Science
- Evolutionary ecology research
- Australian rain forest community assembly
- Australian rain forest through time
- Ecology of Cumberland Plain Woodland
- Bicentenary Plant Diversity Program
- Biodiversity Adaptation Transect
- Botany of Botany Bay
- Conservation genetics
- DNA studies of Elaeocarpaceae
- Ecology of Isopogon prostratus
- Floristic Lists of NSW
- Habitat fragmentation
- Lomatia (Proteaceae)
- Molecular phylogeny of the Australian Lauraceae
- Promiscuous Lomatia
- Promiscuous Proteaceae
- Native plants of Sydney Harbour NP
- Newnes Plateau Shrub Swamps
- Next Generation Sequencing
- Nickel hyperaccumulation in Stackhousia
- NSW Vegetation Classification & Assessment Project
- Plants of the Newnes Plateau
- Plants, vegetation, landscape, country
- Phylogenetic relationships of Ceratopetalum
- Podocarpus elatus
- Rainforest conifer - Podocarpus elatus
- Speciation in Proteaceae
- Testing speciation models
- Horticultural research
- Plant diversity research
- Plant pathology research
- Herbarium & resources
- Scientific publications
Biodiversity Adaptation Transect, SydneyDr Marlien van der Merwe - ARC Research Associate, School of Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide A new ARC funded project in collaboration with the University of Adelaide was launched in July 2011 looking at diversity across an environmental gradient covering the area between the coast and the Capertee valley in the diverse Sydney sandstone region. The aims of the project are to study species turn-over across an environmental gradient and to investigate adaptive versus plastic responses to different climatic regimes. With the use of GIS tools the Sydney sandstone region was divided into nine environmental bins based on altitude and annual rainfall (Figure 1). Bins with low altitude occur at the coast and in the Capertee Valley on the western side of the Blue Mountains (Figure 1 dark blue and orange). Bins with high rainfall were found along the coast and in the medium to high altitude regions of the Blue Mountains. To assess changes of species and genetic diversity across these environments, plot-based collections aim to sample four 50 x50 m plots in each environmental bin. To date, over 50% of the plots (including plots from each bin) have been completed. At each plot species abundance is recorded and herbarium vouchers and tissue samples for molecular studies are collected. In addition leaf spots caused by fungi on selected Proteaceae and Myrtaceae species are sampled and soil samples collected. Two temperature data loggers are installed at each site. To date a total of 75 genera (over 300 species) have been collected amounting to over 1000 herbarium and tissue vouchers (a very special thanks to Bob Coveny, Andrew Orme and Louisa Murray for identifications!). Hannah McPherson, also directly involved in this project, and I have been helped by a range of collaborators and volunteers (Doug Benson, Dylan Burge, Bob Coveny, Seanna McCune, Alexander Dohms, Michael Elgey, Melita Milner, Richard Milner, Louisa Murray, Emma Oldman, Andrew Orme, Susan Rutherford, Brett Summerell, Katherine Zhukovsky). In February 2012 Alan and Liz Hind accompanied Hannah, Maurizio Rossetto and Ion an overnight collecting trip to Mount Tomah and Mount Wilson as the successful bidders as part of the Hunters and Collectors Fundraising Initiative of the Foundation & Friends of the Botanic Gardens. |
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