Forests In Queensland Research Articles

Growth and provenance variation ofPinus caribaeavar.hondurensisas an exotic species

Abstract CAMCORE has visited 33 populations of Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Quintana Roo, Mexico. Seed collections have been made in 29 provenances from 1,325 mother trees. A total of 21 provenances and sources of Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis were tested in 48 provenance/progeny trials in Brazil, South Africa, and Venezuela. Growth rates in Brazil and Venezuela were quite promising, and were less encouraging in Colombia. In Brazil and Venezuela, heights were around 12m and mean DBH was around 18 cm at age 8. Growth in Colombia was substantially slower, with mean height less than 8 m at age 8, and mean DBH around 13 em, Assuming 1111 stems/ha with 85% survival, these growth rates correspond approximately to volumes (outside bark) of 14 - 15 m3 of wood/ha/year on sites in Brazil and Venezuela, and 4 - 5 m3/ha/yr in Colombia. Since these data represent the mean of unimproved material from all provenances, substantially larger values should be expected from selected material from the best provenances planted on suitable sites. Forking and foxtailing percentages were high in some tests in Brazil and Venezuela. There were generally higher incidences offoxtailing in Venezuela (greater than 25% at ages 5 and 8) than in Brazil (7 to 13% at ages 5 and 8). Forking was more similar, with means around 30%in Brazil and Venezuela. Provenances had relatively similar growth rankings in the different countries, with a Type B provenance correlation of 0.59. BLUP predictions of provenance effects were made for Brazil, Colombia andVenezuela. The best native provenances were Limon (Honduras) and Melinda (Belize), and Guanaja (Honduras) also performed well. Improved sources from Queensland Forest Research Institute (Australia) and SouthAfrican Forest Research Institute were 6 to 12% better than the mean of the unimproved provenances, depending on the country where they were planted.

Tourism and World Heritage in the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserve, Australia

The Central Eastern Rainforest Reserve Australia (CERRA) World Heritage Area comprises 8 groups of forest reserves scattered between Lamington National Park in southeast Queensland and Barrington Tops in central New South Wales. Most of the areas between these reserves have either been cleared for farming, or are State forests subject to logging. These forest reserves form a remnant of a once-continuous forest cover throughout the area. The future tenure and use of areas outside the reserves, many of which are equally valuable in terms of their natural heritage, is currently under debate as part of the so-called Comprehensive Regional Assessment process for Australian's forests nationally. This process grew from sharp controversy between the logging industry and conservation groups over the use of remaining forest areas. During this process, it has become very clear that conservation and logging are not the only two relevant land uses. Tourism is a third and at least equally important sector, and one which is continuing to grow in economic scale, geographic extent, and political visibility. This has been reflected in the recently-concluded South-East Queensland Forests Agreement (Keto and Scott 1999: 1, Schneiders 1999: 1).

Cryptic inhabitants of a noxious weed: Mites (Arachnida: Acari) on Lantana camara L. invading forests in Queensland

AbstractIn native forests in Queensland, more than 50 species of mites can be found on the leaves of the invasive weed Lantana camara, including two lantana specialists: the eriophyoid leaf vagrant Rhynacus kraussi and the lantana flower mite Proctolaelaps lobatus. Three exotic pests with broad host ranges are co‐invading native forests on lantana: the privet mite Brevipalpus obovatus; the passionvine mite Brevipalpus phoenicis; and the prickly pear spider mite Tetranychus desertorum. In south‐eastern Queensland, privet mite was present at three‐quarters of the sites sampled, even on isolated plants deep within national parks. A diverse fauna of mostly Australasian endemic natural enemies also colonise lantana; 37 species of predatory mites were identified (including 25 species of Phytoseiidae) and a pathogenic fungus was found attacking prickly pear spider mite in tropical Queensland. Therefore, largely without notice and with unknown consequences, several introduced agricultural pests have invaded native forests on a noxious weed and a host of native natural enemies have responded. The latter could be a severe problem for any mite introduced into Australia to control lantana.

Chytridiomycosis causes amphibian mortality associated with population declines in the rain forests of Australia and Central America.

