LTERN Data Portal

The Mallee Plot Network research plots commenced in 1996 and were revisited annually for 3 years and then on a decadal basis. The study focusses on vegetation dynamics on dune crests and upper slopes, primarily because resources are insufficient to sample across the full catenary sequence of dunes and swales. Study of fire in swale landforms is problematic because these are rarely flammable under prescribed fire conditions due to the absence of hummock grasses, which augment lateral fuel connectivity and thus promote fire spread on the dune crests and slopes. The study is located in the red aeolian sand dunefield landscape of the Scotia district within Tarawi Nature Reserve (33.44ºS 141.16ºE), Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary (33°17′S 141°05'E) and Danggali Nature Reserve (33° 22' S 140° 45' E) in south-western New South Wales and adjacent area of South Australia. The study area sits on the south-eastern edge of the Australian arid zone. This location is close to the arid limits of distribution of the mallee woodland biome, which stretches across the temperate semi-arid belt of southern Australia (Noble 1984). Mallee woodlands typically occur within regions receiving 200-500 mm rainfall per year. During 1940-2010, mean annual rainfall at Tarawi Homestead was approximately 240 mm (data summary courtesy of John Warren, Tarawi NR).