Wet Tropics Of Queensland Research Articles

The first record of Caenis Stephens, 1835 in Australia (Ephemeroptera: Caenidae) with descriptions of two new species

Two species of Caenis with straight forceps with a terminal tuft of spines are described from northern Australia. Male imagoes and nymphs of C. hanleyi n. sp. are described from reared material from the Alligator Rivers Region in the Northern Territory and C. binda n. sp. is described only from male imagoes collected from streams in the Wet Tropics of Queensland. C. hanleyi differs from C. binda by the structure of the forceps with C. binda being longer and narrower with longer apical spines. These are the first records of the genus Caenis in Australia.

Problem solving of wild animals in the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia

AbstractWhile many species of animals can solve food‐baited problems, most studies are conducted in captivity, which may not reflect the natural behavioural and cognitive abilities of wild animals. As few studies have explored problem solving of Australian animals generally, we investigated the problem solving abilities of native Australian species in natural rainforest in the Wet Tropics of Queensland. We baited multiple types of puzzles (matchbox task, cylinder task, and tile and lever tasks on a Trixie Dog Activity Board) with different food types (seeds, fruit, sardines) and placed the puzzles in front of trail cameras. We noted the species captured on camera, whether or not individuals interacted with the puzzles, the number of interactions with puzzles, and whether or not different animals solved them. We found that seven species from multiple taxa (mammals, birds, reptiles) could solve food‐baited problems in the wild, providing the first evidence of problem solving in these native species. As problem solving may help animals cope with anthropogenic threats, these results provide some insights into which Wet Tropics species may potentially be more vulnerable and which ones might be better at coping with changing conditions.

Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Endemic Plants of the Australian Wet Tropics.

Plants have been a vital source of natural antioxidants since ancient times. Plants growing under various abiotic stress conditions often produce more defensive secondary metabolites such as phenolics, flavonoids, and terpenoids during adaptation to the environment. Many of these secondary metabolites are known to possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study tested seven plants sourced from the mountaintop areas (above 1000 m elevation) of Mount Lewis National Park (falls under the Wet Tropics of Queensland), Australia, for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Of the seven studied plants, hydroethanolic extracts of six plants (Leptospermum wooroonooran, Ceratopetalum hylandii, Linospadix apetiolatus, Garcinia brassii, Litsea granitica, and Polyscias willmottii) showed high 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)-free radical scavenging activity in a dose-dependent (25–1000 μg/mL) manner. At the highest concentration of 1 mg/mL, the DPPH free radical scavenged percentage varied between 75.4% and 92.3%. Only the species Alyxia orophila was inactive in the DPPH free radical scavenging assay. Pseudo-IC50 values of the extracts’ ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) based on dose-response curves showed a significant positive correlation with total phenolic content. Five out of the seven plants, namely G. brassii, C. hylandii, L. apetiolatus, L. wooroonooran, and A. orophila, showed inhibitory effects on the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, tumour necrosis factor (TNF), and interleukins (IL)-23 in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) assay. The results of this study demonstrate the value of tropical mountaintop plants in the biodiscovery of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory lead compounds.

Impacts of sugarcane (Saccharum sp.) soil and fertiliser management practices on nutrients and sediment in plot-scale runoff from simulated rainfall

