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This paper contributes to the understanding of vocal folds oscillation during phonation. In order to test theoretical models of phonation, a new experimental set-up using a deformable vocal folds replica is presented. The replica is shown to be able to produce self sustained oscillations under controlled experimental conditions. Therefore different parameters, such as those related to elasticity, to acoustical coupling or to the subglottal pressure can be quantitatively studied. In this work we focused on the oscillation fundamental frequency and the upstream pressure in order to start (on-set threshold) either end (off-set threshold) oscillations in presence of a downstream acoustical resonator. As an example, it is shown how this data can be used in order to test the theoretical predictions of a simple one-mass model.
A visual articulatory model and its application to therapy
of speech disorders : a pilot study
(2005)
A visual articulatory model based on static MRI-data of isolated sounds and its application in therapy of speech disorders is described. The model is capable of generating video sequences of articulatory movements or still images of articulatory target positions within the midsagittal plane. On the basis of this model (1) a visual stimulation technique for the therapy of patients suffering from speech disorders and (2) a rating test for visual recognition of speech movements was developed. Results indicate that patients produce recognition rates above level of chance already without any training and that patients are capable of increasing their recognition rate over the time course of therapy significantly.
In order to investigate the articulatory processes of the hasty and mumbled speech of clutterers, the kinematic variability was analysed by means of electromagnetic midsagittal articulography (EMMA). In contrast to stutterers, clutterers improve their intelligibility by concentrating on their speech task. Variability is an important criterion in comparable studies of stuttering and is discussed in terms of the stability of the speech motor system. The aim of the current study was to analyse the spatial and temporal variability in the speech of three clutterers and three control speakers. All speakers were native speakers of German. The speech material consisted of repetitive CV-syllables and foreign words, because clutterers have the most severe problems with long words which have a complex syllable structure. The results showed a higher quotient of variation for clutterers in the foreign word production. For the syllable repetition task, no significant differences between clutterers and controls were found. The extremely large and variable displacements were interpreted as a strategy that helps clutterers to improve the intelligibility of their speech.
This paper summarizes our research efforts in functional modelling of the relationship between the acoustic properties of vowels and perceived vowel quality. Our model is trained on 164 short steady-state stimuli. We measured F1, F2, and additionally F0 since the effect of F0 on perceptual vowel height is evident. 40 phonetically skilled subjects judged vowel quality using the Cardinal Vowel diagram. The main focus is on refining the model and describing its transformation properties between the F1/F2 formant chart and the Cardinal Vowel diagram. An evaluation of the model based on 48 additional vowels showed the generalizability of the model and confirmed that it predicts perceived vowel quality with sufficient accuracy.
We measure face deformations during speech production using a motion capture system, which provides 3D coordinate data of about 60 markers glued on the speaker's face. An arbitrary orthogonal factor analysis followed by a principal component analysis (together called a guided PCA) of the data has showed that the first 6 factors explain about 90% of the variance, for each of our 3 speakers. The 6 derived factors, therefore, allow us to efficiently analyze or to reconstruct with a reasonable accuracy the observed face deformations. Since these factors can be interpreted in articulatory terms, they can reveal underlying articulatory organizations. The comparison of lip gestures in terms of data derived factors suggests that these speakers differently maneuver the lips to achieve contrast between /s/ and /R/. Such inter-speaker variability can occur because the acoustic contrast of these fricatives is shaped not only by the lip tube but also by cavities inside the mouth such as the sublingual cavity. In other words, these tube and cavity can acoustically compensate each other to produce their required acoustic properties.
The contribution of von Kempelen's "Mechanism of Speech" to the 'phonetic sciences' will be analyzed with respect to his theoretical reasoning on speech and speech production on the one hand and on the other in connection with his practical insights during his struggle in constructing a speaking machine. Whereas in his theoretical considerations von Kempelen's view is focussed on the natural functioning of the speech organs – cf. his membraneous glottis model – in constructing his speaking machine he clearly orientates himself towards the auditory result – cf. the bag pipe model for the sound generator used for the speaking machine instead. Concerning vowel production his theoretical description remains questionable, but his practical insight that vowels and speech sounds in general are only perceived correctly in connection with their surrounding sounds – i.e. the discovery of coarticulation – is clearly a milestone in the development of the phonetic sciences: He therefore dispenses with the Kratzenstein tubes, although they might have been based on more thorough acoustic modelling.
Finally, von Kempelen's model of speech production will be discussed in relation to the discussion of the acoustic nature of vowels afterwards [Willis and Wheatstone as well as von Helmholtz and Hermann in the 19th century and Stumpf, Chiba & Kajiyama as well as Fant and Ungeheuer in the 20th century].
In order to understand the functional morphology of the human voice producing system, we are in need of data on the vocal tract anatomy of other mammalian species. The larynges and vocal tracts of four species of Artiodactyla were investigated in combination with acoustic analyses of their respective calls. Different evolutionary specializations of laryngeal characters may lead to similar effects on sound production. In the investigated species, such specializations are: the elongation and mass increase of the vocal folds, the volume increase of the laryngeal vestibulum by an enlarged thyroid cartilage and the formation of laryngeal ventricles. Both the elongation of the vocal folds and the increase of the oscillating masses lower the fundamental frequency. The influence of an increased volume of the laryngeal vestibulum on sound production remains unclear. The anatomical and acoustic results are presented together with considerations about the habitats and the mating systems of the respective species.
