The implications of ecosystem fragmentation, the impact of human-induced changes,Īs well as the ecological and economic significance of biodiversity. Topics include 'what is naturalness?', debates on both philosophy and methods, The key biogeographical and ecological questions of the day may be addressed. In tropical rain forests to individualist species responses–so that all Global warming' to the distribution of gadoid fishes, from invertebrate diversity All three journals have wide coverage–from 'enhanced Respectively, acting as a team with Professor Philip Stott, the Editor of Journal Of Biogeography and its sister publications, Global Ecology andīiogeography and Diversity and Distributions, continue toīe developed under the guidance of Dr Robert Whittaker and Dr David Richardson Recognizing this increased significance, the scope of the Journal The subjects of biogeography, ecology and biodiversity are now of truly global Careful management is required to ensure continued protection of the area while making it available for public access and interpretation for ecotourism within the South West New Zealand World Heritage Area. Very high ecological and nature conservation values of this dune-slack sequence and associated vegetation pattern justify the highest status of protection. At the meso-scale, processes operating at the pronounced ecotone between predominantly wooded vegetation and wetland are probably favouring the latter through paludification. The soil sequence is marked by increasingly low nutrients, high organics, high acidity and podzolization of adequately drained sites under a forest cover, with increasing distance from the coast. Together with some other favourable geographical features, the discharge creates a coastal environment strongly conducive to progradation. At the macro-scale, three major and three smaller sediment-laden rivers discharge perhaps 50 million tonnes annually on to the coast of the District. Slight doming of the wetlands, marginal lagg streams and local development of string pools indicative of patterned aapa mires are special features of the wetlands that previously were known only from localized much more elevated sites in New Zealand. These account for the considerable and increasing peat depth (to 6.7 m) with distance from the coast. Environmental conditions highly favourable to paludification prevail. Drainage is established as the major determinant of vegetation distribution. Forest fringe woodland and shrubland vegetation of the forest-wetland ecotone constitute another five communities.
Communities are differentiated within each of these two major vegetation types largely in relation to distance from the coast, and hence age. A mixed podocarp-Nothofagus-broadleaved rain forest, up to 33 m tall, dominates the crests and upper slopes of the beach ridges while mostly herbaceous wetlands occupy the intervening swales. These were differentiated from the 110 vascular species and more important bryophytes of the eighty-four taxa recorded. Multivariate analyses of quantitative and floristic data from up to seven structural tiers at fifty-four sites along the sequence have revealed twelve quadrat groups (communities) and twelve generally related floristic groups. Information on surface profile, vegetation pattern and associated environmental parameters is used to establish ecological processes operating in the system. Climatic conditions are strongly perhumid and mesothermal. A Holocene sequence of six alternating dune-slack features is found on the outer 2.3 km strip of coastal plain in the Haast Ecological District, south western New Zealand.
0 kommentar(er)