Runoff of nutrients and sediment from agricultural catchments can impair the health and resilience of aquatic ecosystems in receiving waterbodies. The sugarcane (Saccharum sp.) industry in Australia has adopted strategies to improve farm runoff water quality. Rainfall simulation trials were conducted to quantify the relative effectiveness of some sugarcane soil and fertiliser management practices on nutrient and sediment loss in runoff. The trials were conducted within the Herbert River catchment in the Wet Tropics of Queensland. Simulated rainfall (~76 mm h–1) was used to generate runoff from 1.70 m2 plots in first ratoon sugarcane on well-drained Ferralsols at Abergowrie and from 1.55 m2 plots in sugarcane planted into furrows and mound beds on an imperfectly drained Luvisol at Trebonne. At Abergowrie, the practices studied were; crop residue retention after harvest (green cane trash blanketing), applying a liquid rather than a granular fertiliser, and applying fertiliser to the sub-surface rather than to the surface on ratoon phase sugarcane. At Trebonne, sub-surface fertiliser placement was studied on plant cane and after varying amounts of time and repeated rainfall after fertiliser application. Comparisons were made with a similar study in plant cane at Macknade. Particulate nitrogen (N), particulate phosphorus (P), and suspended sediment losses in runoff were reduced by crop residue retention, which was expected. Dissolved inorganic N (DIN) loads (but not concentrations) were also reduced by residue retention. Dissolved inorganic N and filterable reactive P concentrations in runoff were reduced by sub-surface fertiliser placement, as expected, and by the liquid fertiliser that was studied. In contrast to expectations, DIN concentrations increased in mound beds (but not in furrows) with increasing time and rainfall after fertiliser application. The increase was attributed mainly to increases in soil mineral N and runoff volume. The practice that was most effective at reducing DIN loads in runoff (64–85% reduction) was sub-surface rather than surface placement of fertiliser.

Detecting Banana Plantations in the Wet Tropics, Australia, Using Aerial Photography and U-Net

Bananas are the world’s most popular fruit and an important staple food source. Recent outbreaks of Panama TR4 disease are threatening the global banana industry, which is worth an estimated $8 billion. Current methods to map land uses are time- and resource-intensive and result in delays in the timely release of data. We have used existing land use mapping to train a U-Net neural network to detect banana plantations in the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia, using high-resolution aerial photography. Accuracy assessments, based on a stratified random sample of points, revealed the classification achieves a user’s accuracy of 98% and a producer’s accuracy of 96%. This is more accurate compared to existing (manual) methods, which achieved a user’s and producer’s accuracy of 86% and 92% respectively. Using a neural network is substantially more efficient than manual methods and can inform a more rapid respond to existing and new biosecurity threats. The method is robust and repeatable and has potential for mapping other commodities and land uses which is the focus of future work.

First record of Geosiris (Iridaceae: Geosiridoideae) from Australasia : a new record and a new species from the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia

Gray, B. & Y.W. Low (2017). First record of Geosiris (Iridaceae: Geosiridoideae) from Australasia: a new record and a new species from the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia. Candollea 72: 249–255. In English, English abstract.Geosiris Baill. is a small genus of achlorophyllous, mycoheterotrophic herbs that until now consisted of only two species, Geosiris albiflora Goldblatt & J.C. Manning and Geosiris aphylla Baill., the latter being the type species of the genus. Prior to this study, the genus was known only from two islands off the southeast coast of Africa, Madagascar and Mayotte. A recent discovery in Australia reported here expands its geographic range to the Pacific. The Australian taxon represents a species distinct from the two African taxa based on the key morphological characters for species distinction in the genus, namely stigma characteristics. Geosiris albiflora has a somewhat club-like stigma with three coherent lobes, Geosiris aphylla with a stigma terminates in three fringed broad and flat stigmatic lobes, and the Australian Geosiris has a truncate stigma with a short fimbriate margin. Hence, the Australian taxon is formally described here as Geosiris australiensis B. Gray & Y.W. Low.Received: March 3, 2017; Accepted: April 14, 2017; First published online: June 24, 2017

National carbon model not sensitive to species, families and site characteristics in a young tropical reforestation project