Four speakers repeated 8 times 15 sentences containing 'pVp' syllables (V being /a/, /i/ and /u/). The 'pVp' syllables were located in final, penultimate and antepenultimate position relatively to the Intonational Phrase (IP) boundary. They were embedded in lexical words of 1-3 syllables and were either word-initial or word-final. Results show that the closer the vowel in word-final position is to the IP boundary, the longer the duration and the higher the fundamental frequency of the vowel; it is also characterised by larger lip opening gestures. The potential reduction or coarticulation of vowels in wordinitial position compared to their counterparts in word-final position is discussed.
Articulatory token-to-token variability not only depends on linguistic aspects like the phoneme inventory of a given language but also on speaker specific morphological and motor constraints. As has been noted previously (Perkell (1997), Mooshammer et al. (2004)), speakers with coronally high "domeshaped" palates exhibit more articulatory variability than speakers with coronally low "flat" palates. One explanation for that is based on perception oriented control by the speaker. The influence of articulatory variation on the cross sectional area and consequently on the acoustics should be greater for flat palates than for domeshaped ones. This should force speakers with flat palates to place their tongue very precisely whereas speakers with domeshaped palates might tolerate a greater variability. A second explanation could be a greater amount of lateral linguo-palatal contact for flat palates holding the tongue in position. In this study both hypotheses were tested.
In order to investigate the influence of the palate shape on the variability of the acoustic output a modelling study was carried out. Parallely, an EPG experiment was conducted in order to investigate the relationship between palate shape, articulatory variability and linguo-palatal contact.
Results from the modelling study suggest that the acoustic variability resulting from a certain amount of articulatory variability is higher for flat palates than for domeshaped ones. Results from the EPG experiment with 20 speakers show that (1.) speakers with a flat palate exhibit a very low articulatory variability whereas speakers with a domeshaped palate vary, (2.) there is less articulatory variability if there is lots of linguo-palatal contact and (3.) there is no relationship between the amount of lateral linguo-palatal contact and palate shape. The results suggest that there is a relationship between token-to-token variability and palate shape, however, it is not that the two parameters correlate, but that speakers with a flat palate always have a low variability because of constraints of the variability range of the acoustic output whereas speakers with a domeshaped palate may choose the degree of variability. Since linguo-palatal contact and variability correlate it is assumed that linguo-palatal contact is a means for reducing the articulatory variability.
The author presents MASSY, the MODULAR AUDIOVISUAL SPEECH SYNTHESIZER. The system combines two approaches of visual speech synthesis. Two control models are implemented: a (data based) di-viseme model and a (rule based) dominance model where both produce control commands in a parameterized articulation space. Analogously two visualization methods are implemented: an image based (video-realistic) face model and a 3D synthetic head. Both face models can be driven by both the data based and the rule based articulation model.
The high-level visual speech synthesis generates a sequence of control commands for the visible articulation. For every virtual articulator (articulation parameter) the 3D synthetic face model defines a set of displacement vectors for the vertices of the 3D objects of the head. The vertices of the 3D synthetic head then are moved by linear combinations of these displacement vectors to visualize articulation movements. For the image based video synthesis a single reference image is deformed to fit the facial properties derived from the control commands. Facial feature points and facial displacements have to be defined for the reference image. The algorithm can also use an image database with appropriately annotated facial properties. An example database was built automatically from video recordings. Both the 3D synthetic face and the image based face generate visual speech that is capable to increase the intelligibility of audible speech.
Other well known image based audiovisual speech synthesis systems like MIKETALK and VIDEO REWRITE concatenate pre-recorded single images or video sequences, respectively. Parametric talking heads like BALDI control a parametric face with a parametric articulation model. The presented system demonstrates the compatibility of parametric and data based visual speech synthesis approaches.
The goal of our current project is to build a system that can learn to imitate a version of a spoken utterance using an articulatory speech synthesiser. The approach is informed and inspired by knowledge of early infant speech development. Thus we expect our system to reproduce and exploit the utility of infant behaviours such as listening, vocal play, babbling and word imitation. We expect our system to develop a relationship between the sound-making capabilities of its vocal tract and the phonetic/phonological structure of imitated utterances. At the heart of our approach is the learning of an inverse model that relates acoustic and motor representations of speech. The acoustic to auditory mappings uses an auditory filter bank and a self-organizing phase of learning. The inverse model from auditory to vocal tract control parameters is estimated using a babbling phase, in which the vocal tract is essentially driven in a random manner, much like the babbling phase of speech acquisition in infants. The complete system can be used to imitate simple utterances through a direct mapping from sound to control parameters. Our initial results show that this procedure works well for sounds generated by its own voice. Further work is needed to build a phonological control level and achieve better performance with real speech.
It is one of the most highly debated issues in loanword phonology whether loanword adaptations are phonologically or phonetically driven. This paper addresses this issue and aims at demonstrating that only the acceptance of both a phonological as well as a phonetic approximation stance can adequately account for the data found in Japanese. This point will be exemplified with the adaptation of German and French mid front rounded vowels in Japanese. It will be argued that the adaptation of German /oe/ and /ø/ as Japanese /e/ is phonologically grounded, whereas the adaptation of French /oe/ and /ø/ as Japanese /u/ is phonetically grounded. This asymmetry in the adaptation process of German and French mid front rounded vowels and further examples of loans in Japanese lead to the only conclusion that both strategies of loanword adaptation occur in languages. It will be shown that not only perception, but also the influence of orthography, of conventions and the knowledge of the source language play a role in the adaptation process.
