Date of Award

2003

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Edith Cowan University

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Computing, Health and Science

First Supervisor

Dr Eddie van Etten

Abstract

An understanding of the underlying environmental factors contributing to the floristic composition of Banksia woodlands should improve the effective management of Banksia woodland communities of the Swan Coastal Plain. Although a number of studies have examined the vegetation on the Banksia woodlands on detail there have been few studies aimed at identifying the specific environmental parameters influencing the floristic gradients on the Swan Coastal Plain. A comprehensive local scale study was undertaken on the northern Swan Coastal Plain to determine the environmental correlates influencing floristic communities in an area of Banks/a woodland known as the Wallingup Plain. Vegetation communities of the Wallingup Plain were defined on the basis of their floristic composition and it was found that these communities varied markedly between upland and dampland areas. Floristic differences between all communities on the Wallingup Plain were found to be related to a combination of geomorphic and edaphic parameters. In comparison, upland communities and floristic gradients were delineated largely by geomorphic and geographic factors, whilst dampland communities were determined by edaphic parameters, particularly soil moisture and nutrient levels. Management of the Banksia woodlands of the Wallingup Plain will require a consolidated understanding of the environmental parameters influencing floristic patterns.

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