Plateau vegetation on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island

• Published in: Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania
• Main Author: Selkirk, PM
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: Royal Society of Tasmania; RST; Van Diemens Land; natural history; science; ecology; taxonomy; botany; zoology; geology; geography; papers & proceedings; Australia; sub-Antarctic; Macquarie Island; feldmark; Azorella macquariensis; dieback; Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://eprints.utas.edu.au/22527/; https://eprints.utas.edu.au/22527/7/08%20Selkirk.pdf

The plateau of sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island supports an open short herb, feldmark vegetation that is markedly affected by the prevailing strong westerly winds. This paper reports on a line transect survey carried out in 1980 which documents variation then apparent in species composition in this vegetation. Sixty-two species were recorded, with plant occurrences along 16 transects ranging from 16.7–99.5%. The cushion plant Azorella macquariensis Orchard was an important component of the plateau vegetation: it occurred at 14 of the 16 sites surveyed, with occurrences up to 50%. The dieback reported in Azorella macquariensis in 2008 was, by 2012, regarded as extensive and severe throughout its range. The data presented here well precede the first records of the dieback, and contribute to early descriptive data against which future developments in the plateau vegetation of Macquarie Island can be evaluated.