Upland Heath Swamps Plot Network: Vegetation (Structure and Floristics), Dharawal National Park and Dharawal Nature Reserve, Sydney Basin, NSW, Australia, 1983-2014

Typecollection
TitleUpland Heath Swamps Plot Network: Vegetation (Structure and Floristics), Dharawal National Park and Dharawal Nature Reserve, Sydney Basin, NSW, Australia, 1983-2014
Alternate TitleUpland Heath Swamps Plot Network: Vegetation Structure and Floristics Dharawal National Park, 1983-2014
Collection TypeDataset
Access PrivilegesLong Term Ecological Research Network
DOI - Digital Object Identifier10.25911/5c36e1cf219a0
Metadata LanguageEnglish
Data LanguageEnglish
Brief DescriptionThese data represent the entire collection of vegetation floristics and structure data for the Upland Heath Swamps Plot Network from 1983 to 2014.

A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Upland Heath Swamps Plot Network’s full program is provided at https://doi.org/10.25911/5c1313b2b2644.
Full DescriptionAbstract: These data represent the entire collection of vegetation floristics and structure data for the Upland Heath Swamps Plot Network between 1983 and 2014.

This package contains information on the vegetation species present in 54 established swamp monitoring sites in upland swamps scattered throughout the study area (Keith and Myerscough 1993).

The Upland Heath Swamps Plot Network research plots commenced in 1983 and have been revisited in 2004, 2009 and again in 2014.

A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Upland Heath Swamps Plot Network’s full program is provided at https://doi.org/10.25911/5c1313b2b2644

Sampling method: Originally each sample site was a belt transect of 60 contiguous 0.5x0.5 m quadrats, in which presence/absence of all vascular plant taxa are recorded (based on whether they were overhanging the quadrats) and tallied to give a frequency out of 60. The sites were originally sampled in 1983, marked in the field by two wooden stakes at either end of the transect, and plotted on a 1:10 000 aerial photograph. By 2004, it was possible to relocate 54 of the 60 original transects and of these, at least one of the original markers was found for 20 transects. During the intervening years, some of the wooden markers had been consumed by fires, but based on the annotated aerial photograph, field notes and detailed recollections of the original observer (David Keith), transects were confidently reestablished within approximately 10 m of their original location. These formed the basis for establishing permanent swamp monitoring sites, which are now marked in the field at the positions of quadrats 1 and 30 with steel star pickets, extending approximately 1. 5 m above ground surface, and located on the Map Grid of Australia (Geodectic Datum of Australia) using a global positioning system.

Exploration and subsampling of the 1983 data showed that the floristic relationships between the 60 sites could be adequately retrieved if species frequencies were calculated from a sample of 30 quadrats within each transect (correlation of association matrices based on 60 and 30 quadrats yielded Mantel’s R>0.95). Therefore, only the first 30 quadrats of each transect were re-sampled in 2004 (Keith et al. 2007). Vegetation sampling was repeated in 2009-2010 and 2014. The next census is scheduled for 2019 or within 12 months of the next bushfire, whichever occurs first.

Study extent: These sites were originally sampled in 1983, then in 2004, 2009-2010 and 2014. Vegetation structure was only surveyed in 2014. The next census is scheduled for 2019 or within 12 months of the next bushfire, whichever occurs first.

Project funding: Between 2012 and 2018 this project was part of, and funded through the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN) a facility within the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) and supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.
Methods

Number
1
Title
Plot set-up
Description
Sampling of vegetation is stratified along the soil moisture gradient and across the range of structural variability in the vegetation. Thus three categories of vegetation structure (based on the height and form of shrubs) are sampled across three categories of soil moisture in a factorial design at 54 sites in upland swamps scattered throughout the study area (Keith and Myerscough 1993).
Each permanent swamp monitoring site consists of a belt transect of 30 contiguous 0.5x0.5 metre quadrats. Quadrats 1 and 30 are marked with steel star pickets, extending approximately 1. 5 m above ground surface, and located on the Map Grid of Australia (Geodectic Datum of Australia) using a global positioning system.
Instrument
•Steel star pickets
•Measuring tape
•GPS


Number
2
Title
Floristics
Description
Each sample site is a belt transect of 30 contiguous 0.5 x 0.5 metre quadrats, in which presence/absence of all vascular plant taxa are recorded (based on whether they were overhanging the quadrats) and tallied to give a frequency out of 30.
Instrument
•Measuring tape
•metre rule
•portable quadrat


Number
3
Title
Vegetation structure
Description
At each sampling time, vegetation structure is measured by estimating the height and canopy cover for the shrub and herbaceous layers of the vegetation. Four replicate estimates were made at 5 m intervals along each 15 m transect.
Instrument
•Measuring tape
•metre rule
•portable quadrat
File Descriptions