The purpose of this dissertation is to defend the idea that the empirical responsibilities of binding theory can be handled in a more psychologically and historically realistic way when assigned to the field of pragmatics. In particular, I wish to show that Optimality Theory (OT) (Prince & Smolensky, 1993), the stochastic OT and Gradual Learning Algorithm of Boersma (1998), the Recoverability of OT of Wilson (2001) and Buchwald et al. (2002), and the bidirectional OT of Blutner (2000b) and Bidirectional Gradual Learning Algorithm of Jäger (2003a) can all participate in a formal framework in which one can formally spell out and justify the idea that the distributional behavior of bound pronouns and reflexivs is a pragmatic phenomenon.
This study investigates supralaryngeal mechanisms of the two way voicing contrast among German velar stops and the three way contrast among Korean velar stops, both in intervocalic position. Articulatory data won via electromagnetic articulography of three Korean speakers and acoustic recordings of three Korean and three German speakers are analysed. It was found that in both languages the voicing contrast is created by more than one mechanism. However, one can say that for Korean velar stops in intervocalic position stop closure duration is the most important parameter. For German it is closure voicing. The results support the phonological description proposed by Kohler (1984).
Spatial interpolation of rain gauge data is important in forcing of hydrological simulations or evaluation of weather predictions, for example. The spatial density of available data sites is often changing with time. This paper investigates the application of statistical distance, like one minus common variance of time series, between data sites instead of geographical distance in interpolation. Here, as a typical representative of interpolation methods the inverse distance weighting interpolation is applied and the test data is daily precipitation observed in Austria. Choosing statistical distance instead of geographical distance in interpolation of an actually available coarse observation network yields more robust interpolation results at sites of a denser network with actually lacking observations. The performance enhancement is in or close to mountainous terrain. This has the potential to parsimoniously densify the currently available observation network. Additionally, the success further motivates search for conceptual rain-orography interaction models as components of spatial rain interpolation algorithms in mountainous terrain.
Book Reviews
(2005)
Eighteen taxa are proposed as new synonyms in this study. Barbula calycina Schwägr. and Tortula ruraliformis (Besch.) Ingham are reported new for China. The types of Barbula pugionata Müll. Hal. and Streblotrichum gracillimum Herzog could not be located; comments on these two taxa are given. Barbula pugionata is considered as a questionable synonym of Syntrichia gemmascens (P.C. Chen) R.H. Zander. Streblotrichum gracillimum is Bellibarbula recurva (Griff.) R.H. Zander. Fruiting specimens of Didymodon giganteus (Funck) Jur., Didymodon leskeoides K. Saito and Didymodon subandreaeoides (Kindb.) R.H. Zander are reported from the Himalayas. Didymodon subandreaeoides and Bryoerythrophyllum rubrum (Geh.) P.C. Chen are reported new for Mongolia. Didymodon hastatus (Mitt.) R.H. Zander replaces Didymodon maschalogena (Renauld & Cardot) Broth. Barbula subcontorta Broth. is here viewed as Didymodon tectorum (Müll. Hal.) K. Saito: the latter is a distinct species.
A bryophyte checklist of the Ecological Reserve of Gurjaú (08º10’00'’-08º15’00"S; 35º02’30"- 35º05’00"W), a remnant of the Atlantic Forest in the State of Pernambuco, has been compiled. The Reserve covers an area of approximately 1362 ha, including several forest fragments of diverse sizes and stages of conservation. Specimens collected during the years 2000 and 2001, and voucher specimens from the UFP Herbarium at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) were analyzed. Bryophytes were collected on live and dead trunks, rocks, leaves and soil. The studied bryoflora is composed of 53 species of liverworts, 37 species of mosses and one hornwort. Among the twenty-three registered families, Lejeuneaceae (41 spp.) was the most representative one with the highest generic and specific richness, which confirms its status as predominant in tropical rain forests. Fissidens (7 spp.), Lejeunea and Cheilolejeunea (6 spp.), and Calymperes (4 spp.) were the most representative genera. The studied bryoflora is predominantly composed of species of neotropical distribution, widely spread throughout Brazil. The presence of an endemic species of the Atlantic Forest, Vitalianthus bichlerianus (Pôrto & Grolle) Schust. & Giancotti, and some other exclusively Brazilian species, e.g., Riccardia regnellii (Ängstr.) Hell have been recorded from the site.
The diversity of bryophytes on the different islands of the Azores varies much between 104 and 324 species. Attempts have been made to explain the heterogenity of the bryoflora. There is a correlation between species numbers and age of the islands in the way that the youngest islands (Pico) has the lowest species numbers in spite of the fact that it is the highest island. The species numbers of the other islands are correlated with the maximum elevation and with the size of the islands. The liverwort-moss ratio varies between 1.21 and 1.67 and shows a distinct humidity gradient between the islands. The floristic affinities between the islands are calculated by a cluster analysis. They show no correlation with the location of the islands (nearest neighbour), size, age, elevation or species numbers, which indicates that the species composition is mainly determined by chance. Ten species (2,3%) are endemic to the Azores and 14 species (including one genus) are endemic to the Macaronesian Islands. Some of the endemics are questionable, others may occur elsewhere in the tropics under a different name, but there is fossil prove that the others are relicts from the Tertiary which survived extinction during Quaternary in Europe.
An account of the bryological activities on the Azores is given. Three phases can be distinguished: one at the end of the 19. century, when first collections of non-bryologists were made, which resulted in the discovery of less than one third of the presently known species and the description of many so called endemics. A second phase in the thirties of the 20. century is characterized by an intensive collecting activity of some bryologists, which enormously raised the species numbers. In a third phase at the end of the 20. century, tourism as well as activities of local bryologists raised again the species numbers. Revisions of genera reduced the number of endemic species and revisions of herbarium specimens of doubtful records even reduced the species numbers of hepatics.
