Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Changes In Forest Structure Over 60 Years: Tree Densities Continue To Increase In The Pilliga Forests, New South Wales, Australia, Robyn K. Whipp, I D. Lunt, Peter G. Spooner, Ross A. Bradstock

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

"Studies of long-term vegetation changes are critical for enhancing our understanding of successional dynamics in natural ecosystems. Bycomparing forest inventory data from the 1940s against field data from 2005, we document changes in stand structure over 60 years in forests co-dominated by Callitris glaucophylla J. Thompson & L. Johnson, Allocasuarina luehmannii (R. Baker) L. Johnson and Eucalyptus crebra F.Muell., in central Pilliga, New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Sampling was stratified across two forest types and across a 1951 wildfire boundary, to assess the effects of initial stand structure and early disturbance on stand dynamics. Stems in the size range tallied …

Extensional And Colisional Magmatic Records In The Apiai Terrane, South-Southeastern Brazil: Integration Of Geochronological U-Pb Zircon Ages, Oswaldo Siga Junior, Miguel Angelo Stipp Basei, Allen P. Nutman, Kei Sato, Ian Mcreath, Claudia Regina Passarelli, Dunyi Liu

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

The aim of this work is the presentation of a synthesis of available geochronological data for the basement inliers and metavolcano-sedimentary sequences which occur in the southern part of the Apiai Terrane, south-southeastern Brazil. These data, especially those obtained during the last decade, have made substantial modifi cations to the tectonic scenario of south-southeastern Brazil with the recognition of the presence of extensional basins (continental rifts) with magmatism and sedimentation at the late Paleoproterozoic (1790 - 1750 Ma) and of the Mesoproterozoic (1600 - 1450 Ma). These processes started at the late Paleoproterozoic in the Betara, Perau and Apiai Mirim …

Analysis Of Macrobenthic Assemblages Of Lake Illawarra, New South Wales, B Li, Robert John Morrison

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

1 - A survey of the macrobenthos community was carried out in Lake Illawarra, NSW, Australia, during April and May 2011. 2 - The aim of this study was to understand the current status of the characteristic macrobenthic fauna community, and the temporal changes over the past 30 years, as well as the impacts of anthropogenic activities on the benthic ecosystem. 3- Fifteen stations were selected as representative of three main areas of the lake (the entrance channel, the central basin and the sublittoral fringe), which might be impacted by different kinds of human activities. 4 - A total of …

Alunite Formation Within Silica Stalactites From The Sydney Region, South-Eastern Australia, Robert A. Wray

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

"This paper presents X-ray diffraction and SEM evidence for the formation of alunite, and possibly small quantities of natroalunite, within opal-A stalactites formed on quartz sandstone near Sydney in south-eastern, Australia. Alunite has been reported as a speleogenetic mineral from sediments within a number of caves around the world, but this is believed to be the first report of speleothemic alunite in opaline silica speleothems. Individual alunite crystals have not been visually identified, but SEM X-ray element mapping suggests the alunite has formed amongst kaolinite clay. Sedimentary alunite and natroalunite formation is usually associated with the reaction of sulphuric acid …

Age And Origin Of Alluvial Sediments Within And Flanking The Mt Lofty Ranges, Southern South Australia: A Late Quaternary Archive Of Climate And Environmental Change, D Banerjee, N F. Alley, R P. Bourman, S Buckman, J R. Prescott

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Patterns Of Demography For Rocky-Shore, Intertidal Invertebrates Approaching Their Geographical Range Limits: Tests Of The Abundant-Centre Hypothesis In South-Eastern Australia, Eszter Z. Hidas, David J. Ayre, Todd E. Minchinton

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

The abundant-centre hypothesis predicts that species' abundances peak at the centre of their geographical ranges and decline gradually towards their range limits. We tested predictions of this hypothesis for three rocky-shore, intertidal invertebrates with planktonic larvae (the whelk, Morula marginalba, the snail, Afrolittorina pyramidalis, and the barnacle, Tesseropora rosea) by quantifying their patterns of abundance and size, and inferring pulses of recruitment from size-frequency distributions, at multiple spatial scales spanning a 600-km region in south-eastern Australia and encompassing roughly the southern third of their geographical ranges. At the regional scale, abundances for all species were, as predicted, dramatically lower at …

