A baker’s dozen of new wattles highlights significant <i>Acacia</i> (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) diversity and endemism in the north-west Kimberley region of Western Australia

Western Australia’s tropical bat fauna comprises two communities; both are strict ensembles. One involves up to 19 species and occupies mangrove forest; the other, its landward counterpart, involves up to 22 species. Each includes habitat-generalist, productivity-dependent and cave-dependent species, so they achieve their full diversity in mangrove or riparian ecosystems associated with cavernous landscapes. Periods of significantly reduced rainfall are recognised in the climate record of the last ∼20 000 years, during which mangrove and upland riparian forests were the only highly productive ecosystems remaining in tropical Western Australia. During glacial cycles, these two refugia for mesic-adapted bats become geographically separated by the exposed continental shelf, a flat coastal plain more than 100 km wide. We review mangrove forests as evolutionary refuges during the Pleistocene, and use information on geographic range, endemism and habitat specificity to investigate the role of climatic and sea-level fluctuations in generating bat community structure. We conclude that mangrove forests provided a glacial refuge for all ensemble components; that the separation drove the evolution of two different ensembles. Northern Territory populations of Western Australia’s landward and mangrove specialists occupy landward as well as mangrove ecosystems, implying that mangrove refugia were not accessible during glacials.

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Glacial origin of bat ensembles in tropical Western Australia

McKenzie¹,

Wyrwoll

Bullen

2022

Aust. J. Zool.

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Biogeography of the Kimberley, Western Australia: a review of landscape evolution and biotic response in an ancient refugium

Pepper

Keogh

2014

Journal of Biogeography

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Forgotten impacts of European land‐use on riparian and savanna vegetation in northwest Australia

Connor

Schneider

Trezise

et al. 2017

J Vegetation Science

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Questions Fire and livestock grazing are regarded as current threats to biodiversity and landscape integrity in northern Australia, yet it remains unclear what biodiversity losses and habitat changes occurred in the 19–20th centuries as livestock and novel fire regimes were introduced by Europeans. What baseline is appropriate for assessing current and future environmental change? Location Australia's Kimberley region is internationally recognized for its unique biodiversity and cultural heritage. The region is home to some of the world's most extensive and ancient rock art galleries, created by Aboriginal peoples since their arrival on the continent 65,000 years ago. The Kimberley is considered one of Australia's most intact landscapes and its assumed natural vegetation has been mapped in detail. Methods Interpretations are based on a continuous sediment record obtained from a waterhole on the Mitchell River floodplain. Sediments were analysed for geochemical and palynological proxies of environmental change and dated using 210Pb and 14C techniques. Results We show that the present‐day vegetation in and around the waterhole is very different to its pre‐European counterpart. Pre‐European riparian vegetation was dominated by Antidesma ghaesembilla and Banksia dentata, both of which declined rapidly at the beginning of the 20th century. Soon after, savanna density around the site declined and grasses became more prevalent. These vegetation shifts were accompanied by geochemical and biological evidence for increased grazing, local burning, erosion and eutrophication. Conclusions We suggest that the Kimberley region's vegetation, while maintaining a ‘natural’ appearance, has been altered dramatically during the last 100 years through grazing and fire regime changes. Landscape management should consider whether the current (impacted) vegetation is a desirable or realistic baseline target for biodiversity conservation.

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A baker’s dozen of new wattles highlights significant Acacia (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) diversity and endemism in the north-west Kimberley region of Western Australia

Cited by 3 publications

References 32 publications

Glacial origin of bat ensembles in tropical Western Australia

Glacial origin of bat ensembles in tropical Western Australia

Biogeography of the Kimberley, Western Australia: a review of landscape evolution and biotic response in an ancient refugium

Forgotten impacts of European land‐use on riparian and savanna vegetation in northwest Australia

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