Lepidozia stuhlmannii, L. pearsonii, Atrichum tenellum, Bryum lanatum, Campylopus subulatus, Ceratodon stenocarpus, Polytrichum commune var. humile and Thuidium delicatulum are reported as new to the Azores. The record of Sphagnum pylaisii from Terceira is referred to a monoclade expression of S. denticulatum. The presence of the North American Leucobryum albidum on the Azores is confirmed and the distinguishing characters between this species and Leucobryum juniperoideum are discussed. The recently described Thamnobryum rudolphianum is reported another time from Terceira. Campylopus brevipilus and Racomitrium aquaticum are reported as new to Pico.
This catalogue contains literature reports and new records of Costa Rican Hepaticae and Anthocerotae, proceeding from monographs, revisions, floristic inventories, ecological bryophyte studies and herbarium specimens. The nomenclature has been updated in several genera. A total of 582 hepatic and eight hornwort species are reported from Costa Rica. The present work adds 26 new species records, and excludes 49 dubious records. Three new synonyms are proposed: Taxilejeunea carinata Herzog (=Lejeunea anomala Lindenb. & Gottsche); Taxilejeunea standleyi Herzog (=T. obtusangula [Spruce] A. Evans) and Syzygiella gracillima Herzog (=S. perfoliata [Sw.] Spruce).
Fifty-five mosses are newly recorded for Bolivia. Additional collection data are given for twelve mosses considered little known or rare in the country. Six new synonyms are recognized, five from Bolivia, one from Brazil: Hookeria scabripes Müll. Hal. [Callicostella scabripes (Müll. Hal.) Broth.] = Callicostella pallida (Hornsch.) Ångstr.; Leucobryum fragile Herzog = Leucobryum subobtusifolium (Broth.) B.H. Allen; Macromitrium pinnulatum Herzog = Macromitrium microstomum (Hook. & Grev.) Schwägr.; Schlotheimia vesiculata Herzog [Macromitrium vesiculatum (Herzog) Herzog] = Macromitrium stellulatum (Hornsch.) Brid.; Cyclodictyon breve Herzog = Cyclodictyon albicans (Hedw.) Kuntze; and from Brazil: Callicostella paludicola Broth. = Callicostella merkelii (Hornsch.) A. Jaeger. Three new combinations are proposed: Entosthodon subaloma (Herzog) S.P. Churchill (Goniobryum subaloma Herzog), Syntrichia xerophila (Herzog) S.P. Churchill (Tortula xerophila Herzog), Thamniopsis lepidopiloides (Herzog) S.P. Churchill (Hookeriopsis lepidopiloides Herzog).
Although occupying almost half the area of Brazil, the northern region of the country remains poorly known bryologically. In an attempt to help remedy this problem, a collecting trip was made to Jalapão Desert, located in the state of Tocantins. A total of 22 taxa were found, 21 are new occurrences to the state and three are new to the northern region of Brazil. Bryum caespiticium Hedw. is listed for the second time from Brazil. A list of the taxa with references of descriptions and illustrations are provided.
The Distrito Federal, one of the most important centers of plant endemism in central Brazil, is located in the center of Brazil, with an area of 5,814 km2 at coordinates 15o30’ S, 16o03’W. Cerrado vegetation covers the region. The main city in the Distrito Federal is Brasília, the capital of Brazil with a population of 2.5 million. In the last two decades the anthropogenic action has reduced the original plant cover drastically. In this paper a checklist of the bryophytes (Marchantiophyta, Bryophyta and Anthocerotophyta) is presented. A total of 176 species are listed, 114 among Bryophyta, 61 among Marchantiophyta and 1 in the Anthocerotophyta. The families best represented are the Bryaceae and Sematophyllaceae (Bryophyta), and the Jubulaceae and Lejeuneaceae (Marchantiophya).
Fissidens harringtonii from Sierra Leone and F. artsii from Réunion are newly described and illustrated. The taxonomic position of F. harringtonii and F. integerrimus Mitten in Hook.f & Wilson, with which it is compared, is discussed. Fissidens artsii is compared to F. ovatifolius R.Ruthe and F. sublimbatus Grout.
A systematic, literature-based compilation of bryophytes of Réunion Island has been made, with the additional examination of herbarium specimens. The list of 148 genera and 404 species and infraspecific taxa of mosses and 87 genera and 241 species and infraspecific taxa of hepatics and hornworts are here reported, including four mosses reported as new to Réunion.
Nectar secretion was measured at 6-h intervals over a 24-h period in flowers of the Red Bloodwood, Corymbia gummifera (family Myrtaceae). Secretion varied among time periods and among trees. There was no clear diurnal or nocturnal pattern. Flowers produced 0.5–3 µl of dilute nectar (9% concentration) per hour throughout the diel cycle. Standing crops of nectar averaged 1–12.6 µl per flower and also varied temporally and spatially. Flowers were visited by a wide array of nectarivores: insects, birds, gliding possums and bats. Although it is likely that these visitors vary considerably in their effectiveness as pollinators, it would appear that Corymbia gummifera has a generalised pollination system.
Acacia blakei forests and scrubs of north-eastern NSW are described and compared to similar vegetation found in the south-east of the state, primarily dominated by Acacia silvestris. Like those in the south, Northern Wattle Dry Sclerophyll Forests form often discrete stands with abrupt margins on steep slopes in rugged terrain on shallow often rocky soils. The structure is usually of a cohort with stems of an even height and size up to 20 m tall, and a sparse understorey with few grasses, herbs or shrubs. These systems are potentially maintained by infrequent extreme fire events. Notes are made on their management and conservation.
