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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 31(4)

The influence of individual native trees and grazing regime on soil properties and groundcover patterns in a temperate landscape of New South Wales, Australia

Phoebe Barnes A C , Brian R. Wilson A B , Chris Nadolny A B and Ivor Growns B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.

B Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, PO Box U221, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: pbarnes@une.edu.au

The Rangeland Journal 31(4) 405-415 https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ09017
Submitted: 12 March 2009  Accepted: 24 August 2009   Published: 27 November 2009

Abstract

Scattered native trees are a significant ecological resource across the agricultural landscape, yet their numbers are declining due to factors such as dieback, senescence and agricultural activity. This study examined the interactions among Eucalyptus melliodora (Cunn. ex Schauer) trees, vegetation composition and selected surface soil chemical properties in grazed and ungrazed paddocks on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. Four farms on granite soils were examined in grazed and ungrazed treatments. Vegetation composition was assessed, and soil samples were collected in plots beneath the canopy and in adjacent open areas in both north and south directions of the tree canopy.

Native grasses dominated the vegetation in both beneath the canopy and open areas, at both grazed and ungrazed sites. However, their composition varied between farms. Several C3 and C4 grasses contributed to the groundcover of the canopy and open sites, but C3 grasses were generally more common under the canopy. Significant differences occurred in soil C, N, P and pH, and vegetation composition between canopy and open areas, and between grazed and ungrazed treatments. Soil P, C and N contents in grazed sites were typically similar to or higher than those in ungrazed sites, and soils were less acid in the ungrazed compared with grazed sites. All soil parameters measured were significantly higher under tree canopies, except P. The tree, soil and vegetation factors were strongly related. This study confirms that individual scattered trees create a distinct mosaic of localised soil improvement, and influence vegetation composition so that paddocks with trees are floristically more diverse than paddocks without trees. The results illustrate the potential benefits of retaining trees for both biodiversity values and livestock production in Australia.

Additional keywords: C3 grasses, C4 grasses, Eucalyptus melliodora, soil C, soil N, soil P, soil pH, vegetation–soil interactions.


Acknowledgements

The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the various landholders in the Armidale region for allowing access to their land for soil and vegetation sampling. Thanks also to Dr Lachlan Copeland for assistance in plant identification, Dr Darren Ryder and Leopold Bayerlein for their general assistance, and lastly the anonymous reviewers who helped to improve this report.


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Appendix 1.  List of understorey species and their presence in canopy ungrazed, open ungrazed, canopy grazed or open grazed across all sites (*denotes exotic species)
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