Project 4312
Project |
4312 |
Chief Investigator |
MCGEOCH, Prof. Melodie - La Trobe University |
Title |
Nowhere to hide? Conservation options for a sub-Antarctic keystone species |
Project aims
Project gallery
Project Summary of the Season 2015/16
Project Summary of the Season 2016/17
Project Summary of the Season 2017/18
Final Summary of Project Achievements
Addressing a recognised research priority, this project developed a long term monitoring approach and baseline for Azorella dieback and the associated ecosystem on Macquarie Island with an emphasis on informing conservation and management responses.
The key research results ware that dieback is present across the entire island, is active and ongoing, has moved southward and is now centred in the middle of the island. Dieback is caused by an interaction between climate and a yet to be identified plant pathogen. Generally warmer and wetter conditions, along with humidity extremes, are associated with higher dieback, whereas sites with more freezing days and dryer conditions are associated with less dieback.
Higher winter rainfall and high maximum temperatures are now considered to be the conditions driving dieback. There has been a significant loss of ecosystem functioning and plant biomass in some areas as a result of the dieback - particularly in the north of the island. There are however sites with potential to act as microrefugia for the species, and signs of a small amount of re-growth at some sites. Both cushion cover and dieback need to be monitored.
This project delivered the survey design as well as the baseline data against which to compare future change in the ecosystem - both in the cushion plant itself, as well as in microclimate across the island and other properties of the iconic fellfield ecosystem. Specific conservation and management options were provided to, and discussed with relevant stakeholders.
Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature
Bergstrom D.M. (2017) Ecosystem shift after a hot event, Nature Ecology and Evolution 2pp; [Ref: 15878]
Hoffmann A.A., Rymer P.D., Byrne M., Ruthrof K.X., Whinam J., McGeoch M., Bergstrom D.M., Guerin G.R., Sparrow L., Joseph L., Hill S.J., Andrew N.R., Camas J., Bell N., Riegler M., Gardner J.L., Williams E. (2019) Impacts of recent climate change on terrestrial flora and fauna: Some emerging Australian examples, Austral Ecology 3-27; [Ref: 16123]
Dickson C.R., Baker D.J., Bergstrom D.M., Bricher P.K., Brookes R.H., Raymond B., Selkirk P.M., Shaw J.D., Terauds A., Whinam J., McGeoch M.A. (2019) Spatial variation in the ongoing and widespread decline of a keystone plant species, Austral Ecology .; [Ref: 16124]
Chau J.L., Born C., McGeoch M.A., Bergstrom D., Terauds A., Shaw J., Mairal M., Le R., Jansen van Vuuren B. (2019) The influence of landscape, climate and history on spatial genetic patterns in keystone plants (Azorella) on sub-Antarctic islands, Molecular Ecology 1-15; [Ref: 16170]
Baker D.J., Dickson C.R., Bergstrom D.M., whinam J., Maclean I.M.D, McGeoch M.A. (2021) Evaluating models for predicting microclimates across sparsely vegetated and topographically diverse ecosystems, Diversity and Distributions .; [Ref: 16712]
Dickson C.R., Baker D.J., Bergstrom D.M., Brookes R.H., Whinam J., McGeoch M.A. (2020) Widespread dieback in a foundation species on a sub-Antarctic World Heritage Island: Fine-scale patterns and likely drivers, Austral Ecology .; [Ref: 16796]