Long-term changes in vegetation, gradual and episodic, on the TGB Osborn Vegetation Reserve, Koonamore, South Australia (1926–2002)

A very large number of staff, students and other volunteers have contributed to the collection of data on the Reserve over its life. Working at Koonamore has become a long tradition within the former Botany Department, now Environmental Biology, within the University of Adelaide. Such long-term projects depend very heavily on such traditions within a stable administrative framework, but even more so on enthusiastic individuals. As Osborn left Adelaide a few years after the Reserve was set up, J. G. Wood and Miss C. M. Eardley continued the monitoring work for many years. The author has continued it since 1975. Messrs Hamilton and Wilcox held the Koonamore station lease in 1925 and gave generous support to establishing the Reserve, and donated the adjacent cottage. The lease passed to the McLachlan family in 1944, who continued to support the project. In 1992, the lease was sold to the Rasheed family, who have continued the tradition of interest and support for the work of the Reserve. Thanks go to José Facelli and reviewers for comments and suggestions on an early draft of this manuscript and to David Ladd for years of assistance with fieldwork.

Andrew MH, Lange RT (1986) The spatial distributions of sympatric populations of kangaroos and sheep; examples of dissociation between these species. Australian Wildlife Research 13, 367–373.
| Crossref |


Auld AD (1995) The impact of herbivores on regeneration in four trees from arid Australia. Rangeland Journal 17, 213–227.

Barritt AR, Facelli JM (2001) Effects of Casuarina pauper litter and grove soil on emergence and growth of understorey species in arid lands of South Australia. Journal of Arid Environments 49, 569–579.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Callahan, JT (1991). Long-term ecological research in the United States: a federal perspective. In ‘Long-term ecological research, an international perspective’. pp. 9–21. (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.: New York)

Cannon, WA (1921). ‘Plant habits and habitats in the arid portions of South Australia.’ (Carnegie Institute of Washington: Washington, DC)

Carrodus BB, Specht RL (1965) Factors affecting the relative distribution of Atriplex vesicaria and Kochia sedifolia (Chenopodiaceae) in the arid zone of South Australia. Australian Journal of Botany 13, 419–433.

Carrodus BB, Specht RL, Jackman ML (1965) The vegetation of Koonamore Station, South Australia. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 89, 41–52.

Clements, FE (1905). ‘Research methods in ecology.’ (University Publishing Co.: Lincoln, NE

Cox JA, Conran JG (1996) The effect of water stress on the reproductive capabilities of the arid zone annuals Erodium crinitum Carolin and E. cicutarium (L.) L’herit. ex Aiton (Geraniaceae). Australian Journal of Ecology 21, 235–240.

Crisp MD (1978) Demography and survival under grazing of three Australian semi-desert shrubs. Oikos 30, 520–528.

Crisp MD, Lange RT (1976) Age structure, distribution and survival under grazing of the arid-zone shrub Acacia burkittii.  Oikos 27, 86–92.

Emmerson LM (1999) Persistence mechanisms of Erodiophyllum elderi, an arid land daisy with a patchy distribution. PhD Thesis (The University of Adelaide.: )

Emmerson LM, Facelli JM (1996) Bluebush mound heights- an indicator of grazing regime? In ‘Focus on the future—the heat is on! The Australian Rangeland Society 9th biennial conference’. Port Augusta, South Australia. (Ed.  LP Hunt , R Sinclair ) pp. 227–228. (The Australian Rangeland Society)


Emmerson LM, Facelli JM, Chesson PL (1996) The effect of grazing on local populations of Erodiophyllum elderi. In ‘Focus on the future—the heat is on! The Australian Rangeland Society 9th biennial conference’. Port Augusta, South Australia. (Ed.  LP Hunt , R Sinclair ) pp. 229–230. (The Australian Rangeland Society)


Franklin JF, Bledsoe CS, Callahan JT (1990) Contributions of the long-term ecological research program. Bioscience 40, 509–524.

Friedel MH (1991) Range condition assessment and the concept of thresholds: a viewpoint. Journal of Range Management 44, 422–426.

Gibbens R, Beck R (1987) Increase in number of dominant plants and dominance classes on a grassland in the northern Chihuahuan desert. Journal of Range Management 40, 136–139.

