The Forests of the Arid Southern Interior of Western Australia

Kessell, S. L.; Stoate, T. N.

doi:10.1080/00049158.1936.10675101

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…The sapling stand is ‘locked’ in intra‐specific competition, with slowing of individual growth rates (calculated from Kessell & Stoate ; Kealley ); the stem exclusion stage of Oliver and Larson (). The continuity of canopy and surface fuel peaks (Fig.…”

Section: Woodland Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These transitions involve ongoing growth of seedlings into saplings, and saplings into trees. Among saplings, individual eucalypt growth rates are variable but on average higher in younger stands (calculated from Kessell & Stoate ; Kealley ), putatively reflecting high resource availability in the period after stand replacement, until plants grow to a size when the most limiting resource, likely water in this semi‐arid system, is fully sequestered. When stand growth capacity is reached, increases in size of individuals are offset at a stand level by declines in plant density (Chandler ; Fig.…”

Section: Transitions Between Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The sensitivity of obligate‐seeder eucalypts to fire has qualitatively been assessed as very high (Kessell & Stoate ), yet there is little quantitative data on the intensity of fires that burn through these woodlands, what intensities result in plant deaths in different species, and whether individuals can escape mortality in lower‐intensity fires, via protection of cambium and stem buds by bark, or through unburnt patches. Lower‐intensity fires may occur in mild weather conditions, sparse fuels, and sections of the fire perimeter where the fire is backing or flanking with respect to the wind.…”

Section: Transitions Between Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A conceptual model of vegetation dynamics for the unique obligate‐seeder eucalypt woodlands of south‐western Australia

Gosper

Yates²,

Cook

et al. 2018

Austral Ecology

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Models of vegetation dynamics framed as testable hypotheses provide powerful tools for predicting vegetation change in response to contemporary disturbances or climate change. Synthesizing existing information and applying new data, we develop a conceptual model of vegetation states and transitions for the previously overlooked woodlands dominated by obligate-seeder eucalypts of dry to semi-arid south-western Australia. These comprise the largest extant temperate woodland globally, are uniquely dominated by a high diversity of obligateseeder eucalypts (55 taxa), but are under threat from wildfire. Our conceptual model incorporates four critical ecological processes that also distinguish obligate-seeder woodlands from temperate woodlands dominated by resprouting eucalypts: (i) a lack of well-protected epicormic buds results in major disturbances (prominently fire) being stand-replacing. The pre-disturbance tree cohort is killed, followed by dense post-disturbance recruitment from seed shed from a serotinous seed bank; (ii) competition between saplings leads to self-thinning over a multi-century timeframe, with surviving individuals having great longevity (regularly >400 years); (iii) multiple processes limit recruitment in the absence of stand-replacement disturbances, leading to frequent single-cohort stands. However, unlike the few other obligate-seeder eucalypt communities, trickle recruitment in very longunburnt stands can facilitate indefinite community persistence in the absence of stand-replacement disturbances; and (iv) discontinuous fuels, relatively low understorey flammability (low grass and often high chenopod cover) and topographic barriers to fire (salt lakes) allow mature woodlands to persist for centuries without burning. Notably though, evidence suggests that flammability peaks at intermediate times since fire, establishing a 'flammability bottleneck' (or landscape fire trap) through which regenerating woodlands must pass. Our model provides a framework to support management to conserve obligate-seeder eucalypt woodlands. Research into reasons for exceptional tree heights relative to ecosystem productivity, the evolution of diverse and dominant obligate-seeder eucalypts, the paucity of grass, and the recent spatial distribution of fires, will further inform conservation management.

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Section: Woodland Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Transitions Between Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Transitions Between Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A conceptual model of vegetation dynamics for the unique obligate‐seeder eucalypt woodlands of south‐western Australia

Gosper

Yates²,

Cook

et al. 2018

Austral Ecology

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Estimating the time since fire of long-unburnt Eucalyptus salubris (Myrtaceae) stands in the Great Western Woodlands

Gosper

Prober

Yates³

et al. 2013

Aust. J. Bot.

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Establishing the time since fire in infrequently burnt, yet fire-prone, communities is a significant challenge. Until this can be resolved for >50-year timeframes, our capacity to understand important ecological processes, such as the periods required for development of habitat features, will remain limited. We characterised the relationship between observable tree growth rings, plant age and plant size in Eucalyptus salubris F.Muell. in the globally significant Great Western Woodlands in south-western Australia. In the context of recent concerns regarding high woodland fire occurrence, we then used this approach to estimate the age of long-unburnt E. salubris stands, and the age-class distribution of Eucalyptus woodlands across the region. Time since fire was strongly predicted by trunk growth rings and plant size predicted growth rings with reasonable accuracy. The best model estimating growth rings contained parameters for trunk diameter, plant height and plot location, although simple models including either trunk diameter or plant height were nearly as good. Using growth ring–size relationships to date long-unburnt stands represents a significant advance over the current approach based on satellite imagery, which substantially truncates post-fire age. However, there was significant uncertainty over the best model form for estimating the time since fire of stands last burnt over 200 years ago. The management implications of predicted age-class distributions were highly dependent on both the choice of what, if any, transformation was applied to growth rings, and the theoretical age-class distribution to which the actual age-class distribution was compared.

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The Forests of the Arid Southern Interior of Western Australia

Cited by 2 publications

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A conceptual model of vegetation dynamics for the unique obligate‐seeder eucalypt woodlands of south‐western Australia

A conceptual model of vegetation dynamics for the unique obligate‐seeder eucalypt woodlands of south‐western Australia

Estimating the time since fire of long-unburnt Eucalyptus salubris (Myrtaceae) stands in the Great Western Woodlands

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