Spatiotemporal characteristics and causes of damage to Azorella macquariensis cushions ...

• Main Author: Abdul-Rahman, J
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: University Of Tasmania 2023
• Subjects: Austral; Macquarie Island
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25959/23206811; https://figshare.utas.edu.au/articles/thesis/Spatiotemporal_characteristics_and_causes_of_damage_to_Azorella_macquariensis_cushions/23206811

Azorella macquariensis is a perennial cushion-forming herb that is endemic to Macquarie Island. During the 2008/09 austral summer, widespread dieback in A. macquariensis was observed, and is regarded by many to be a new phenomenon. The dieback is perceived to have spread across the entire island, affecting up to ~0 % of cushions in some areas. As a result of this perception the species has been listed as critically endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999. Although there have been speculations about potential contributing factors, a definite cause has not been determined. The spatiotemporal characteristics of three dominant damage types affecting the cushion plant were investigated to help determine the cause/s of the putative increasing damage. In the austral summer of 2009/10, data were collected in the course of four studies: a cushion profile study; mapping of the spatial variation of cushion health; monitoring of temporal variation in cushion health; and ...