New populations of three threatened mallee species, Eucalyptus castrensis K.D.Hill, Eucalyptus fracta K.D.Hill and Eucalyptus pumila Cambage (all Myrtaceae), have recently been found in the Singleton Military Area in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales (32°45’S, 151°15’E). Each population is significant as they increase the known distribution and total numbers of three highly restricted species. Details of the habitat and size of each additional population are given and conservation notes provided.
Cadellia pentastylis F.Muell., (family Surianaceae), a dry rainforest tree with a conservation listing of Vulnerable at state and national levels, was first collected from the Gunnedah area by the botanical collector J.L. Boorman in 1907. We report the first record of Cadellia pentastylis from the Gunnedah area (30°58’49’’S, 150°15’15’’E) since 1907, and provide details of the community and habitat where it occurs, on the lower slopes of Black Jack Mountain. Although this population is one of the smallest in New South Wales, it is significant as it is at its southern distributional limit, and is found adjacent to semi-evergreen vine thicket, another type of dry rainforest, on the same hillslope. We list the New South Wales occurrences of this species and discuss aspects of its flowering phenology.
Fossil spores preserved on historical archaeological sites at Parramatta and Richmond indicate that two or more species of the quillwort genus Isoetes (family Isoetaceae) were growing along rivers on the Cumberland Plain, west of Sydney, during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Perispore ornamentation indicates the parent plants were related to Isoetes drummondii A.Braun and Isoetes muelleri A.Braun: A possible third species produced microspores that are similar to, but much larger than, the spores produced by modern Isoetes muelleri. Apart from one dubious record, Isoetes has not been found in the Sydney flora or on the New South Wales Central Coast and Central Tablelands botanical subdivisions, but does occur in the Central Western Slopes, and botanical subdivisions to the north of Sydney (North Coast, Northern Tablelands) and south (Southern Tablelands, South-Western Slopes, South-Western Plains), as well as in other States. Our data indicate the present day disjunct distribution of Isoetes in New South Wales is most likely to be due to European settlement. The ability of quillworts to survive moderate levels of disturbance during the early Colonial period raises the possibility that remnant populations may still survive in protected areas on the Cumberland Plain.
The exotic tree species Pinus radiata D. Don (in the family Pinaceae) has successfully spread from commercial plantations into adjacent vegetation in southeastern Australia. Identifying factors facilitating spread will aid the control of current invasions and the prediction of future invasion events. The structure and composition of vegetation can have an important role in determining community resilience to invasion. Two dry eucalypt sclerophyll woodlands in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney known to be invaded by Pinus radiata were surveyed to investigate the influence of eucalypt presence, species diversity, species composition and vegetation cover on the extent and density of invasion. Relationships between community characteristics and the level of pine invasion were weak and variable. Pines were found growing in plots with 0–70% understorey cover and 5–90% ground cover, and in areas of both high and low eucalypt diversity and presence, illustrating the high invasion potential of Pinus radiata.
The vegetation of Culgoa National Park (22 986 ha in area; 29°15’ S, 147°15’ E) in the central north of New South Wales, approximately 40 km west of Goodooga and adjoining the NSW/Queensland border, is described. Six vegetation communities are delineated based on UPGMA analysis of cover-abundance scores of all vascular plant taxa. These communities are mapped based on ground truthing and air photo interpretation. All communities are simple in structure being primarily woodlands, shrublands and grasslands. Communities described are: 1) Eucalyptus coolabah Woodlands, 2) Muehlenbeckia florulenta Shrubby Thickets, 3) Eucalyptus coolabah – Acacia pendula Woodlands & Grasslands, 4) Eucalyptus largiflorens – Eucalyptus coolabah Woodlands, 5) Eucalyptus largiflorens – Alectryon oleifolius Woodlands, 6) Callitris glaucophylla – Eucalyptus populnea Woodlands and Shrublands. A total of 240 vascular plant taxa were found of which 8% were exotic in origin. Conservation issues are discussed.
The vegetation of Warra National Park (29° 29’S, 151° 56’E; 2041 ha in area) and Wattleridge (29°31’S, 151°54’E; 648 ha in area), located approximately 35 km southeast of Glen Innes and 5 km west of Mount Mitchell, within the Guyra and Severn Shires in the New England Tablelands Bioregion NSW, is described. Nine vegetation communities are defined, based on flexible UPGMA analysis of cover-abundance scores of all vascular plant taxa. These communities have been mapped based on analysis of quadrat data, air photo interpretation, substrate variation and ground-truthing.
Communities described are: (1) Leptospermum novae-angliae (New England Tea-tree) – Bursaria spinosa (Blackthorn) Riparian Scrub & Heath, (2) Eucalyptus pauciflora (Snow Gum) – Eucalyptus nova-anglica (New England Peppermint) Woodland, (3) Haloragis heterophylla (Variable Raspwort) – Carex inversa (Sedge) Herbfield, (4) Baeckea omissa (Baeckea) – Leptospermum gregarium (Swamp Tea-tree) Closed Wet Heath, (5) Eucalyptus cameronii (Die-hard Stringybark) – Eucalyptus campanulata (New England Blackbutt) Shrubby Open Forest, (6) Eucalyptus radiata subsp. sejuncta (Narrow-leaved Peppermint) – Eucalyptus acaciiformis (Wattle-leaved Peppermint) Woodland, (7) Eucalyptus cameronii (Die-hard Stringybark) – Eucalyptus caliginosa (Broad-leaved Stringybark) Grassy Open Forest, (8) Eucalyptus nobilis (Manna Gum) – Eucalyptus obliqua (Messmate) Tall Open Forest, and (9) Eucalyptus obliqua (Messmate) – Eucalyptus nobilis (Manna Gum) Tall Open Forest, (10) Leptospermum novae-angliae – Kunzea obovata – Brachyloma saxicola Shrubby Open Scrub and Closed Heath.
