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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Online Access: | https://eprints.utas.edu.au/1706/ https://eprints.utas.edu.au/1706/1/03.01.18.pdf https://doi.org/10.2307/1552488 |
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ftunivtasmania:oai:eprints.utas.edu.au:1706 2023-05-15T14:14:38+02:00 Change in undisturbed vegetation on the coastal slopes of Subantarctic Macquarie Island 1980-1995 Kirkpatrick, JB Scott, JJ 2002 application/pdf https://eprints.utas.edu.au/1706/ https://eprints.utas.edu.au/1706/1/03.01.18.pdf https://doi.org/10.2307/1552488 en eng https://eprints.utas.edu.au/1706/1/03.01.18.pdf Kirkpatrick, JB orcid:0000-0003-2763-2692 and Scott, JJ 2002 , 'Change in undisturbed vegetation on the coastal slopes of Subantarctic Macquarie Island 1980-1995' , Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research, vol. 34 , pp. 300-307 , doi:10.2307/1552488 <http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1552488>. cc_utas 270700 Ecology and Evolution Article PeerReviewed 2002 ftunivtasmania https://doi.org/10.2307/1552488 2020-05-30T07:15:25Z 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 University of Tasmania: UTas ePrints Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 34 3 300 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
University of Tasmania: UTas ePrints |
op_collection_id |
ftunivtasmania |
language |
English |
topic |
270700 Ecology and Evolution |
spellingShingle |
270700 Ecology and Evolution Kirkpatrick, JB Scott, JJ Change in undisturbed vegetation on the coastal slopes of Subantarctic Macquarie Island 1980-1995 |
topic_facet |
270700 Ecology and Evolution |
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 |
publishDate |
2002 |
url |
https://eprints.utas.edu.au/1706/ https://eprints.utas.edu.au/1706/1/03.01.18.pdf https://doi.org/10.2307/1552488 |
genre |
Antarctic and Alpine Research Arctic Macquarie Island |
genre_facet |
Antarctic and Alpine Research Arctic Macquarie Island |
op_relation |
https://eprints.utas.edu.au/1706/1/03.01.18.pdf Kirkpatrick, JB orcid:0000-0003-2763-2692 and Scott, JJ 2002 , 'Change in undisturbed vegetation on the coastal slopes of Subantarctic Macquarie Island 1980-1995' , Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research, vol. 34 , pp. 300-307 , doi:10.2307/1552488 <http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1552488>. |
op_rights |
cc_utas |
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 |
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1766286991498936320 |