Reforestation and restoration offer critical contributions to addressing climate change and biodiversity decline. Enabling carbon credits to be derived from these activities is important for reforestation, particularly since reforestation does not come cheaply. Australia’s Carbon Farming Initiative is a world-leading policy that allows carbon credits to be obtained by using published methods-based approaches. Here we apply two different approaches to a young mixed species reforestation project in the wet tropics of Queensland, Australia. One approach assesses carbon sequestration from published allometric equations requiring direct field measurements, and the other applies a national carbon accounting model, FullCAM.Using allometric equations, we found above-ground biomass was influenced significantly by family, species, size class, and the interaction of family and size class. Species in the family Proteaceae out-performed species in other families. Selection of species according to soil nutrient status could enhance growth rates, but if soil nutrients and species responses are not known, then a bet-hedging strategy using mixed species from a variety of families is probably the best option.For three year old forest plots, FullCAM modelled significantly more carbon mass of trees than published allometric models for mixed tropical forests, suggesting that FullCAM needs adjustment to more accurately reflect species, families, local conditions and small-scale sites.Current policy settings are at odds with the needs of carbon farmers, considering the importance of forests and landscape restoration in fighting climate change and biodiversity decline. Legislated national methods allowing the development of species-specific allometrics for small mixed plantations do not account for the costs of developing these allometrics, especially in markets that are marginal.

Additions to the Myxomycota of summer rainfall regions of tropical Australia

The myxomycete diversity is poorly known in tropical regions of Australia. We present a list of myxomycetes from the summer rainfall regions of tropical Australia collated from field collections from the wet tropics of Queensland (February 2009) and from the Kimberley region of Western Australia (February 2006, January 2010, May 2011), together with moist chamber cultures of substrates from the Kimberley region collected in October 2004, September 2005, March 2009, July 2009 and January 2010. Sixty six species and two varieties were named, together with a further 12 that could not be identified with confidence. One species, Licea xanthospora , has been recently described from the Kimberley region, and a further seven species ( Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa var. arbuscula , Diderma indicum , Macbrideola argentea , Paradiacheopsis longipes , Physarum echinosporum , Reticularia splendens , and Stemonaria longa ) are new records for Australia. One species ( Physarella oblonga ) recorded from Australia in the 19th century but which had been lost, was recollected.

Tourists' preferences with Indigenous tourism experiences in the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia

Abstract This article reports on visitor interest in Indigenous tourism experiences in the Wet Tropics region of Queensland, Australia. The findings are based on a survey sample of 326 tourists departing Cairns. The aim of this research was to investigate the demand for Indigenous tourism products and experiences. The research aim informed three research objectives: to identify the level of interest and participation in Indigenous tourism experiences; to ascertain if respondents with an interest in Indigenous tourism experiences had different motivations for visiting the Wet Tropics region than those with no interest in such experiences; and to determine tourists’ purchase behaviour of Indigenous artefacts. The research profiles Indigenous tourism seekers and respondents with no interest in Indigenous tourism activities. Results indicate that experiencing Indigenous culture was ranked as neither important nor unimportant by the two groups of respondents. First-time visitors (87.5%) were significantly more likely to have participated in an Indigenous tourism activity than repeat visitors to the Wet Tropics. Findings also showed that respondents who were looking to take part in Indigenous tourism experiences showed a high interest in experiencing other nature-based activities. The majority (77.5%) of Indigenous artefacts were purchased by visitors who did not participate in an Indigenous tourism activity. These findings have important implications for the development of future Indigenous tourism experiences for the Wet Tropics.

Phylogeny and biogeography of the mite harvestmen (Arachnida : Opiliones : Cyphophthalmi) of Queensland, Australia, with a description of six new species from the rainforests of the Wet Tropics

The Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia, represent the largest remaining fragment of vast rainforests that once covered the entire continent. Over the past few decades the Wet Tropics bioregion has received much attention from biologists interested in the effect of climate change on diversity and distribution of rainforest animals. However, most such studies have focused on vertebrates, and despite considerable interest in the biota of the area, the diversity of many of Wet Tropics invertebrate taxa remains poorly known. Here we describe six new species of mite harvestman from the area, identified using a combination of morphological and molecular data. Our study represents the first detailed phylogenetic study of the genus Austropurcellia, and provides insight into the historical biogeography of these dispersal-limited arachnids.