Of 11 communities within the area, four should be considered as threatened, while 18 taxa are considered to be of conservation significance.
The Southern Forests study area covers an area of about six million hectares of south-eastern New South Wales, south of Oberon and Kiama and east of Albury and Boorowa (latitude 33° 02’–37 ° 06’ S; longitude 146° 56’ – 147° 06’ E). The total area of existing vegetation mapped was three million hectares (3 120 400 hectares) or about 50% of the study area. Terrestrial, wetland and estuarine vegetation of the Southern Forests region were classified into 206 vegetation groups and mapped at a scale between 1: 25 000 and 1: 100 000. The classification was based on a cluster analysis of detailed field surveys of vascular plants, as well as field knowledge in the absence of field survey data. The primary classification was based on 3740 vegetation samples with full floristics cover abundance data. Additional classifications of full floristics presence-absence and tree canopy data were carried out to guide mapping in areas with few full floristic samples. The mapping of extant vegetation was carried out by tagging vegetation polygons with vegetation codes, guided by expert knowledge, using field survey data classified into vegetation groups, remote sensing, and other environmental spatial data. The mapping of pre-1750 vegetation involved tagging of soils mapping with vegetation codes at 1: 100 000 scale, guided by spatial modelling of vegetation groups using generalised additive statistical models (GAMS), and expert knowledge. Profiles of each of the vegetation groups on the CD-ROM* provide key indicator species, descriptions, statistics and lists of informative plant species.
The 206 vegetation groups cover the full range of natural vegetation, including rainforests, moist eucalypt forests, dry shrub forests, grassy forests, mallee low forests, heathlands, shrublands, grasslands and wetlands. There are 138 groups of Eucalyptus forests or woodlands, 12 rainforest groups, and 46 non-forest groups. Of the 206 groups, 193 were classified and mapped in the study area. Thirteen vegetation groups were not mapped because of their small size and lack of samples, or because they fell outside the study area.
Updated regional extant and pre-1750 vegetation maps of southern New South Wales have been produced in 2005, based on those originally prepared in 2000 for the southern Regional Forest Agreement (RFA). Further validation and remapping of extant vegetation over 10% of the study area has subsequently improved the quality of the vegetation map, and removed some of the errors in the original version. The revised map provides a reasonable representation of native vegetation at a scale between 1: 25 000 and 1: 100 000 across the study area.
In 2005 native vegetation covers 50% of the study area. Environmental pressures on the remaining vegetation include clearing, habitat degradation from weeds and nutrification, severe droughts, changing fire regimes, and urbanisation. Grassy woodlands and forests, temperate grasslands, and coastal and riparian vegetation have been the most reduced in areal extent. Over 90% of the grassy woodlands and temperate grasslands have been lost. Conservation of the remaining vegetation in these formations is problematic because of the small, discontinuous, and degraded nature of the remaining patches of vegetation.
Sclerolaena napiformis is found on fertile plains in northern Victoria and southern New South Wales and is endangered Australia-wide. Introductory work on its germination shows that seeds cannot germinate until the woody fruit has broken down. The seeds tolerate a wide range of temperatures for germination, suggesting that germination occurs regardless of season if sufficient rain falls. Seed ageing effects reduce seed viability, but some seed is still viable after two years storage. Flower buds first appear 21 weeks from germination and some fruits have matured by week 29. In the field, plants die back to their taproots in late autumn and resprout in spring. Ninety percent of tagged plants were still alive two years later. The physiological seed dormancy imposed by an intact fruit wall provides a mechanism for the development of persistent soil seed banks. Work on the ecological significance of such banks is needed. The literature on interactions between Sclerolaena fruit and seed biology and ants is briefly reviewed.
Ecological data in tabular form are provided on 668 plant species of the families Lemnaceae to Zosteraceae, 505 native and 163 exotics, occurring in the Sydney region, defined by the Central Coast and Central Tablelands botanical subdivisions of New South Wales (approximately bounded by Lake Macquarie, Orange, Crookwell and Nowra). Relevant Local Government Areas are Auburn, Ashfield, Bankstown, Bathurst, Baulkham Hills, Blacktown, Blayney, Blue Mountains, Botany, Burwood, Cabonne, Camden, Campbelltown, Canada Bay, Canterbury, Cessnock, Crookwell, Evans, Fairfield, Greater Lithgow, Gosford, Hawkesbury, Holroyd, Hornsby, Hunters Hill, Hurstville, Kiama, Kogarah, Ku-ring-gai, Lake Macquarie, Lane Cove, Leichhardt, Liverpool, Manly, Marrickville, Mosman, Mulwaree, North Sydney, Oberon, Orange, Parramatta, Penrith, Pittwater, Randwick, Rockdale, Ryde, Rylstone, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Singleton, South Sydney, Strathfield, Sutherland, Sydney City, Warringah, Waverley, Willoughby, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly, Wollongong, Woollahra and Wyong. The study area falls within the Sydney Basin IBRA Bioregion.