Epidermal changes caused by a chytridiomycete fungus (Chytridiomycota; Chytridiales) were found in sick and dead adult anurans collected from montane rain forests in Queensland (Australia) and Panama during mass mortality events associated with significant population declines. We also have found this new disease associated with morbidity and mortality in wild and captive anurans from additional locations in Australia and Central America. This is the first report of parasitism of a vertebrate by a member of the phylum Chytridiomycota. Experimental data support the conclusion that cutaneous chytridiomycosis is a fatal disease of anurans, and we hypothesize that it is the proximate cause of these recent amphibian declines.

Insect pest problems of eucalypt plantations in Australia

Summary Some of the most common and damaging insect pests of eucalypt trees in plantations and in native forests in Queensland are listed and discussed. Principal among these are stem boring longicorns (Tryphocaria), wood moths (Xyleutes, Uzucha), lerp insects (Cardiaspina), scarab leaf beetles (Anoplognathus, Epholcis) and subterranean termites (Coptotermes). Of the listed pests of native forests, phasmatids are the only major group yet to cause damage in plantations here.

Leaf-litter processing by invertebrates in a mangrove forest in Queensland

The way leaf shredders handle and shred leaves under laboratory conditions and in the mangrove forest at Myora Springs, Queensland, Australia, was investigated during the period 1980 to 1984. Field observations on the behaviour of the crab Sesarma erythrodactyla during low tide revealed that this species spends most of its time foraging over mud. S. erythrodactyla eats mangrove leaves where they fall or drags them into burrows or hollow logs. Through their feeding activities, crabs (S. erythrodactyla, Metopograpsus frontalis, Helice leachii, Clistocoeloma merguiensis, Leptograpsus variegatus, Paragrapsus laevis, Ilyograpsus paludicula), isopods (Exospaeroma alata, Campaecopia sp.) amphipods (Orchestia sp., Melita sp.), and a capitellid polychaete (Capitellides sp.), break down whole mangrove leaves into small particles. The way in which a leaf is broken down by leaf-shredders influences the size and composition of the particulate organic matter (POM) in the environment. The POM egested by leaf-shredders varies from 32 to 1171 μm. POM in this size range occurs in the guts of 38 invertebrate species which feed on mud, suggesting that they depend on the plant detritus produced by leafshredders as a source of food. Leaf-shredders therefore constitute a primary link in the marine food web of mangrove forests.

Disturbance regimes in North Queensland rainforests: A re‐evaluation of their relationship to species richness and diversity

Australian Journal of EcologyVolume 15, Issue 2 p. 245-246 Disturbance regimes in North Queensland rainforests: A re-evaluation of their relationship to species richness and diversity D. I. NICHOLSON, D. I. NICHOLSON 7 Maker Street, Atherton. Qld 4883. AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorN. B. HENRY, N. B. HENRY Queensland Forest Service. Box 944, Brisbane. Qld 4000, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorJ. RUDDER, J. RUDDER Queensland Forest Service. Box 944, Brisbane. Qld 4000, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this author D. I. NICHOLSON, D. I. NICHOLSON 7 Maker Street, Atherton. Qld 4883. AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorN. B. HENRY, N. B. HENRY Queensland Forest Service. Box 944, Brisbane. Qld 4000, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorJ. RUDDER, J. RUDDER Queensland Forest Service. Box 944, Brisbane. Qld 4000, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this author First published: June 1990 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.1990.tb01534.xCitations: 8AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume15, Issue2June 1990Pages 245-246 RelatedInformation

Ectomyeorrhiza formation in Eucalyptus

SUMMARYThe structure of mature tubercles collected from a Eucalyptus pilularis forest in Queensland, Australia, is described. The smooth, pale yellow tubercles (5‐20 mm diam.) consisted of a rind (200‐250 μm thick) enclosing a dense coralloid mass of ectornycorrhizas (150‐300 μm diam.) and rhizomorphs (200‐300 μm diam.). The outer rind region was cemented together with an interhyphal matrix of carbohydrate containing embedded lipid deposits. Dolipores were common in the inner rind indicating the fungal component to be a basidiomycete. Mycorrhizas had thin mantles and well‐formed Hartig nets. Protein and lipid reserves were present in mantle hyphae. Rhizomorphs formed around non‐mycorrhizal roots inside the tubercles. The central zone of rhizomorph tissue contained thick‐walled hyphae which stained positively for lignin‐like material. The tubercles are similar to structures formed in associations between Rhizopogon and conifers in the northern hemisphere.

