Ecological studies of a marine terrace sequence in the Waitutu Ecological District of southern New Zealand. Part 1: The vegetation and soil patterns

Abstract

This paper presents quantitative descriptions of the vegetation plus associated vascular flora and soils on a sequence of ten marine terraces that extend from a Holocene raised beach a few metres above sea level to a terrace remnant at an elevation of630 m some 12 km inland. From the floristically rich coastal turf and scrub that occupies the most recent terrace there is a distinct sequence of vegetation. Tall mixed silver beech-podocarp-broadleaved forest on the lower altitude terraces (Terraces 2,to 4, < 150 m elevation) grades via mixed mountain beech-podocarp-manuka woodland through shrubland to open bog on the five terraces above 250 m.A postulated long-term, uninterrupted soil-vegetation chronosequence has not been confirmed. Soil development has been strongly affected by devegetation and surface deflation under periglacial conditions, and differential accumulation of loess during Pleistocene glacial periods. It is concluded that the vegetation pattern is related to a range of soil factors, particularly gradients in profile wetness that are associated with the increasing elevation between terraces and minor differences in topography within terraces.The sequence provides an extensive, essentially unmodified and valuable soilvegetation complex representative of marine terrace ecosystems formerly of widespread distribution nationally, which justifies formal reservation.

Patterns of tree community composition along a coastal dune chronosequence in lowland temperate rain forest in New Zealand

“…The sequence is formed in postglacial deposits up to 120,000 years old and exhibits a clear decline in phosphorus availability (Parfitt et al 2005;Walker and Syers 1976), with a corresponding decline in forest biomass on the oldest surfaces (Wardle et al 2004). A similar pattern occurs along the Waitutu chronosequence of marine uplift terraces, also on the South Island of New Zealand (Mark et al 1988;Parfitt et al 2005). There are marked changes in the forest community during ecosystem development along these two sequences, with dominance by evergreen angiosperms on young soils and an increasing abundance of conifers in the family Podocarpaceae as soils age (Coomes et al 2005;Richardson et al 2004).…”

“…Stevens (1968) termed this pattern ''backward succession'' with reference to the absence of podocarps on the high glacial terraces in Westland, as opposed to ''forward succession'' associated with decreasing fertility and podzolisation. A similar pattern to Franz Josef occurs along the Waitutu chronosequence (Coomes et al 2005;Mark et al 1988), although this is perhaps linked to waterlogging on the older terraces, because the podocarp species that occur there, including Halocarpus biformis and Lepidothamnus intermedius, appear to be flood-tolerant (Gaxiola et al 2010). In contrast, the dune soils at Haast are sandy and well drained, even on older soils with an iron pan, so waterlogging does not appear to be an important factor in structuring the plant community along the sequence.…”

“…This occurs through the gradual loss of total phosphorus via leaching and erosion (Hedin et al 2003) as well as chemical transformations of phosphorus compounds in the soil, including a depletion of primary mineral phosphate and an accumulation of phosphorus bound in secondary minerals and organic compounds (Crews et al 1995;Parfitt et al 2005;Turner et al 2007). In the absence of rejuvenating disturbance, the decline in phosphorus availability leads to a corresponding decline in the biomass of the vegetation, termed 'retrogression' (Wardle et al 2004), as well as changes in the diversity and composition of the plant community (Mark et al 1988;Richardson et al 2005;Walker et al 1981;Wardle et al 2008). Soil chronosequences therefore provide opportunities to obtain information on long-term drivers of plant community assembly (Peltzer et al 2010;Walker et al 2010).…”

Spatial and temporal variation in tree seed production and dispersal in a New Zealand temperate rainforest

“…The sites were distributed along a marine terrace sequence varying in age and soil fertility (Ward 1988, Mark et al 1988, Coomes et al 2005. Four sites were on uplifted marine terrace sites of intermediate fertility (;100 m above sea level [asl]) dominated by the conifers rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum), miro (Prumnopitys ferruginea), and Hall's totara (Podocarpus hallii ), and the angiosperms silver beech (N. menziesii ), mountain beech (N. solandri var.…”

Ecological studies of a marine terrace sequence in the Waitutu Ecological District of southern New Zealand. Part 4: Insecta: Lepidoptera and Coleoptera

“…Pit-fall traps were not employed, as sites were not revisited and the cool weather encountered prevented night collecting. On each terrace adjacent to the vegetation sampling sites (see Mark et al, 1988, Fig. 1) the plant species present were sampled for Lepidoptera larvae by beating or careful searching for larval damage.…”