A taxonomic revision of Cynometra L. (Fabaceae) in Australia with a new species from the Wet Tropics of Queensland and a range extension to the mainland

A taxonomic revision of Cynometra L. (Fabaceae) in Australia with a new species from the Wet Tropics of Queensland and a range extension to the mainland

A new subspecies of <i>Acrolejeunea arcuata</i>, and notes on typification, synonymy, and distribution of other Australasian Lejeuneaceae

Acrolejeunea arcuata subsp. gradsteinii is described for plants from the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia. This subspecies differs in its autoicy, oblong-elliptic underleaves, the female bract lobe not reflexed and with a rounded apex, and the second lobule tooth longer than the first. Ceratolejeunea belangeriana is confirmed for Australia on the basis of an early collection from Norfolk Island, and recent collections from Queensland. Lejeunea tumida is excluded from the flora of Australia, all Australian specimens identified as L. tumida are referable to other species. Lejeunea sordida is confirmed for Norfolk Island on the basis of material previously identified as L. tumida. Hygrolejeunea rostrata is lectotypified and moved from synonymy under L. discreta to synonymy under L. lumbricoides, which is newly reported for Australia from Norfolk Island. Hygrolejeunea norfolkensis is moved from synonymy under L. discreta to synonymy under L. gracilipes, which is newly recorded for Australia on this basis. A lectotype is proposed for Lejeunea helmsiana.

New species of mite harvestmen from the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia, with commentary on biogeography of the genus Austropurcellia (Opiliones: Cyphophthalmi: Pettalidae)

Abstract Cyphophthalmi, commonly known as mite harvestmen, are a suborder of cryptic Opiliones with a global distribution. The genus Austropurcellia Juberthie 1988 is a lineage of mite harvestmen currently known from a small number of localities in the forests of Queensland, Australia. We describe four new species of Austropurcellia (A. alata, A. culminis, A. despectata, and A. vicina) from museum lots; each new species is known from only a single collection and few specimens. We present the first key to the species of Austropurcellia, a catalogue of known collecting localities, and a distribution map. Although our current knowledge of the diversity and distribution of this genus is certainly incomplete, it is clear that these narrow-range endemics have great potential as a system for understanding the role of historical forest fragmentation in the evolution of rainforest animals.

Fresh waters and fish diversity: distribution, protection and disturbance in tropical Australia.

BackgroundGiven the globally poor protection of fresh waters for their intrinsic ecological values, assessments are needed to determine how well fresh waters and supported fish species are incidentally protected within existing terrestrial protected-area networks, and to identify their vulnerability to human-induced disturbances. To date, gaps in data have severely constrained any attempt to explore the representation of fresh waters in tropical regions.Methodology and ResultsWe determined the distribution of fresh waters and fish diversity in the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia. We then used distribution data of fresh waters, fish species, human-induced disturbances, and the terrestrial protected-area network to assess the effectiveness of terrestrial protected areas for fresh waters and fish species. We also identified human-induced disturbances likely to influence the effectiveness of freshwater protection and evaluated the vulnerability of fresh waters to these disturbances within and outside protected areas. The representation of fresh waters and fish species in the protected areas of the Wet Tropics is poor: 83% of stream types defined by order, 75% of wetland types, and 89% of fish species have less than 20% of their total Wet Tropics length, area or distribution completely within IUCN category II protected areas. Numerous disturbances affect fresh waters both within and outside of protected areas despite the high level of protection afforded to terrestrial areas in the Wet Tropics (>60% of the region). High-order streams and associated wetlands are influenced by the greatest number of human-induced disturbances and are also the least protected. Thirty-two percent of stream length upstream of protected areas has at least one human-induced disturbance present.Conclusions/SignificanceWe demonstrate the need for greater consideration of explicit protection and off-reserve management for fresh waters and supported biodiversity by showing that, even in a region where terrestrial protection is high, it does not adequately capture fresh waters.

