Change in Undisturbed Vegetation on the Coastal Slopes of Subantarctic Macquarie Island, 1980-1995
The vegetation of 30 undisturbed permanent quadrats on the steep coastal slopes of subantarctic Macquarie Island was recorded in 1980-81 and 1994-95, a period in which temperatures rose briefly then declined, precipitation increased and rabbit grazing pressure decreased. Previous investigators of th...
Published in: | Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research |
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Language: | English |
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Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado
2002
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.2307/1552488 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/24757 |
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ftunivtasecite:oai:ecite.utas.edu.au:24757 2023-05-15T14:14:37+02:00 Change in Undisturbed Vegetation on the Coastal Slopes of Subantarctic Macquarie Island, 1980-1995 Kirkpatrick, JB Scott, JJ 2002 https://doi.org/10.2307/1552488 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/24757 en eng Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1552488 Kirkpatrick, JB and Scott, JJ, Change in Undisturbed Vegetation on the Coastal Slopes of Subantarctic Macquarie Island, 1980-1995, Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research, 34, (3) pp. 300-307. ISSN 1523-0430 (2002) [Refereed Article] http://ecite.utas.edu.au/24757 Biological Sciences Ecology Terrestrial Ecology Refereed Article PeerReviewed 2002 ftunivtasecite https://doi.org/10.2307/1552488 2019-12-13T21:06:06Z The vegetation of 30 undisturbed permanent quadrats on the steep coastal slopes of subantarctic Macquarie Island was recorded in 1980-81 and 1994-95, a period in which temperatures rose briefly then declined, precipitation increased and rabbit grazing pressure decreased. Previous investigators of the plant ecology of the island have suggested a successional sequence, in the absence of disturbance, towards total dominance of the two major plant species on the coastal slopes, the tall tussock-forming grass Poa foliosa and the megaherb Stilbocarpa polaris, with a concomitant reduction in the diversity of subordinate species. Our observations demonstrate a more complex reality. Dense tall tussock grassland became more open, resulting in an increase in quadrat species richness. The more open tussock grassland on the upper slopes became more dense, with a concomitant decrease in quadrat species richness. The large herb S. polaris changed little in its abundance over the period, perhaps reflecting a need for disturbance for its expansion. The opening of dense stands of P. foliosa may be part of a previously unrecorded endogenous successional process, while the closure of open stands of Poa could be a response to improved growth conditions, including relief from rabbit grazing and the relatively high temperatures in the initial years of monitoring, but may also be endogenous in origin. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarctic and Alpine Research Arctic Macquarie Island eCite UTAS (University of Tasmania) Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 34 3 300 |
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Open Polar |
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eCite UTAS (University of Tasmania) |
op_collection_id |
ftunivtasecite |
language |
English |
topic |
Biological Sciences Ecology Terrestrial Ecology |
spellingShingle |
Biological Sciences Ecology Terrestrial Ecology Kirkpatrick, JB Scott, JJ Change in Undisturbed Vegetation on the Coastal Slopes of Subantarctic Macquarie Island, 1980-1995 |
topic_facet |
Biological Sciences Ecology Terrestrial Ecology |
description |
The vegetation of 30 undisturbed permanent quadrats on the steep coastal slopes of subantarctic Macquarie Island was recorded in 1980-81 and 1994-95, a period in which temperatures rose briefly then declined, precipitation increased and rabbit grazing pressure decreased. Previous investigators of the plant ecology of the island have suggested a successional sequence, in the absence of disturbance, towards total dominance of the two major plant species on the coastal slopes, the tall tussock-forming grass Poa foliosa and the megaherb Stilbocarpa polaris, with a concomitant reduction in the diversity of subordinate species. Our observations demonstrate a more complex reality. Dense tall tussock grassland became more open, resulting in an increase in quadrat species richness. The more open tussock grassland on the upper slopes became more dense, with a concomitant decrease in quadrat species richness. The large herb S. polaris changed little in its abundance over the period, perhaps reflecting a need for disturbance for its expansion. The opening of dense stands of P. foliosa may be part of a previously unrecorded endogenous successional process, while the closure of open stands of Poa could be a response to improved growth conditions, including relief from rabbit grazing and the relatively high temperatures in the initial years of monitoring, but may also be endogenous in origin. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Kirkpatrick, JB Scott, JJ |
author_facet |
Kirkpatrick, JB Scott, JJ |
author_sort |
Kirkpatrick, JB |
title |
Change in Undisturbed Vegetation on the Coastal Slopes of Subantarctic Macquarie Island, 1980-1995 |
title_short |
Change in Undisturbed Vegetation on the Coastal Slopes of Subantarctic Macquarie Island, 1980-1995 |
title_full |
Change in Undisturbed Vegetation on the Coastal Slopes of Subantarctic Macquarie Island, 1980-1995 |
title_fullStr |
Change in Undisturbed Vegetation on the Coastal Slopes of Subantarctic Macquarie Island, 1980-1995 |
title_full_unstemmed |
Change in Undisturbed Vegetation on the Coastal Slopes of Subantarctic Macquarie Island, 1980-1995 |
title_sort |
change in undisturbed vegetation on the coastal slopes of subantarctic macquarie island, 1980-1995 |
publisher |
Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado |
publishDate |
2002 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.2307/1552488 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/24757 |
genre |
Antarctic and Alpine Research Arctic Macquarie Island |
genre_facet |
Antarctic and Alpine Research Arctic Macquarie Island |
op_relation |
http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1552488 Kirkpatrick, JB and Scott, JJ, Change in Undisturbed Vegetation on the Coastal Slopes of Subantarctic Macquarie Island, 1980-1995, Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research, 34, (3) pp. 300-307. ISSN 1523-0430 (2002) [Refereed Article] http://ecite.utas.edu.au/24757 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.2307/1552488 |
container_title |
Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research |
container_volume |
34 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
300 |
_version_ |
1766286981463015424 |