As global average temperatures continue to rise as a result of climate change, it is increasingly important to understand how some of the most vulnerable environments may be affected. The alpine environment and specialised biota of the Kosciuszko National Park are strongly influenced by abiotic factors such as temperature. Lizard performance in particular is closely related to temperature change. This study looks at the sprint speed capacity of two alpine skink species, Eulamprus kosciuskoi and Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii, as an indicator of fitness. Lizards were collected from two sites at Rainbow Lake and Charlotte Creek. These were raced over a 1 m distance and their sprint speeds were recorded at 25 cm intervals. Trials were conducted at room and elevated temperatures, and sprint times were compared between trials, species and sex and, for females, between gravid and non-gravid individuals. It was found that fitness, as measured through sprint speed, was greater at an elevated temperature for both species, and that E. kosciuskoi were significantly faster than P. entrecasteauxii. No significant differences were found between sexes or gravid and non-gravid individuals. It is possible that the lizard species studied would benefit from increased sprint performance linked to increased average temperatures; however, if temperatures rise above the skinks' physiological optima, it may have an extremely detrimental effect on all aspects of the lizards' biology. RESEARCHING FuNCTIoNAL ECoLoGY IN KoSCIuSZKo NATIoNAL PARK 98

Research related to the phenotypic plasticity of species that face rapidly changing conditions in the near future, such as those in the Australian Alps, is extremely important for ecological conservation efforts. Eucalyptus pauciflora is a species found throughout much of the Australian Alps. In this paper, the phenotypic plasticity exhibited by the species in terms of tree height and leaves across an elevation gradient was studied to gain insight into how the species is able to survive in such a range of conditions. Height and leaf size decreased with elevation, chlorophyll content (a measure of photosynthetic potential) increased, while specific leaf area (indicative of investment in photosynthesis and growth) and leaf dry matter content (indicative of investment in structural strength) showed no significant trends across the elevation range. These results give insight into the phenotypic plasticity of E. pauciflora, and provide information on how the ecosystem may respond to climate change in the future.

Salt is an essential nutrient that is found in low concentrations in alpine areas. Salt is thought to be sought by animals through a variety of behaviours including chewing wood, using salt licks, digging and eating plants with high sodium concentrations. We conducted three experiments to investigate whether animals in a low-sodium Australian alpine environment would show a preference for sodium chloride over other salts. Our experiments tested whether 1) alpine mammals would chew on sodium chloride-soaked wooden stakes, 2) ants would be attracted to salt grains and 3) the sodium concentrations in alpine plants are lower compared to plants in other Australian environments. We found that herbivorous mammals, such as rabbits, chewed a greater number of wooden stakes treated with sodium chloride than those treated with other salt solutions. No significant preference was recorded by ants for salt or sugar. Lastly, we found sodium concentration of vegetation decreases with increasing elevations, but the relationship was not statistically significant. Our study was conducted at three locations at elevations of 920 m, 1,200 m, and 1,860 m within Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountains, New South Wales, Australia.