Leaf choice by crustaceans in a mangrove forest in Queensland

The feeding behaviour of leaf eating crustaceans feeding on leaves shed by Avicennia marina, Bruguiera gymnorhiza and Rhizophora stylosa in the mangrove forest at Myora Springs, Queensland, Australia was studied between 1980 and 1984. Individual Sesarma erythrodactyla (carapace >9 mm long), one of the most abundant species of crabs in the forest, processed approximately half a leaf from any of the three species of mangroves in 24 h under laboratory conditions. of the amount of leaf material processed, 20% was lost from the mandibles due to “sloppy feeding”, 68% was egested as faeces and 12% converted into crab biomass. Crabs processed more leaf material at 30°C than at 20°C. S. erythrodactyla preferred leaves of A. marina to those of the other two species, probably because leaves of A. marina have a lower tannin and a higher nitrogen content. Of the other two species, B. gymnorhiza was preferred to R. stylosa. Among leaves of R. stylosa, S. erythrodactyla exerts a strong preference for aged rather than freshly fallen, and for thick rather than thin leaves. The mesofauna (carapace length <9.0 mm) which processed dead mangrove leaves comprised juveniles of S. erythrodactyla, the crab Ilyograpsus paludicola, the isopod Exosphaeroma alata and the amphipods Orchestia sp. and Melita sp. These species processed between 0.2 and 24.7 mg dry wt of a leaf per individual over a period of 4 d. Of this, 72 to 85% was egested as faeces. The significance of leaf eating crabs to nutrient cycling in mangrove forests is discussed. I conclude that leaf processing by crustaceans shortens the time span between leaf fall and consumption of leaf material by organisms. This may have the effect of conserving leaf biomass inside the mangrove forest.

Phenology of vertebrate removal ofMyoporum accuminatum fruits in a Queensland forest

Fruit removal rates ofMyoporum acuminatum in a Queensland population were correlated with size of the ripe fruit crop throughout the season, but only sporadically correlated with nutritive contents of the fruits. Removal rates, as a proportion of crop size, varied synchronously among individuals and did not differ consistently among individuals with differing fruit traits. The principal avian consumer wasMeliphaga lewinii.

Compensatory Recruitment, Growth, and Mortality as Factors Maintaining Rain Forest Tree Diversity

One general hypothesis to explain how forest tree diversity is maintained is that rarer species are favored over commoner species in their reproduction, growth, and/or mortality. Mechanisms acting in this way would continually compensate for the tendency of some species to increase at the expense of others, and would reduce the chance of local extinction of rare species. Two hypotheses concerning such compensatory mechanisms were tested in subtropical and tropical evergreen rain forests in Queensland, Australia.Hypothesis 1: on the scale of 1—2 ha, commoner species have lower rates of recruitment and growth and higher rates of mortality than do rarer ones. This hypothesis was tested using abundances either of adults or of members of the same size—class, and was rejected for growth and mortality and for recruitment of over—story species, but not rejected for recruitment in subcanopy and understory species in either forest.Hypothesis 2: the close proximity of other individuals is more deleterious (i.e., causes slower growth or higher mortality) if they are the same species than if they are different species. This hypothesis was accepted for growth or survival of nearest neighbors in several of the seedling size—classes in both forests. In contrast, increased densities of the same species in quadrats had no more deleterious effect on growth and survival than did increased densities of different species. At the scale of proximity to adults, hypothesis 2 predicts that young trees have higher mortality nearer conspecific adults than farther away. In both forests, 90% of the species tested showed no such pattern of mortality of seedlings or saplings, nor was the strength or direction of the deviation from equal mortality correlated with the abundance of adults of that species. Field experiments gave the same results.In summary, tests of both hypotheses showed that some compensatory trends occurred and that these were very similar in the two forests. The mechanisms producing these compensatory trends may be attacks by natural enemies (grazers, pathogenic fungi, etc.), interference, or, less likely, competition for resources.

