Distribution of Grass Species and Attributes of Grasses Near a Bore Drain in a Grazed Semi-arid Subtropical Grassland

Abstract

The distribution of grass species and a selection of attributes of those species were related to distance from water in an otherwise natural, sheep-grazed, semi-arid, subtropical grassland at Glencoban Station near Cunnamulla in south-western Queensland, Australia. Twenty common species could be classified as decreaser, increaser or neutral with respect to stocking pressure based on distribution patterns with respect to distance from water. No species known to be introduced to Australia were present. The occurrence of a diversity of vegetative and diaspore attributes and carbon assimilation pathways were also shown to be related to stocking pressure. The attributes studied showed autocorrelation in two groups, which related to the higher level taxonomy of the grasses and to response to stocking. Chloridoid grasses increase and andropogonoid grasses decrease under high stocking pressure. In this grassland, which has no introduced species, a syndrome of stocking-related attributes can be discerned.