The ecology of the Rutaceae in the Sydney region of south-eastern Australia : poorly known ecology of a neglected family

  • The Rutaceae is an important worldwide family. In Australia, members of the family have radiated across the landscape from rainforests, moist and dry eucalypt forests, heaths, alpine areas and deserts. Some 71 native taxa (in 14 genera) of Rutaceae occur in the Sydney Region, representing some 3% of the native vascular plant flora of the region. Species richness is greatest in heaths, woodlands and dry forests on sandstone derived soils. A number of species occur in moist forest, while a few species occur in riparian forests, rainforests or forests on clay soils or soils derived from granite. The most species rich genera are Boronia and Zieria (both 18 species). Fifteen species in the region are rare or threatened at the state or national level, with a further 2 species poorly known and likely candidates as threatened species. There are 17 species endemic to the Sydney region, 11 of which are rare or threatened. Most species flower in winter to spring with seeds released in October to December. There are two basic modes of dispersal in the family in the Sydney Region. Firstly, a few species, generally associated with rainforests, disperse seeds widely via fleshy fruits that are taken by birds and probably mammals. Secondly, most Rutaceae species have limited dispersal ability and have short range initial ballistic dispersal of seeds from fruits at maturity followed by secondary seed dispersal primarily by ants. In this latter group, seeds are generally dispersed less than a few metres. There is a high level of seed dormancy at seed release. Members of the Rutaceae are likely to have persistent soil seedbanks with germination linked to fire, except perhaps for species in rainforest or rainforest margins (where the nature of possible seedbanks is unknown). Heating of the soil during fire is one mechanism for breaking seed dormancy and allowing germination. Other mechanisms, i.e. smoke and the interaction of fire related germination cues may also be important. Fire is a widespread disturbance affecting vegetation in the Sydney Region. Within the Rutaceae in the Sydney region, a mixture of fire-sensitive and resprouting species occur, although details for many species are lacking. To maintain the floristic diversity in the family, effective management of such plant communities requires sufficient times between fires for seedlings to flower and replenish the soil seedbanks, as well as for juveniles of resprouting species to become fire-resistant. The ecology of Rutaceae species remains poorly understood, a pattern typical across Australia, with a few notable exceptions. There have been no comprehensive demographic studies of members of the family in Sydney, and only limited attempts to examine aspects of the biology of the species in the family. In particular, the seed biology and ecology of the family and the impact of fire on species are poorly understood. This review poses a number of questions for research on members of the Rutaceae.

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Metadaten
Author:Tony D. Auld
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-368070
ISSN:0727-9620
Parent Title (English):Cunninghamia : a journal of plant ecology for eastern Australia
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Date of Publication (online):2015/01/29
Year of first Publication:2001
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2015/01/29
Volume:7
Issue:2
Page Number:28
First Page:213
Last Page:239
HeBIS-PPN:36772023X
Dewey Decimal Classification:5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 58 Pflanzen (Botanik) / 580 Pflanzen (Botanik)
Sammlungen:Sammlung Biologie / Sondersammelgebiets-Volltexte
Zeitschriften / Jahresberichte:Cunninghamia : A Journal of Plant Ecology for Eastern Australia / Cunninghamia : A Journal of Plant Ecology for Eastern Australia, Volume 7, Issue 2 (2001)
:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-365255
Licence (German):License LogoDeutsches Urheberrecht