Integrating economic drivers of social change into agricultural water quality improvement strategies

Water quality improvements achieved through changes in agricultural land use and management practices can impose a number of trade-offs on communities. Impacts such as reduced regional productivity may, for example, threaten farm profitability as well as the viability of the whole agricultural value chain in the region. This paper expands on existing studies, by quantifying not only the private (farm-scale) but also the likely direct social (regional-scale) impacts of water quality improvement – thus informing policy by identifying potential social consequences of private actions required to achieve sustainable load targets. We use the Environmental Economic Spatial Investment Prioritization model to explore the medium to long term private and social impacts of land use and management practice change for water quality improvement. By incorporating these economic drivers of social change we avoid underestimating the impact to the region, which could have severe consequences for local communities and policy makers. For a case study of the sugarcane industry in the Tully–Murray catchment in the Wet Tropics of Queensland (Australia), results show that long term regional productivity losses associated with desired water quality improvement targets increase the risk of sugar mill closure. This impact would likely have severe social and economic flow-on effects, such as decreased regional agricultural income and increased regional underemployment. These detrimental regional economic effects of water quality improvement plans have not been accounted for in previous studies, which have therefore underestimated the potential direct social costs and decrease in community welfare associated with these plans.

Using canopy bridges to link habitat for arboreal mammals: successful trials in the Wet Tropics of Queensland

We investigated the use of inexpensive aerial bridges (rope canopy bridges) above roads and a highway by arboreal mammals in the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia. Three rope bridge designs were trialed, including a single rope, ladder-like bridges and tunnel-shaped bridges. Nine mammal species were recorded using canopy bridges, including five species or subspecies endemic to the Wet Tropics and three species listed as rare under State nature conservation legislation. Most of these species suffer severely from either the fragmentation or mortality impacts caused by roads. Over 50 crossings above a 15-m-wide tourist road were observed on an elevated ladder-like bridge. Longer (~40 m) rope bridges were used on several occasions by four species. Our observations suggest that canopy bridges can assist rare arboreal mammals to cross roads in the Wet Tropics, thereby reducing both the risk of road-kill and the potential for subpopulation isolation. Further research is required to ascertain the level of benefit afforded by canopy bridges for arboreal mammal populations. It is likely that rope canopy bridges will have broad application for a range of arboreal mammal species.

Cooperative Research: An Example from the Wet Tropics of Queensland

AbstractIn recent years there has been wider recognition of the important role that Indigenous knowledge can play in developing and implementing natural resource management (NRM) strategies. The biophysical surroundings of many Indigenous peoples are of symbolic significance to them, hence their perception and values of natural resources may be vastly different to those of scientists or managers. We discuss a research approach that explicitly embraces the co-production of knowledge to facilitate NRM in Australia. We demonstrate that if particular methodologies are used and specific criteria met, cooperative research can represent one pathway for the integration of Indigenous and scientific knowledge. We suggest an important step for genuine knowledge and systems integration is in research direction-setting. Our approach practices multi-directional learning and mutual benefit, promoting cross transfer of skills by the cooperative generation and documentation of information. Indigenous knowledge and associated systems are strengthened and the value of Indigenous knowledge and systems is recognised alongside accepted scientific knowledge and methods. Essential to the methodology used is the creation of partnerships based on trust between co-researchers and the generation of genuine action research outcomes.

