Salinity Action Plan Flora Survey

Wetland flora and vegetation of the Western Australian wheatbelt M.N. Lyons, N. Gibson, G.J. Keighery and S.D. Lyons Department of Conservation and Land Management, Science Division, PO Box 51 Wanneroo, Western Australia 6946, Australia. Abstract - Eight hundred and thirteen quadrats were surveyed to sample wetland vegetation throughout the wheatbelt and adjacent south coast of Western Australia, an area of ca. 220 000 km2. Two hundred and fourteen wetlands were intensively sampled with between one and ten quadrats placed at each wetland to capture the major vegetation zonation. A further 100 quadrats were scattered through the study area to sample particular examples of wetland vegetation. Sampling spanned the full range of elevations at wetlands from inundated basins to the adjacent landforms such as lunettes. A total of 1436 taxa of vascular plants from 109 families were recorded. Naturalized taxa were 11.8% of the flora. Four hundred and twenty-eight taxa (29.7%) were categorized as restricted to wetland habitats. These included both aquatic (53 taxa) and amphibious plants (89 taxa). The wetlands of the study area represent the world centre of diversity for annual Juncaginaceae and the subfamily Salicornioideae (Chenopodiaceae). Species richness of quadrats (100 m2) ranged from 1-72 taxa, with a mean of 20.5 taxa per quadrat. Thirty-one per cent of taxa only occurred at a single quadrat (singletons) and 59.3% occurred at less than five quadrats. Eight previously unrecognized taxa were collected for the first time and the habitats and distributions of several undescribed taxa with few previous collections were clarified. Collections were made of 78 taxa listed on the Department of Conservation and Land Management's priority flora list. Eight of these were gazetted as Declared Rare Flora (Wildlife Conservation Act, 1950) with two (Frankenia conferta and F. parvula) regarded as extinct prior to the current survey... Terrestrial flora and vegetation of the wheatbelt of south western Australia N. Gibson, G.J. Keighery, M.N. Lyons and A. Webb Science Division, Department of Conservation and Land Management, P.O. Box 51, Wanneroo, Western Australia 6065, Australia. Abstract -- Six hundred and eighty-two quadrats were located across the Western Australian wheatbelt and adjacent regions to cover as much of the geographical, edaphic and geomorphological variation of the terrestrial plant communities as possible. The study area covered 230,000 km2 or 70% of the South West Botanical Province, one of the world's 25 biodiversity hotspots. It included all or part of the six biogeographical regions centered on the wheatbelt. The native vegetation in the study area is highly fragmented with 74% having been cleared for agriculture. Clearing has not been uniform; more extensive areas of bushland remain along the southern and western margins. A total of 2609 taxa of vascular plants in 103 families was recorded from the quadrats. The species frequency pattern followed a lognormal distribution. At a scale of 400 m2, there was little difference in species richness between woodland, mallee and shrubland formations but those on duplex soils had lower species richness than those on deep sand, laterite and granite soils. Over 60% of taxa were recorded in fewer than five quadrats. These uncommon taxa were not randomly distributed but concentrated at the periphery of the study area, particularly in the west and south. At least eight previously unrecognized taxa were collected for the first time. Further collections of 15 taxa listed as Declared Rare under the Wildlife Conservation Act, and 161 taxa on the Department of Conservation and Land Management's priority flora list were made.

## 西澳大利亚小麦带湿地植物区系与植被
作者：M.N. 莱昂斯、N. 吉布森、G.J. 凯格里、S.D. 莱昂斯
单位：澳大利亚保护与土地管理部科学司，邮政信箱51，万纳罗，西澳大利亚州6946，澳大利亚。

摘要：本研究对西澳大利亚小麦带及邻近南海岸区域（总面积约22万平方千米）内的湿地植被开展样方（quadrats）调查，共布设813个样方。其中214处湿地被密集采样，每处湿地布设1~10个样方，以覆盖其主要的植被带状分布特征；另有100个样方零散分布于研究区内，用于靶向采集典型湿地植被类型。本次采样覆盖了湿地从积水盆地到邻近岸垄（lunettes）等全高程梯度的生境类型。
本次调查共记录到109科1436种维管植物（vascular plants），其中归化类群（naturalized taxa）占总区系类群的11.8%。428个类群（占总类群的29.7%）被归类为局限于湿地生境（wetland habitats）的类群，包含水生植物（aquatic plants）53种、两栖植物（amphibious plants）89种。研究区域内的湿地是全球一年生水麦冬科（Juncaginaceae）及盐角草亚科（Salicornioideae，隶属于藜科Chenopodiaceae）的多样性分布中心。
100㎡样方的物种丰富度（species richness）介于1~72种之间，平均每个样方含20.5个类群。31%的类群仅出现在单个样方中（单样方类群singletons），59.3%的类群出现频次少于5个样方。本次研究首次采集到8个此前未被正式记录的类群，并厘清了数个此前仅存少量馆藏标本的未描述类群的生境与分布范围。此外，本次调查共采集到78个被列入澳大利亚保护与土地管理部优先保护植物名录（priority flora list）的类群，其中8个被《1950年野生动物保护法》公告为受保护稀有植物（Declared Rare Flora），包含2个在本次调查前被认为已灭绝的类群：Frankenia conferta与F. parvula。

## 西澳大利亚西南部小麦带陆地植物区系与植被
作者：N. 吉布森、G.J. 凯格里、M.N. 莱昂斯、A. 韦伯
单位：澳大利亚保护与土地管理部科学司，邮政信箱51，万纳罗，西澳大利亚州6065，澳大利亚。

摘要：本研究在西澳大利亚小麦带及邻近区域布设682个样方，以尽可能覆盖陆地植物群落的地理、土壤及地貌因子变异范围。研究区域总面积达23万平方千米，占西南植物区（全球25个生物多样性热点地区biodiversity hotspots之一）总面积的70%，涵盖了以小麦带为核心的6个生物地理区（biogeographical regions）的全部或部分区域。
研究区内原生植被已高度破碎化，74%的区域已被开垦为农业用地，且开垦分布并不均匀：南部与西部边缘仍保留有大面积原生灌丛林。本次调查共记录到103科2609种维管植物。物种出现频率遵循对数正态分布规律。在400㎡的样方尺度下，林地、桉灌丛（mallee）与灌丛群落的物种丰富度差异较小，但复层土壤（duplex soils）上的群落物种丰富度显著低于深砂、红土（laterite）及花岗岩土壤（granite soils）上的群落。
超过60%的类群出现频次少于5个样方，这些稀有种群并非随机分布，而是集中于研究区边缘区域，尤以西部与南部为甚。本次研究首次采集到至少8个此前未被正式记录的类群，并新增采集了15个被《野生动物保护法》列为受保护稀有植物的类群，以及161个被列入澳大利亚保护与土地管理部优先保护植物名录的类群。