Australian Journal of Botany
Volume 70
Number 5 2022
Solanum papaverifolium was subjected to fire and monitored for a period of 5 months in a subtropical grassland. Fire increased survival, vegetative recruitment, flowering and fruiting. Solanum papaverifolium seems to be adapted to fire but it may not be necessary for its persistence.
Translocations, the augmentation or establishment of new populations, are a valuable management tool for plants at a risk of extinction. The source of propagation material is an important consideration to ensure that these populations persist. Using a mix of source populations didn’t necessarily increase genetic diversity or improve seed fitness for the threatened daisy Schoenia filifolia subsp. filifolia. Whilst planting more seedlings from the same source population is a suitable management strategy, mixing source populations should also be considered.
Knowledge of patterns of population genetic structure and genetic diversity can tell us about the evolutionary history of plant species and of the landscapes where they occur. Mirbelia viminalis shows evidence of historical population persistence and connectivity via both seed and pollen dispersal that becomes increasingly limited with geographic distance across the Hamersley Range in the Pilbara bioregion. Historical population persistence may be common for other members of the Fabaceae across the ancient arid landscape of the Hamersley Range.
The critically endangered Banksia conferta, known in New South Wales from a single aging population in former production forests, has shown low seed production over recent years and is declining. Much of its habitat has remained unburnt for over 50 years, and it is unclear whether fire absence or low pollinator populations are driving this decline. Motion-detection cameras identified considerable pollinator activity, and when coupled with analysis of Banksia demography data, imply that fire is needed to replenish populations.
Regeneration from seed and resprouting are life-history strategies used by plants in fire-prone landscapes; however, for some species there is a limited understanding of how different factors influence post-fire response. We studied post-fire seedling germination and resprouting in Allocasuarina verticillata. Post-fire seedling germination was influenced by inter-fire interval, whereas resprouting was influenced by the degree of tree burn and varied considerably between sites. Our results suggested that A. verticillata primarily relies on seedling germination for population persistence post-fire, which may make it vulnerable to drastic changes in fire frequency.
Dr Beth Gott, a legendary Australian botanist, passed away recently aged 99. Her contribution to botanical research and teaching was exceptional, at Universities in Australia, the UK, the USA and Hong Kong. Her pioneering studies in the use of native plants by Australian aboriginal peoples are classics of the ethnobotanical literature.
, John Matthew Dwyer 
