Project Title
Factors limiting regeneration of river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh.) on floodplains of the Murray River.
Abstract
My project is partially funded by ARC linkage project (LP0561958), “Towards sustainable floodplain communities: assessing river red gum condition”. I am based at the Australian Centre for Biodiversity Analysis, Policy and Management (web address below).
River red gum forests provide habitat for a diverse range of terrestrial and aquatic fauna including the Superb Parrot and the Murray Cod (Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988). Studies of river red gum health have shown large decline in condition over the past twenty years. My project will provide a better understanding of the influence of flooding and grazing on the regeneration capacity of river red gum, the dominant tree species on floodplains of the Murray River. I will identify critical life stages in the regeneration of river red gum populations and determine which biotic and/or abiotic processes limit recruitment. I will focus on three potential bottlenecks in the regeneration cycle: seed production, seed availability and seedling survival. My thesis will answer the following research questions:
- Does reduced flooding frequency affect seedling survival?
- Does total grazing pressure affect seedling survival?
- Does reduced flooding frequency affect seed production in river red gums?
- Is river red gum regeneration limited by seed availability?
- What effects do major floods and droughts have on long-term patterns of recruitment?
Supervisors
Patrick Baker, Ralph Mac Nally, Shaun Cunningham
See also
Australian Centre for Biodiversity Analysis, Policy and Management