Managing The Ground Parrot In Its Fiery Habitat In South-Eastern Australia, Jack Baker, Robert J. Whelan, Lyn Evans, Stephen Moore, Melinda Norton

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

The Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus) is a rare and iconic endemic of heathlands in southern Australia. It is threatened by frequent and widespreadfire. The species has been an integral element in the development of our understanding of the impacts offire regimes in heathlands and is an integral part of conservation management of thesefire-prone ecosystems. This long-term study documents the densities of Ground Parrots in three areas of long-unburnt habitat in southernNewSouth Wales. Using area searches and aural surveys, we estimated densities of Ground Parrots at Barren Grounds Nature Reserve–Budderoo National Park (1983–2009), Beecroft Weapons Range (1997–2008) and Nadgee Nature Reserve …

Management Of Amphibian Populations In Booderee National Park, South-Eastern Australia, Trent D. Penman, Traecey Brassil

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Often land set aside for conservation becomes a multiple use area, which forces land managers to balance biodiversity values against competing needs. Booderee National Park is an important conservation reserve for a range of amphibian species in south-eastern Australia. The Park includes a number of townships, defence facilities, and recreation areas, as well as land for conservation. We examined amphibian communities in the area and related these to broad habitat features and identified potential threats to the long term viability of these populations. Two distinct assemblages occurred within the Park that could be related to broad habitat features of the …

Using Lidar To Assess The Effect Of Fire And Floods On Upland Peat Bogs, Waterfall Gully, Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia, Javier Leon Patino, Solomon Buckman, Robert P. Bourman, Rowena Morris, Katherine C. Brownlie

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

A flood exceeding the 100 year average recurrence interval in November 2005 led to the failure of an upland peat bog in Waterfall Gully. The area is prone to severe bushfire and flood events and the control dam at the base of First Falls was filled with sediment sourced from Wilson Bog. A resistant quartzite bar at Fourth Falls has formed a natural constriction point against which burnt logs and debris have collected following previous fire events forming a natural dam resulting in sediment/peat accumulation upstream. The failure of the bog was inevitable as the vegetative material in the log-jam …

Fruit Availability And Utilisation By Grey-Headed Flying Foxes (Pteropodidae: Pteropus Poliocephalus) In A Human-Modified Environment On The South Coast Of New South Wales, Australia, Kerryn Parry-Jones, Kristine O. French, Emily Schmelitschek

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Context. Extensive clearing and modi. cation of habitat is likely to change many facets of the environment including climate and regional food resources. Such changes may result in changes in behaviour in highly mobile fauna, such as flying foxes. Aims. The availability of fruit resources was examined to determine whether grey-headed flying foxes ( Pteropus poliocephalus) have feeding preferences related to habitat or dietary items, and whether human usage of the land around the colony site has affected the resources available. Methods. Fruit availability around a colony was monitored from December 2004 to March 2005. Night surveys and faecal analyses …

Prediction Of The Probability Of Large Fires In The Sydney Region Of South-Eastern Australia Using Components Of Fire Weather., R A. Bradstock, J S. Cohn, A M. Gill, M Bedward, C Lucas

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

The probability of large-fire (>= 1000 ha) ignition days, in the Sydney region, was examined using historical records. Relative influences of the ambient and drought components of the Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI) on large fire ignition probability were explored using Bayesian logistic regression. The preferred models for two areas (Blue Mountains and Central Coast) were composed of the sum of FFDI (Drought Factor, DF = 1) (ambient component) and DF as predictors. Both drought and ambient weather positively affected the chance of large fire ignitions, with large fires more probable on the Central Coast than in the Blue …

Place And Music: Performing "The Region" On The New South Wales Far North Coast, Christopher R. Gibson

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

This paper draws on research conducted for over a decade on the musical cultures of the New South Wales Far North Coast, as a contribution to debates in geography and popular music studies on the links between music, place and articulations of cultural identities. Patterns of migration and economic restructuring over the last 20 years have transformed the Far North Coast region, with associated changes in the images conjured to describe the region – from those centred on dairying, fishing and sugar harvesting to those of a ‘lifestyle’ or ‘alternative’ region, with growth in employment in tourism, recreational services, ‘gourmet’ …

A Food-Based Dietary Strategy Lowers Blood Pressure In A Low Socio-Economic Setting: A Randomised Study In South Africa, Karen E. Charlton, Naomi Levitt, Krisela Steyn, Deborah Jonathan, Nomonde Gwebushe, Nasheeta Peer, Katja Rossouw, Theresa Gogela, Carl J. Lombard

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective To assess the impact of a food-based intervention on blood pressure (BP) in free-living South African men and women aged 50–75 years, with drug-treated mild-to-moderate hypertension.