Families are: Lemnaceae, Liliaceae, Lomandraceae, Luzuriagaceae, Najadaceae, Orchidaceae, Philydraceae, Phormiaceae, Poaceae, Pontederiaceae, Posidoniaceae, Potamogetonaceae, Restionaceae, Ripogonaceae, Smilacaceae, Sparganiaceae, Thismiaceae, Typhaceae, Uvulariaceae, Xanthorrhoeaceae, Xyridaceae, Zingiberaceae, Zosteraceae.
Data are derived from herbarium collections, literature and field observations. It is hoped that the many, often alarming gaps in the information available will stimulate much-needed research into the ecology of more of the species. Information is provided so far as available to us for each plant species in the following categories:
Life History: Growth form, vegetative spread, longevity, primary juvenile period (time from germination to fruiting), reproduction, flowering and fruiting times, fruit/seed type, dispersal, establishment and growth, fire response, interaction with other organisms.
Distribution: Status/origin (native/naturalised), botanical subregions, distribution in Sydney area, selected locations.
Habitat: Habitat, altitude, annual rainfall, typical local abundance, vegetation, substrate, exposure.
Conservation: Conservation status.
The Orchidaceae are one of the largest and most diverse families of flowering plants. Orchids grow as terrestrial, lithophytic, epiphytic or climbing herbs but most orchids native to the Sydney Region can be placed in one of two categories. The first consists of terrestrial, deciduous plants that live in fire-prone environments, die back seasonally to dormant underground root tubers, possess exclusively subterranean roots, which die off as the plants become dormant, and belong to the subfamily Orchidoideae. The second consists of epiphytic or lithophytic, evergreen plants that live in fire-free environments, either lack specialised storage structures or possess succulent stems or leaves that are unprotected from fire, possess aerial roots that grow over the surface of, or free of, the substrate, and which do not die off seasonally, and belong to the subfamily Epidendroideae.
Orchid seeds are numerous and tiny, lacking cotyledons and endosperm and containing minimal nutrient reserves. Although the seeds of some species can commence germination on their own, all rely on infection by mycorrhizal fungi, which may be species-specific, to grow beyond the earliest stages of development. Many epidendroid orchids are viable from an early stage without their mycorrhizal fungi but most orchidoid orchids rely, at least to some extent, on their mycorrhizal fungi throughout their lives. Some are completely parasitic on their fungi and have lost the ability to photosynthesize. Some orchids parasitize highly pathogenic mycorrhizal fungi and are thus indirectly parasitic on other plants.
Most orchids have specialised relationships with pollinating animals, with many species each pollinated by only one species of insect. Deceptive pollination systems, in which the plants provide no tangible reward to their pollinators, are common in the Orchidaceae. The most common form of deceit is food mimicry, while at least a few taxa mimic insect brood sites. At least six lineages of Australian orchids have independently evolved sexual deception. In this syndrome, a flower mimics the female of the pollinating insect species. Male insects are attracted to the flower and attempt to mate with it, and pollinate it in the process.
Little is known of most aspects of the population ecology of orchids native to the Sydney Region, especially their responses to fire. Such knowledge would be very useful in informing decisions in wildlife management.
A glance at the current situation in literary criticism shows that narratology, pronounced dead twenty years ago, is remarkably alive and well. This fact has been noted repeatedly and with understandable self-satisfaction in the recent literature on research into narrative theory. Just how astonishing this rebirth is, however, becomes apparent only when we step back from literary criticism and the humanities to take a wider historical view of the developments in academic and theoretical circles that preceded it. The deeply symbolic year of 1968 marked the fall of the academic ancient régime. Partly in anticipation of this and partly in response to it, a number of new leading disciplines were raised to power in western Europe as sources of hope for the future. However much they may have differed from one another in political purpose (in theoretical circles or beyond), linguistics, political economy, psychoanalysis, and structuralist semiology—to name but a few of the superdisciplines of the time—clearly belonged to one and the same paradigm in terms of how they conceived of themselves: throughout, they sought to reveal universal, ahistorical regularities in human thought and action in their respective fields.
During SPURT (Spurenstofftransport in der Tropopausenregion, trace gas transport in the tropopause region) we performed measurements of a wide range of trace gases with different lifetimes and sink/source characteristics in the northern hemispheric upper troposphere (UT) and lowermost stratosphere (LMS). A large number of in-situ instruments were deployed on board a Learjet 35A, flying at altitudes up to 13.7 km, at times reaching to nearly 380 K potential temperature. Eight measurement campaigns (consisting of a total of 36 flights), distributed over all seasons and typically covering latitudes between 35° N and 75° N in the European longitude sector (10° W–20° E), were performed. Here we present an overview of the project, describing the instrumentation, the encountered meteorological situations during the campaigns and the data set available from SPURT. Measurements were obtained for N2O, CH4, CO, CO2, CFC12, H2, SF6, NO, NOy, O3 and H2O. We illustrate the strength of this new data set by showing mean distributions of the mixing ratios of selected trace gases, using a potential temperature – equivalent latitude coordinate system. The observations reveal that the LMS is most stratospheric in character during spring, with the highest mixing ratios of O3 and NOy and the lowest mixing ratios of N2O and SF6. The lowest mixing ratios of NOy and O3 are observed during autumn, together with the highest mixing ratios of N2O and SF6 indicating a strong tropospheric influence. For H2O, however, the maximum concentrations in the LMS are found during summer, suggesting unique (temperature- and convection-controlled) conditions for this molecule during transport across the tropopause. The SPURT data set is presently the most accurate and complete data set for many trace species in the LMS, and its main value is the simultaneous measurement of a suite of trace gases having different lifetimes and physical-chemical histories. It is thus very well suited for studies of atmospheric transport, for model validation, and for investigations of seasonal changes in the UT/LMS, as demonstrated in accompanying and elsewhere published studies.