Romnalda grallata, a New Species of the Xanthorrhoeaceae from Queensland

Summary. Romnalda grallata sp. nov. from North Queensland is described. Romnalda P. F. Stevens till now has been considered a monotypic Papuasian endemic. R. grallata has chromosome number 2n = 16. Its phaseolate meridionally sulculate pollen with a corrugulate-perforate exine provides additional evidence for including this species in Romnalda. The significance of pollen morphology and chromosome numbeF in considering generic limits ofLomandra Labill. is discussed. Being aware of my current cyto-taxonomic studies on Australian members of the Dianelleae (Liliaceae s. 1.), Mr B. Hyland of the Queensland Forest Research Station, Atherton (QRS) t, submitted for my opinion what he thought might be an 'odd Dianella' he collected in 1973 at Mt Lewis, North Queensland. His specimen was not of a Dianella species nor was it related to that genus, but while I was trying to establish its correct identity, it became clear that the plant was undescribed and probably represented a new genus related to Lomandra Labill., currently included in the Xanthorrhoeaceae by most Australian botanists. Enquiries of Mrs A. Lee, an Australian specialist on Lomandra, revealed that Dr P. F. Stevens of the Arnold Arboretum (A) then had a similar plant from New Guinea under study which he was intending to place in a new genus. Following correspondence with Stevens and the subsequent appearance of his paper on the Xeroteae of the Liliaceae (Stevens 1978), together with my follow-up studies including consideration of pollen morphology and chromosome numbers in the group, I am now convinced Hyland's plant represents a second species of Stevens' genus Romnalda (typified by R. papuana (Lauterb.) Stevens) which hitherto was considered monospecific and confined to Papuasia.

Growth rhythms and productivity of a coastal subtropical eucalypt forest

Growth of plant parts in different species in Eucalyptus signata dominated forest in Queensland occurs at different times. Measurement of increments in root basal diameter combined with previously obtained regressions of root weight on root diameter allows separate estimation of the growth of woody root parts on a seasonal basis for the first time. The growth of lateral and of tap roots as well as of stems and leafy twigs, were separately measured on three tree species every 6 weeks for 2 years. Net primary productivity for the forest is estimated at 26 t ha-1 yr-1, of which 66% is aboveground production, and 78% is contributed by a single species. This productivity rate is unexpectedly high, and may reflect a growth stimulus due to release of nutrients following a recent fire.

Australian Endemic Drosophila VI. Species Collected by Sweeping in Rain Forests of Queensland and Northern New South Wales, with Descriptions of Four New Species.

A summary is presented of the results of Drosophila collections made in Queensland and northern New South Wales by generalized sweeping of rain forest foliage, leaf litter and flowers. The species collected by sweeping are largely different from those attracted to fruit or mushroom baits or found on forest fungi. Species diversities are highest in north Queensland, and most species are restricted to the rain forests of basaltic soils. Four new species are described and a new species-group, the zentae group, is established in the subgenus Hirtodrosophila.

Erratum to: “Phytophthora cinnamomi” associated with patch death in tropical rain forests in Queensland

Erratum to: “Phytophthora cinnamomi” associated with patch death in tropical rain forests in Queensland

Phytophthora cinnamomi Associated with Patch Death in Tropical Rain Forests in Queensland.

P. cinnamomi was isolated from virgin and logged rain forest at 2 localities in tropical Queensland. Deaths of a number of commercial timber species have been reported and the fungus was isolated from roots of a number of new host species. These records, the first of P. cinnamomi from Queensland rain forests, cast doubt on claims that the Malaysian (i.e. tropical) element of the Australian flora is resistant to the fungus.