Name
kuhs_floristics_1983_2014_p835t1005.csv
Description

flora_descriptor
definitionSpecies name
nominal text definitionCharacter
frequency_score
definitionSpecies frequency values out of 30
ratio number typewhole
ratio standard unitnumber
number of records52460
site
definitionSite code
nominal text definitionCharacter
species_code
definitionSpecies code
nominal text definitionCharacter
year
date time formatYYYY
definitionSurvey year
year_site
definitionSite code and year
nominal text definitionCharacter


Name
kuhs_vegetation_data_structure_2014_p835t1314.csv
Description

cover_ferns
definitionCover of ferns
ratio number typereal
ratio standard unitnumber
cover_forbs
definitionCover of forbs
ratio number typereal
ratio standard unitnumber
cover_mid_stratum_shrubs
definitionCover of mid-stratum shrubs
ratio number typereal
ratio standard unitnumber
cover_sedges
definitionCover of sedges
ratio number typereal
ratio standard unitnumber
cover_serotinous_obligate_seeder_shrubs
definitionCover of serotinous obligate seeder shrubs
ratio number typereal
ratio standard unitnumber
height_ferns
definitionHeight of ferns
ratio number typereal
ratio standard unitmeter
height_forbs
definitionHeight of forbs
ratio number typereal
ratio standard unitmeter
height_mid_stratum_shrubs
definitionHeight of mid stratum shrubs
ratio number typereal
ratio standard unitmeter
height_sedges
definitionHeight of sedges
ratio number typereal
ratio standard unitmeter
height_serotinous_obligate_seeder_shrubs
definitionHeight of serotinous obligate seeder shrubs
ratio number typereal
ratio standard unitmeter
number of records55
site
definitionSite ID
nominal text definitionCharacter
Contact Emaildavid.keith@environment.nsw.gov.au
christopher.simpson@unsw.edu.au
k.wilkins@unsw.edu.au
mark.tozer@environment.nsw.gov.au
r.woodward@unsw.edu.au
t.mason@unsw.edu.au
david.keith@unsw.edu.au
Contact AddressAustralian Wetlands, Rivers and Landscapes Centre,
School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences,
University of New South Wales
SYDNEY, NSW, 2052
Australia
Contact Phone Number+61 2 9995 5000
+61 409 159 334
+61 2 9385 8435
+61 2 9585 6496
+61 2 9585 6051
+61 2 9385 8296
+61 2 9385 2111
+61 427 856 498
+61 428 810 214
Principal InvestigatorDavid Keith
SupervisorsDavid Keith
CollaboratorsTanya Mason
Chris Simpson
Dick Williams
Katy Wilkins
Mark Tozer
Fields of Research0602 - Ecology
KeywordsGCMD:Earth Science > Biosphere > Vegetation
GCMD:Earth Science > Biosphere > Vegetation > Vegetation Species
GCMD:Earth Science > Biosphere > Vegetation > Canopy Characteristics
LTERN Monitoring Theme:Plant species composition
LTERN Monitoring Theme:Plant species abundance
LTERN Monitoring Theme:Individual plants
LTERN Monitoring Theme:Invasive plants
LTERN Monitoring Theme:Vegetation structure
LTERN Monitoring Theme:Land clearing
keyword:Upland heath swamps
keyword:Plant species
keyword:Canopy
keyword:Vegetation structure
Upland Heath Swamps
Dharawal National Park
Vegetation Structure and Floristics
Type of Research ActivityStrategic basic research
Date Coverage
Date FromDate To
19832014
Geospatial Location
Location TypeLocation Value
TextDharawal National Park, Sydney Basin, NSW, Australia
DCMI Box notation conformant with iso 19139northlimit = -34.2008; southlimit = -34.26344; westlimit = 150.84554; eastLimit = 150.93563
Date of data creation2017-02-28
Year of data publication2017
Creator(s) for Citation
Given NameSurname
DavidKeith
ChrisSimpson
KatyWilkins
MarkTozer
DickWilliams
TanyaMason
Publisher for CitationLong Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN), ANU Data Commons, The Australian National University
Related Websites
URLTitle
https://hdl.handle.net/1885/130861ANU Open Research, Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN) collection.
Other Related IdentifiersMorphoId:ltern.260
PackageId:835
Access RightsPrior to publication of research utilising this data, the data provider (David Keith) requests consultation.
Access Rights TypeOpen
Rights held in and over the dataCreative Commons Licence (CC BY- Attribution) is assigned to this data. Details of the licence can be found at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Licence TypeCC-BY - Attribution (Version 4)
LicenceLTERN Deed: 13
Date of execution: 2014-04-30
Retention PeriodIndefinitely
Status: Published
Published To:
- Australian National University
- Australian National Data Service
Identifier: anudc:5779
Related Items
Files

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  • Files: 2
  • Size: 2.86 MB

Data Files

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