Gibbens R, Beck R (1988) Changes in grass basal area and forb densities over a 64-year period on grassland types of the Jornada Experimental Range. Journal of Range Management 41, 186–192.

Goldberg DE, Turner RM (1986) Vegetation change and plant demography in permanent plots in the Sonoran Desert (USA). Ecology 67, 695–712.

Green GM (1986) Use of SIR-A and Landsat MSS data in mapping shrub and inter-shrub vegetation at Koonamore, South Australia. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing 52, 659–670.

Greenslade, P (1978). Collembola. CSIRO Division of Land Resources Management, Technical paper No. 4.

Greenslade P (1981) Survival of Collembola in arid environments: observations in South Australia and the Sudan. Journal of Arid Environments 4, 219–228.

Greenslade, PJM (1973). The role of soil fauna in arid shrubland in South Australia. In ‘5th international colloquium on soil zoology’. Prague. pp. 113–119. (Academia, publishing house of the Czechoslovak Academy

Grice AC, Westoby M (1987) Aspects of the dynamics of the seed-banks and seedling populations of Acacia victoriae and Cassia spp. in arid western New South Wales (Australia). Australian Journal of Ecology 12, 209–215.

Griffiths D (1910) A protected stock range in Arizona. Bulletin of the US Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry 177,

Hall EAA, Specht RL, Eardley CM (1964) Regeneration of the vegetation on Koonamore Vegetation Reserve, 1926–1962. Australian Journal of Botany 12, 205–264.

Harrington GN (1986) Herbivore diet in a semi-arid Eucalyptus populnea woodland: 1. Merino sheep. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 26, 413–422.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Harrington GN (1991) Effects of soil moisture on shrub seedling survival in a semi-arid grassland. Ecology 72, 1138–1149.

Harrington GN, Driver MA (1995) The effect of fire and ants on the seed-bank of a shrub in a semi-arid grassland. Australian Journal of Ecology 20, 538–547.

Harrington, GN , Mills, DMD , Pressland, AJ ,  and  Hodgkinson, KC (1984). Semi-arid woodlands. In ‘Management of Australia’s rangelands’. pp. 189–207. (CSIRO: Melbourne)

Hobbie J-E (2003) Scientific accomplishments of the long-term ecological research program: an introduction. Bioscience 53, 17–20.

Kutsche, F ,  and  Lay, B (2003). ‘Field guide to the plants of outback South Australia.’ (Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation: South Australia)

Magnuson, JJ (1995). The invisible present. In ‘Ecological time series’. pp. 448–464. (Chapman and Hall: New York)

Moseby K-E, O’Donnell E (2003) Reintroduction of the greater bilby, Macrotis lagotis (Reid) (Marsupialia: Thylacomyidae), to northern South Australia: survival, ecology and notes on reintroduction protocols. Wildlife Research 30, 15–27.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Nelson EW (1930) Methods of studying shrubby plants in relation to grazing. Ecology 11, 764.

Noble IR (1977) Long-term biomass dynamics in an arid shrub chenopod community at Koonamore, South Australia. Australian Journal of Botany 25, 639–653.

Noble, IR (1986). The dynamics of range ecosystems. In ‘Rangelands: a resource under siege’. pp. 3–5. (Australian Academy of Science: Canberra)

Noble IR, Crisp MD (1980) Germination and growth models of short-lived grass and forb populations based on long-term photopoint data at Koonamore, South Australia. Israel Journal of Botany 28, 195–210.

O’Connor TG, Roux PW (1995) Vegetation changes (1949–71) in a semi-arid, grassy dwarf shrubland in the Karoo, South Africa: influence of rainfall variability and grazing by sheep. Journal of Applied Ecology 32, 612–626.

Osborn TGB (1925) On the ecology of the vegetation of arid Australia. No.1. Introduction and general description of the Koonamore Reserve for the study of the saltbush flora. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 49, 290–297.

Osborn TGB (1926) The factors influencing the regeneration of vegetation in the arid parts of Australia, with special reference to the pastoral industry. Australian Association for the Advancement of Science 18, 823–824.

Osborn TGB (1931) Report to the council of the University of Adelaide. The University of Adelaide, U/A archives Series 150, Adelaide.

Osborn TGB, Wood JG (1923) On some halophytic and non-halophytic plant communities in arid South Australia. Transactions and proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia 47, 388–399.