Methods A double-blind controlled trial was undertaken in eighty drug-treated mild-to-moderate hypertensive subjects randomised to an intervention (n 40) or control (n 40) arm. The intervention was 8-week provision of six food items with a modified cation content (salt replacement (SOLO™), bread, margarine, stock cubes, soup mix and a flavour enhancer) and 500 ml of maas (fermented milk)/d. The control diet provided the same quantities of the targeted foods but of …

Cheap As Chips: The Price Of Rtds In New South Wales, Sandra C. Jones, Lance R. Barrie, Parri Gregory

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Ready-to-drink products have been the subject of considerable concern in relation to their contribution to the problems associated with alcohol consumption among young people. In recognition of the impact of low price of RTDs on adolescent and young peoples alcohol consumption, the Federal Government introduced an increase in the tax on RTDs on Sunday 27th of April 2008. The purpose of the current study was to examine the current price of RTDs in New South Wales, and whether the taxation change has increased the price of RTDs to a point where they are unlikely to be affordable for underage drinkers.

A Re-Examination Of A Human Femur Found At The Blind River Site, East London, South Africa: Its Age, Morphology, And Breakage Pattern, Zenobia Jacobs, Qian Wang, David L. Roberts, P V. Tobias

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

ABSTRACT Modern human femoral features might have appeared in the early Middle Stone Age (156 ka to 20 ka) in South Africa, as demonstrated by the recent re-examination of a human femur fossil found at the Blind River Site, East London in the 1930s, if new dating results hold. Two optically stimulated luminescence dates from the relocated original Blind River shallow marine/estuarine deposits that contained the femur gave almost identical ages of ~120 ka, corresponding to the early part of the Last Interglacial (Oxygen Isotope Stage 5). Overall, the slender headless femur is of modern human form. The distal epiphysis …

Applying Seed Germination Studies In Fire Management For Biodiversity Conservation In South-Eastern Australia., Tony D. Auld, Mark K.J Ooi

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

We examine the patterns of germination response to fire in the fire-prone flora of the Sydney basin, south-eastern Australia, using examples from several decades of research. The flora shows a strong response to fire-related germination cues. Most species show an interaction between heat and smoke, a number respond only to heat, whilst a few are likely to respond only to smoke. Many recruit in the first 12 months after fire and show no obvious seasonal patterns of recruitment, whilst several species have a strong seasonal germination requirement, even in this essentially aseasonal rainfall region. Key challenges remaining include designing future …

The Nagssugtoqidian Orogen In South-East Greenland: Evidence For Paleoproterozoic Collision And Plate Assembly, Allen Phillip Nutman, Feiko Kalsbeek, Clark R L Friend

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

The 200 km wide, east-west trending Paleoproterozoic mobile belt of the Ammassalik region of South-East Greenland contains a diverse assemblage of Paleoproterozoic and Archean rocks, variably affected by Paleoproterozoic deformations and high-grade low or high pressure metamorphism. By using previous field and geochemical data combined with new zircon dating and zircon trace element geochemistry, this mobile belt is confirmed as a 1870 to 1840 Ma collisional orogen, which contains one or more 1900 to 1880 Ma magmatic suites and northern and southern Archean basement terranes. The most studied 1900 to 1880 Ma magmatic suite is the Ammassalik Intrusive Complex, which …

Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Abundance And Recruitment Of Ghost Shrimp Trypaea Australiensis Across Hierarchical Scales In South-Eastern Australia, Douglas Rotherham, R. J. West

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Spatial and temporal variation in abundance and recruitment of burrowing ghost shrimp Trypaea australiensis was examined across 3 south-eastern Australian estuaries using a hierarchical sampling design, over a 2 yr period. We tested the hypothesis that abundances of shrimp were different between plots (10s to 100s of metres apart), sites within estuaries (kilometres apart), estuaries (100s of kilometres apart) and through time. More frequent sampling at 1 site also examined temporal variation at scales of months, seasons and years. Another aim was to investigate the reliability of using counts of burrow openings to indirectly measure the relative abundance of T, …