Using knowledge discovery with data mining from the Australian Soil Resource Information System database to inform soil carbon mapping in Australia

We present a piecewise linear decision tree model for predicting percent of soil organic C (SOC) in the agricultural zones of Australia generated using a machine learning approach. The inputs for the model are a national database of soil data, national digital surfaces of climate, elevation, and terrain variables, Landsat multispectral scanner data, lithology, land use, and soil maps. The model and resulting map are evaluated, and insights into biogeological surficial processes are discussed. The decision tree splits the overall data set into more homogenous subsets, thus in this case, it identifies areas where SOC responds closely to climatic and other environmental variables. The spatial pattern of SOC corresponds well to maps of estimated primary productivity and bioclimatic zones. Topsoil organic C levels are highest in the high rainfall, temperate regions of Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia, along the coast of New South Wales and in the wet tropics of Queensland; and lowest in arid and semiarid inland regions. While this pattern broadly follows continental vegetation, soil moisture, and temperature patterns, it is governed by a spatially variable hierarchy of different climatic and other variables across bioregions of Australia. At the continental scale, soil moisture level, rather than temperature, seems most important in controlling SOC.

A Re-evaluation of Queensland?s Wet Tropics based on ?Primitive? Plants

The diversity of angiosperms in primitive families, which occur in the Wet Tropics of Queensland, is frequently cited as evidence of the ancient nature of the Australian rain forests, but appears to be based on flawed taxonomic assumptions. We point out the error of identifying species as being primitive rather than representing families with ancient origins, list the families from near-basal lineages using a current molecular phylogeny, and compare their diversity with other areas of rain forest in Australia, and with other tropical areas in the Pacific. Twenty-eight dicot families below the eudicot clade may be regarded as near-basal; 16 of these are present in rain forest habitat in the Wet Tropics. The diversity of near-basal families, and of the species and endemics within these families, is similar in New Caledonia, and the family diversity similar to Costa Rica. We suggest that these data are consistent with other evidence that rain forest has persisted on the Australian continent for a long time, and that the role of Australian rain forests in harbouring a significant near-basal component has been underestimated. We also suggest that ongoing management might be focussed at conserving the evolutionary history present in the near-basal lineages, especially in the face of changing climatic patterns.

Economy and ecology of emerging markets and credits for bio-sequestered carbon on private land in tropical Australia

A central question addressed is whether emerging carbon markets have the potential to provide an economic incentive for private landholders to reforest without recourse to subsidy. A second question is whether bio-sequestration in the Wet Tropics of Queensland is cost-competitive with southern Australia. A third, given that plantations of monocultures also provide carbon sinks, is: are the goals of carbon sequestration and biodiversity mutually exclusive or complementary? Australia intends to meet its Kyoto greenhouse gas emissions target even though it has not ratified the Protocol. While a national system of carbon emission cap and trade does not exist, unilateral action by some states to mandate industry caps has generated a demand for offsets. However, it is the voluntary market for offsets, stimulated by demand by companies and government departments that is most active. The favourable climate and soils of the Wet Tropics Region of north Queensland have enabled the evolution of unique ecosystems. Deforestation of these has been greatly reduced by World Heritage listing of the Wet Tropics. Nevertheless much of the landscape remains fragmented. An official priority is the encouragement of rainforest plantations on private land with the aim of augmenting endangered ecosystems and the habitat of iconic species, but reforestation is heavily subsidised by the Australian government. Using methodology that allows the comparison of uneven streams of costs and benefits, it is found that – at present prices – payments for sequestered carbon defray only a small proportion of costs, providing a level of incentive insufficient to stimulate restoration. Comparative analysis shows that monocultures sequester carbon at a much lower price per tonne. However, despite the relatively high growth rates of monocultures in the region, their cost per tonne of carbon are greater than costs in southern Australia. A decreasing supply of suitable land for bio-sequestration offsets in southern Australia may well force brokers to look to the Wet Tropics. In this event – the economic analysis suggests – land in areas that carried endangered or threatened ecosystems will be devoted to monocultures rather than restored rainforest. The paper highlights the asymmetry between the availability of credits for carbon and of credits for biodiversity and the need for public investment in conservation and restoration. Requiring further investigation is the potential demand for carbon offsets with high biodiversity benefits – so called “boutique abatements” – that could readily be supplied in the Queensland Wet Tropics.