On the observation of mesospheric air inside the arctic stratospheric polar vortex in early 2003
(2005)
During several balloon flights inside the Arctic polar vortex in early 2003, unusual trace gas distributions were observed, which indicate a strong influence of mesospheric air in the stratosphere. The tuneable diode laser (TDL) instrument SPIRALE (Spectroscopie InFrarouge par Absorption de Lasers Embarqués) measured unusually high CO values (up to 600 ppb) on 27 January at about 30 km altitude. The cryosampler BONBON sampled air masses with very high molecular Hydrogen, extremely low SF6 and enhanced CO values on 6 March at about 25 km altitude. Finally, the MIPAS (Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding) Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectrometer showed NOy values which are significantly higher than NOy* (the NOy derived from a correlation between N2O and NOy under undisturbed conditions), on 21 and 22 March in a layer centred at 22 km altitude. Thus, the mesospheric air seems to have been present in a layer descending from about 30 km in late January to 25 km altitude in early March and about 22 km altitude on 20 March. We present corroborating evidence from a model study using the KASIMA (KArlsruhe Simulation model of the Middle Atmosphere) model that also shows a layer of mesospheric air, which descended into the stratosphere in November and early December 2002, before the minor warming which occurred in late December 2002 lead to a descent of upper stratospheric air, cutting of a layer in which mesospheric air is present. This layer then descended inside the vortex over the course of the winter. The same feature is found in trajectory calculations, based on a large number of trajectories started in the vicinity of the observations on 6 March. Based on the difference between the mean age derived from SF6 (which has an irreversible mesospheric loss) and from CO2 (whose mesospheric loss is much smaller and reversible) we estimate that the fraction of mesospheric air in the layer observed on 6 March, must have been somewhere between 35% and 100%.
Number concentrations of total and non-volatile aerosol particles with size diameters >0.01 µm as well as particle size distributions (0.4–23 µm diameter) were measured in situ in the Arctic lower stratosphere (10–20.5 km altitude). The measurements were obtained during the campaigns European Polar Stratospheric Cloud and Lee Wave Experiment (EUPLEX) and Envisat-Arctic-Validation (EAV). The campaigns were based in Kiruna, Sweden, and took place from January to March 2003. Measurements were conducted onboard the Russian high-altitude research aircraft Geophysica using the low-pressure Condensation Nucleus Counter COPAS (COndensation PArticle Counter System) and a modified FSSP 300 (Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe). Around 18–20 km altitude typical total particle number concentrations nt range at 10–20 cm−3 (ambient conditions). Correlations with the trace gases nitrous oxide (N2O) and trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11) are discussed. Inside the polar vortex the total number of particles >0.01 µm increases with potential temperature while N2O is decreasing which indicates a source of particles in the above polar stratosphere or mesosphere. A separate channel of the COPAS instrument measures the fraction of aerosol particles non-volatile at 250°C. Inside the polar vortex a much higher fraction of particles contained non-volatile residues than outside the vortex (~24% outside vortex). This is most likely due to a strongly increased fraction of meteoritic material in the particles which is transported downward from the mesosphere inside the polar vortex. The high fraction of non-volatile residual particles gives therefore experimental evidence for downward transport of mesospheric air inside the polar vortex. It is also shown that the fraction of non-volatile residual particles serves directly as a suitable experimental vortex tracer. Nanometer-sized meteoritic smoke particles may also serve as nuclei for the condensation of gaseous sulfuric acid and water in the polar vortex and these additional particles may be responsible for the increase in the observed particle concentration at low N2O. The number concentrations of particles >0.4 µm measured with the FSSP decrease markedly inside the polar vortex with increasing potential temperature, also a consequence of subsidence of air from higher altitudes inside the vortex. Another focus of the analysis was put on the particle measurements in the lowermost stratosphere. For the total particle density relatively high number concentrations of several hundred particles per cm3 at altitudes below ~14 km were observed in several flights. To investigate the origin of these high number concentrations we conducted air mass trajectory calculations and compared the particle measurements with other trace gas observations. The high number concentrations of total particles in the lowermost stratosphere are probably caused by transport of originally tropospheric air from lower latitudes and are potentially influenced by recent particle nucleation.
Nearly 20 years after the first
meeting of the Society in Tunanda in
1986 and more than 10 years after the
Internationonal Arachnological Congress
in Brisbane, in 1993, there will be another
‘reunion’ of the Australasian
Arachnological Society. As part of the
Combined Australian Entomological
Society, Society of Australian
Systematic Biologists and Invertebrate
Biodiversity and Conservation
Conference (Australian National
University, Canberra) from 4-9 December
2005, we are organizing a symposium
‘Australasian Arachnology – Evolution,
Ecology and Conservation’ Currently,
there are two sessions earmarked for this
symposium, however, the final format will
be determined by the number of
participants. Please register your interest
with the conference organisers. A call of
abstracts will be sent out in June (for
details please check:
http://www.invertebrates2005.com).
Just days
before this newsletter went to the printer,
the Australasian Arachnological
Society launched its own website:
www.australasian-arachnology.org
It was a great effort from all involved, but
two people in particular (who are not even
directly involved with our society) deserve
a special mention: Randolf Manderbach
(web programming) and Thomas García
Godines (graphic design) professionally
developed and programmed the lay-out of
our website, for free! Thanks to both of
them! You will find further
acknowledgements and some information
in regard to the ‘philosophy’ of our site in
an introductory article on page 4.
Similar to this newsletter, the
website will prosper only through
contributions and feedback from all of
you!