were slightly greater in the most recent survey. However, during this period overall seedling and sapling densities increased, including species browsed preferentially by deer. In deer exclosures maintained over 21 years, densities of woody seedlings and saplings increased, but not of highly palatable species. While deer frequency was a significant predictor of increased seedling densities of unpalatable species and decreases of palatable species at a plot scale, so also were measures of local seed availability and competition from other seedlings and ferns. Seedling density increases were not uniform across species in response to stand structural attributes, and there were interactions between effects of browsing by deer and stand structural attributes. Therefore, relationships between deer frequency and seedling regeneration need to be set in the context of other biotic influences in these forests.

KANTVILASIA (LECANORALES, ECTOLECHIACEAE), A NEW FOLIICOLOUS LICHEN GENUS FROM TASMANIA

Abstract: The new genus and species Kantvilasia hians (Lecanorales,Ectolechiaceae ) is described from leaves of Atherosperma moschatum at the margin of a cool-temperate rainforest in western Tasmania. Notes are provided on characterization, distribution, habitat, associated species, the opening mechanism of campylidia and likely dispersal processes of conidia.

Vegetation and climate change during the Last Interglacial-Glacial cycle in western Tasmania, Australia

Cool temperate Phyllocladus aspleniifolius-Nothofagus cunninghamii rainforest occurred in western Tasmania during Isotope Substage 5e. During most of the Last Glacial Stage (Substage 5d to Stage 2) the vegetation was subalpine woodland and shrubland, or alpine grassland, herbland, and heathland. Montane and subalpine rainforest existed at mid-altitude (516 m) during Substages 5a and 5c. During Stage 2, the Late Wisconsin Glacial Maximum, most of western Tasmania had alpine grassland and herbland vegetation, with areas of sclerophyll woodland and rainforest taxa below 100 m on valley floors near the coast. Cool temperate rainforest developed again during late glacial times (after 14 k 14C yr BP), with maximum development of Nothofagus cunninghamii rainforest in the early Holocene. Estimates of temperature depression, based on depression of the altitudinally zoned vegetation communities, a lapse rate of 0.65 °C/100 m, and comparison with marine core RC 11–120 from the southwestern sub-polar Indian Ocean, indicate that the early stadials (Substages 5b and 5d) were cold, and the early interstadials (Substages 5a and 5c) were cool. Stage 4 was cold and probably fully glacial. Temperature increased early in Stage 3 but then decreased, with some fluctuations, towards Stage 2, the late Wisconsin Glacial Maximum. An abrupt increase in temperature of ca. 6°C occurred after 14 k 14C yr BP.

High-Latitude Rainforests and Associated Eco-Systems of the West Coast of the Americas: Climate, Hydrology, Ecology, and Conservation.

Section 1. Climate, Hydrology, and History.- 1. North-South Variations in West Coast Hydrometeorological Parameters and Their Significance for Earth Systems.- 2. Factors Controlling the Climate of the West Coast of North America.- 3. Sulfur Cycling in Coastal Upwelling Systems and Its Potential Effects on Climate.- 4. Atmospheric and Geologic Constraints on the Biogeochemistry of North and South American Temperate Rainforests.- 5. Past Changes in Climate and Tree Growth in the Western Americas.- 6. Constraints on Terrestrial Primary Productivity in Temperate Forests Along the Pacific Coast of North and South America.- Section 2. Biotic Patterns.- 7. Biodiversity Patterns in Relation to Climate: The Coastal Temperate Rainforests of North America.- 8. Phytogeographic Relationships and Regional Richness Patterns of the Cool Temperate Rainforest Flora of Southern South America.- 9. A Comparative Review of Forest Dynamics and Disturbance in the Temperate Rainforests of North and South America.- 10 Patterns of Terrestrial Vertebrate Diversity in New World Temperate Rainforests.- 11. Avian Communities in Temperate Rainforests of North and South America.- 12. The Importance of Plant-Bird Mutualisms in the Temperate Rainforest of Southern South America.- 13. The Temperate Rainforest Lakes of Chile and Canada: Comparative Ecology and Sensitivity to Anthropocentric Change.- Section 3. Forest System Responses to Human Activities.- 14. Implications of Patch Dynamics for Forested Ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest.- 15. Assessing and Responding to the Effects of Climate Change on Forest Ecosystems.- 16. A Comparison of the Ecology and Conservation Management of Cool Temperate Rainforest in Tasmania and the Americas.- 17. Logging Effects on the Aquatic Ecosystem: A Case Study in the Carnation Creek Experimental Watershed on Canada's West Coast.- 18. Biodiversity of Canadian Forests, with Particular Reference to the West Coast Forests.- Section 4. Conclusion.- 19. Afterword.