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Title
The ecology, evolution and management of mast reproduction in Australian plants
Author(s)
Publication Date
2022-12-20
Open Access
Yes
Abstract
<p>Australia is home to a diverse assemblage of plant species that display marked population-level variation in inter-annual flower or seed output (i.e. masting). These include a semelparous bamboo with an estimated inter-crop period of 40–50 years, numerous iteroparous masting gymnosperms, angiosperms that include landscape-dominant eucalypts, arid-zone wattles and spinifex (<i>Triodia</i> spp.) grasses, and a rich selection of species that display disturbance-related forms of masting such as pyrogenic flowering and environmental prediction. Despite the prevalence of masting in the Australian flora, there has been a paucity of research on these plants. Nevertheless, from the literature available, it appears that, similar to other parts of the world, a continuum of inter-year reproductive variability exists, with a small number of species displaying extreme–high inter-annual seeding variability. From experimental studies and many anecdotal reports, most of the fitness benefits associated with masting evident overseas also operate in Australia (e.g. predator satiation, improved pollination efficiency, and environmental prediction). Additionally, some Australian masting species offer periodically important food resources for Aboriginal nations in the form of seed or fruit. These include the bunya pine (<i>Araucaria bidwilli</i>i), members of the cycad genera <i>Cycas</i> and <i>Macrozamia</i>, spinifex (<i>Triodia</i>) grasses, and mulga shrubs (<i>Acacia aneura</i>). Key future research areas for effective conservation of Australian masting plants include (1) improved understanding of how management interventions such as burning and silvicultural thinning influence regeneration dynamics and higher-order trophic interactions, (2) further longitudinal monitoring across a range of habitats to identify other, as yet unknown, species that display reproductive intermittency, and (3) elucidation of how changes to temperature, precipitation and fire regimes under climate change will affect reproduction and regeneration dynamics of the Australian masting flora.</p>
Publication Type
Journal Article
Source of Publication
Australian Journal of Botany, 70(8), p. 509-530
Publisher
CSIRO Publishing
Place of Publication
Australia
ISSN
1444-9862
0067-1924
File(s) openpublished/TheEcologyWright2022JournalArticle.pdf (3.77 MB)
Published Version
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020
Peer Reviewed
Yes
HERDC Category Description
Peer Reviewed
Yes
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