Osborn TGB, Wood JG, Paltridge TB (1931) On the autecology of Stipa nitida, a study of a fodder grass in arid Australia. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of NSW 56, 299–324.

Osborn TGB, Wood JG, Paltridge TB (1932) On the growth and reaction to grazing of the perennial saltbush, Atriplex vesicarium. An ecological study of the biotic factor. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of NSW 57, 377–402.

Osborn TGB, Wood JG, Paltridge TB (1935) On the climate and vegetation of the Koonamore Vegetation Reserve to 1931. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of NSW 60, 392–427.

Rogers RW (1974) Lichens from the T.G.B. Osborn Vegetation Reserve at Koonamore in arid South Australia. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 98, 113–123.

Sampson AW, Malmsten HE (1926) Grazing periods and forage production on the national forests. US Department of Agriculture Bulletin 1405,

Sandell PR (2002) Implications of rabbit haemorrhagic disease for the short-term recovery of semi-arid woodland communities in north-west Victoria. Wildlife Research 29, 591–598.

Silander JA (1983) Demographic variation in the Australian desert cassia under grazing pressure. Oecologia 60, 227–233.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Sinclair R (1984) The T.G.B. Osborn Reserve, Koonamore. Range Management Newsletter 84, 11–12.

Sinclair, R (1986). The T.G.B. Osborn Vegetation Reserve at Koonamore: long-term observations of changes in arid vegetation. In ‘Rangelands, a resource under siege’. pp. 67–68. (Australian Academy of Science: Canberra)

Sinclair R (1996) Mulga regeneration at Koonamore. In ‘Conference papers, 9th biennial Australian rangelands conference: focus on the future–the heat is on’. (Australian Rangeland Society: Port Augusta, SA)


Sinclair R (2004) Persistence of dead trees and fallen timber in the arid zone: 76 years of data from the T.G.B. Osborn Vegetation Reserve, Koonamore, South Australia. Rangeland Journal 26, 111–122.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Sinclair R, Thomas DA (1970) Optical properties of leaves of some species in arid South Australia. Australian Journal of Botany 18, 261–273.

Stafford Smith DM, Morton SR (1990) A framework for the ecology of arid Australia. Journal of Arid Environments 18, 255–278.

Trumble, HC ,  and  Woodroffe, K (1954). The influence of climatic factors on the reaction of desert shrubs to grazing by sheep. In ‘Biology of deserts. The proceedings of a symposium on the biology of hot and cold deserts organised by the Institute of Biology’. pp. 129–147. (Institute of Biology: London)

Turner RM (1990) Long-term vegetation change at a fully protected Sonoran (Mexico) desert site. Ecology 71, 464–477.

Watson IW, Burnside DG, Holm AMcR (1996) Event-driven or continuous; which is the better model for managers? Rangeland Journal 18, 351–369.

Watson IW, Westoby M, Holm AMcR (1997a) Continuous and episodic components of demographic change in arid zone shrubs: models of two Eremophila species from Western Australia compared with published data on other species. Journal of Ecology 85, 833–846.

Watson IW, Westoby M, Holm AMcR (1997b) Demography of two shrub species from an arid grazed ecosystem in Western Australia, 1983–1993. Journal of Ecology 85, 815–832.

West L (1997) Age structure and population studies on two subspecies of Senna artemesioides (desert cassia, punty bush) on Koonamore Station, South Australia. BSc(Honours) Thesis (The University of Adelaide.: )

Westoby, M (1991). On long-term ecological research in Australia. In ‘Long-term ecological research’. pp. 191–209. (John Wiley & Sons Ltd: Chichester, UK, New York)

White, J (1985). The census of plants in vegetation. In ‘The population structure of vegetation’. pp. 33–88. (Dr W. Junk Publishers: Dortrecht, The Netherlands)

Wiegand T, Milton SJ, Wissel C (1995) A simulation model for a shrub ecosystem in the semiarid Karoo, South Africa. Ecology 76, 2205–2221.

Wood JG (1936) Regeneration of the vegetation on the Koonamore Vegetation Reserve, 1926 to 1936. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 60, 96–111.

Wotton NJ (1993) Aspects of the autecology of the pearl bluebush, Maireana sedifolia. PhD Thesis (The University of Adelaide: )