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A survey of understorey species in grassy vegetation was conducted at 120 sites on the New England Tablelands (part of the northern tablelands of New South Wales), and the frequency of 371 taxa is presented. Very few species were common and the majority were recorded at < 5% of the sites.Similar patterns of abundance were also observed within the quadrats. Only 16% of taxa achieved dominance (i.e. > 10% canopy cover ) in any of the sampled quadrats, and while the average richness was 28 species (per 30 m2), the average number of dominant species per quadrat was only 1.6. The main dominants were perennial grasses. Of the native grasses thought to dominate this vegetation type at the time of European settlement, it would seem that Poa sieberiana has not declined. In contrast, Sorghum leiocladum and to a lesser extent Themeda australis appear to have declined. Although some native dicot species were very frequent, they rarely achieved dominance in the vegetation. These observations support the notion that sparseness may be a more common form of rarity than has been previously recognised.

This pilot study evaluated the effects of coadministration of metformin with clomiphene citrate (CC) and human menopausal gonadotrophin (HMG) in women with CC-resistant polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Sixty women with PCOS were randomly assigned to receive 3 months' treatment with metformin or placebo together with CC and HMG. Transvaginal ultrasound was used to monitor follicular development and ovulation was induced by human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG). The number of dominant follicles, the oestradiol level on the day HCG was given and the amount of HMG required were significantly lower in the metformin group than in the placebo group, whereas the mono-ovulatory rate and pregnancy rate in the third cycle were significantly higher. The cumulative pregnancy rate in the metformin group (43.3%) was higher than in the placebo group (20.0%), but this difference did not reach statistical significance. In conclusion, coadministration of metformin with CC and HMG reduced the amount of HMG required and increased the mono-ovulatory rate and pregnancy rate.

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