Crossability values within the slash-caribbeanPinus species complex

Crossability values were calculated for (a) eight individual tree crosses betweenPinus elliottiiEngelm. var.elliottii L. & D. andP. caribaeaMor. var.caribaea B. & G., (b) ten crosses betweenP. caribaea var.caribaea andP. caribaea var.hondurensis B. & G., and (c) twelve crosses betweenP. elliottii var.elliottii andP. caribaea var.hondurensis. Individual trees showed differences in ability to hybridize. Despite wide variation for each combination, the compatibility of the various combinations could be defined. It was high for (a), moderate for (b) and poor for (c). These results indicate the need for taxonomic review of theP. elliottii — P. caribaea species complex and suggest that hybridization within the complex might have economic value in Queensland forests.

The Social Status of Agathis in a Rain Forest in Melanesia

Of the small group of conifers which occur in the lowland tropics species of Agathis, Dacrydium and Podocarpus grow mixed with angiosperms in tropical rain forest. Dacrydium and Podocarpus are predominantly montane genera with a few species descending into the lowlands, Agathis has rather more lowland species. In its present distribution (Florin 1963) and habitat Agathis is the most euthermic confer. Mixed conifer-angiosperm forests occur scattered through Malesiat and the southwest Pacific region. Their ecology has scarcely been investigated: this is important because of its bearing on the evolutionary history of the relationships between conifers and angiosperms. Further, tropical conifers, like temperate ones, are sometimes associated with podsolic soils and a study of them might be expected to throw light on the phenomenon of podsolization in the tropics. The temperate podocarp-angiosperm forests in New Zealand, and the forests of Queensland and New Guinea where species of Araucaria grow as emergents from an under-layer of Tropical Lowland and Lower Montane Rain Forest, have received some attention from ecologists. The native vegetation of much of the lowlands of New Zealand is a series of forests which range from pure angiosperm through angiosperm-podocarp mixture to pure podocarp. The main podocarp is Dacrydium cupressinum Soland. There are various hypotheses to explain this series, which Robbins (1962) has summarized. Cockayne considered that it represents an ecological succession, leading from conifer forest to angiosperm forest climax. Poole and Holloway later both suggested alternation of the forest types on any one site. Holloway later abandoned this explanation and suggested that a climatic change about 800 years ago had favoured the angiosperms and was leading to replacement of the conifers, still incomplete. Robbins himself postulated that there are two forest types, an ancient conifer forest and a geologically more recent angiosperm forest; both are found in pure form but in many places they have fused and the angiosperms are exercising a progressive supremacy over the conifers (Robbins 1962). Agathis australis Salisb. occurs in the north of New Zealand around Auckland. Apparently it does not regenerate in its own shade and in the climax vegetation is replaced by other species (Cockayne 1928, p. 127; Mirams 1957). According to Mirams (1957) it invades the secondary vegetation which springs up after clearing and at one stage in the secondary succession is well represented by all size classes; the big trees in

Soil Phosphate and Vegetal Pattern in Some Natural Communities of South‐Eastern Queensland, Australia

Beadle (1953) refers to the restricted interest in the effects of individual properties of the soil on communities of native vegetation. The literature on soil phosphate includes few attempts to study it in this connection, the only recent work seen by us being that of Allard (1942), Billings (1950), Beadle (1954), and Salisbury (1954). When selecting and developing areas for planting to exotic species of Pinus, the Queensland Forest Service uses a set of criteria which includes the total phosphate content of the upper 4 inches -of soil and the frequency and vigour of the native trees, chiefly species of Eucalyptus L'Herit. The second criterion is not recorded by any system of formal ecological classification, but from experience gained by one of the authors (Coaldrake) during an ecological study of the region, the original survey data may be transformed into floristic groups which are distinct units in the field. When these are coupled with the large number of phosphate records the hypothesis that soil phosphate governs vegetal pattern can be examined statistically for the areas sampled. The phosphate/vegetation records used in this study come from two areas twenty miles apart. The more southerly of these is at the Toolara Forest Station, approximately 20 miles east of Gympie, while the other is at the Tuan Creek Forest Station, 10 miles south-east of Maryborough (Fig. 1). Through the courtesy of the Director of the Queensland Forest Service, the authors have been able to study the results of 940 phosphate analyses.