Water Quality In The Illawarra-South Coast Region Of New South Wales, Australia, Robert John Morrison, Mark R. O'Donnell

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Water quality is a serious environmental concern in the South Coast region of New South Wales as many aspects of human ecology and the economy are dependant on good water quality. Apart from drinking water for residents and visitors, tourism and agricultural productivity rely on good quality water. This paper presents an overview of general issues with regard to the development of water quality assessment procedures and programs, and discusses a number of issues considered important for the region. These include the impacts of increasing urbanisation, industrial activity (including mining), the potential wider use of groundwater and the improved management …

Sampling Patchily Distributed Taxa: A Case Study Using Cost-Benefit Analyses For Sponges And Ascidians In Coastal Lakes Of New South Wales, Australia, P. B. Barnes, A. R. Davis, D. E. Roberts

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Estuaries worldwide are under increasing threat from human impacts. Because much of their fauna remains unstudied and in many cases undescribed, these systems present real challenges for effective management. In eastern Australia the study of estuarine fauna is often further complicated by its patchy distributions. This is particularly the case for assemblages of sessile invertebrates in coastal saline lakes. This study quantified distributions of sponges and ascidians at a hierarchy of spatial scales in the seagrass meadows of 2 coastal saline lakes in New South Wales, Australia. Nine species of sponge, many of which were undescribed, and 3 species of …

The Geomorphological Evolution Of A Wave-Dominated Barrier Estuary: Burrill Lake, New South Wales, Australia, Brian G. Jones, Craig R. Sloss, David M. Price, C.E. Mcclennen, John De Carli

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

The geomorphological evolution of the Holocene wave-dominated barrier estuary at Burrill Lake on the New South Wales coast, Australia, has been delineated using a combination of seismic stratigraphy and the lithostratigraphic analysis of vibracores collected from the back-barrier estuarine environment. A combination of radiocarbon and aspartic acid racemisation-derived ages obtained on Holocene fossil molluscs, and the thermoluminescent signal in remnant Last Interglacial barrier sediments provides the chronological framework for this investigation. Results from this paper show that the barrier estuary occupies a relatively narrow (<1.5 km wide) and shallow (<40 m deep) incised bedrock valley formed during sea-level lowstands. Late Pleistocene sedimentary successions and remnants of the Last Interglacial barrier have been preserved within the incised valley axis and the mouth of the incised valley. These sediments, deposited during the Last Interglacial sea-level highstand, have subsequently been partially removed during the last glacial maximum. Overlying the antecedent late Pleistocene landsurface is a near basin-wide basal marine sand deposited in response to rising sea level associated with the most recent post-glacial marine transgression, which inundated the shallow incised valley ca.7800 years ago. More open marine conditions, with a diverse assemblage of estuarine and marine mollusc species, persisted until ca. 4500 years ago when the stabilizing Holocene barrier resulted in the development of a lowenergy back-barrier lagoonal environment. A late Holocene 1-2 m regression of sea level ca. 3000 years ago further restricted oceanic circulation, increased the rate of fluvial bay-head delta progradation and the extension of the backbarrier central basin mud facies. This evolutionary model of barrier estuary evolution developed for Burrill Lake is consistent with recent research conducted in Lake Illawarra and St Georges Basin and can be applied to other estuaries that have formed in relatively shallow and narrow incised bedrock valleys on tectonically stable, wave-dominated coastlines.

743 ± 17 Ma Granite Clast From Jurassic Conglomerate, Kamiaso, Mino Terrane, Japan: The Case For South China Craton Provenance (Korean Gyeonggi Block?), Allen Phillip Nutman, Y Sano, K Terada, H Hidaka

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

The polymict Kamiaso Conglomerate (Mino Terrane, Japan) contains Jurassic to Palaeoproterozoic clasts—probably derived from Korean basement that lay nearby to the northwest at time of deposition. Clast K2 broke cleanly into two halves during sampling (but the halves were recombined for zircon separation). A third of the K2 zircons are colourless euhedral prisms with oscillatory zoning, with no inheritance and yielded a SHRIMP U/Pb date of 743±17 Ma. Two thirds of K2 zircons are brown oscillatory-zoned corroded prisms with a date of 1860±8 Ma, with inherited cores up to ∼2460 Ma. A likely explanation for this could be that clast …

