Plants

doi:10.1017/9781316221815.010

6 - Plants

from Part II - Results

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 July 2026

A. O. Nicholls and

Edited by

Adrian D. Manning: Affiliation:
The Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

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Summary

Sclerophyll eucalypt forest and grassy eucalypt woodland occupy the study site, the latter vegetation type lower in the landscape and on better soils. The dominance of the native perennial tussock grasses (Themeda triandra, Rytidosperma spp., Aristida ramosa) similarly varies with soil and landscape, as well as with grazing pressure. Overlying these stable synecological patterns are the effects of European farming: sheet erosion from livestock grazing and cultivation, exotic species invasion from fertiliser use, tree clearing and plant diversity loss from all these activities. Four years after the cessation of agricultural grazing with cattle farming, some recovery of the ground layer was evident in terms of biomass and litter accumulation. Ongoing improvements will be dependent on the widely fluctuating seasonal conditions and appropriate management of herbivory through regulation of native marsupial populations.

Keywords

Grasslands Grazing Community composition coarse woody debris (CWD) Land-use legacy Ecosystem function Plant diversity Weeds Plant invasions Safe haven

Information

Type: Chapter
Information: Rebuilding an Ecosystem
Integrating Applied Research and Restoration
, pp. 135 - 156

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316221815.010 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2026

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