Dust Deposition Rates In The Wollongong-Port Kembla Area, New South Wales, Australia, R J. Morrison, Bandar A. Fadhel, K Goss

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Dust deposition in the Wollongong-Port Kembla region, New South Wales, Australia, arising from local industrial and mining activities, has been of major concern since the early 1960s. Reports dealing with dust deposition rates in the region have been published by different organisations where the data have been averaged for the region. This provides a general trend for the deposition rates for the whole region without considering the trends occurring in specific locations. This study was the first to examine the trends observed at 35 individual gauges to identify more localised trends in dust deposition rates in the Wollongong-Port Kembla region, …

Macrochannels And Their Significance For Flood-Risk Minimisation, West Dapto, New South Wales, E. L. Roper, Ivars Reinfelds, Gerald C. Nanson

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

A prominent characteristic of streams draining catchments in West Dapto, New South Wales, are well developed macrochannels that have formed within alluvial terraces in mid-catchment zones. A detailed hydraulic modelling study using HEC-RAS, HEC-GeoRAS and Arcview GIS indicates that these macrochannels are scaled to accommodate high magnitude floods. They offer a significant degree of natural protection from flood events up to and in excess of 100 years recurrence interval, essentially by operating as 'bankfull' channels during such events. Macrochannel landforms can be clearly distinguished and mapped on fine-scale digital elevation models (DEMs) and other GIS data sources such as rectified …

Effects Of Javan Rusa Deer (Cervus Timorensis) On Native Plant Species In The Jibbon-Bundeena Area, Royal National Park, New South Wales, David Keith, Belinda Pellow

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

A reconnaissance survey and exclosure experiment were carried out to examine the effects of Javan rusa deer on native flora and vegetation in Royal National Park on the southern outskirts of Sydney, Australia. Of 78 native plant species examined during the survey, only nine showed no evidence of vertebrate herbivory or physical damage and the majority of these plants were ferns and sedges. The other 69 species showed effects that included defoliation (young and/or old leaves), removal of shoots, bark-stripping, stem breakages and destruction or consumption of reproductive material. These effects varied in severity between species and from place to …

A New Species Of Goodenia (Goodeniaceae) From Nocoleche Nature Reserve, Far Western Plains, New South Wales, Belinda J. Pellow, John L. Potter

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Goodenia nocoleche was cultivated in sediment collected from a freshwater temporary wetland in Nocoleche Nature Reserve. Here it is newly described and illustrated with additional notes on its ecology.

Development Of Watershed Management In New South Wales, Australia: A Coastal Perspective, Pedro I. J Fidelman, Robert John Morrison, Ron J. West

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Watershed management has become a prominent approach to natural resource management (NRM) in Australia and elsewhere. In the Australian State ofNew South Wales (NSW), catchment management - the NSW watershed management initiative - has been in place both in coastal and non-coastal areas for nearly two decades. In coastal areas, it is suggested that catchment management could play an important role in coastal and marine issues (NSW Coastcare et aI., 2004; Zann, 1996), as the Australia's coastal and marine environments have, in general, been affected by watershed-based activities (see e.g., Zann, 1996). Such a role would, however, require institutional changes, …

Structure, Detrital Zircon U-Pb Ages And 40ar/39ar Geochronology Of The Early Palaeozoic Girilambone Group, Central New South Wales: Subduction, Contraction And Extension Associated With The Benambran Orogeny, Christopher L. Fergusson, C M Fanning, D. Phillips, Benjamin Ackerman

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

The Early Palaeozoic Cape River Metamorphics consist mainly of psammitic gneiss and schist and occur as an extensive linear belt at the western margin of the Charters Towers Province 200 km southwest of Townsville in the northern Tasmanides. A prominent foliation (S₂) is the main structure in the belt and is associated with tight to isoclinal folds, subparallel mineral and intersection lineations, and boudinaged pods of vein quartz and pegmatite. In the southwest, the main foliation is a crenulation cleavage (S₂) related to D₂ deformation. It overprints steeply dipping foliation (S₁) formed in …