Ecological data and information
These projects collated ecological data on the environmental and climate niches of NSW species to understand how they may be affected by increasing temperatures, shifts in rainfall patterns, and increases in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events.
The Key resources include:
- Niche finder webtool
- Threatened species & communities webtool
- Using traits to assess threatened plant species response to climate change
- Habitat preference differentiates the Holocene range dynamics but not barrier effects on two sympatric, congeneric trees (Tristaniopsis, Myrtaceae)
- Adaptive capacity of plants to climate change
- Threatened species climate change vulnerability
Ecological range metrics for the entire NSW flora (NSW Niche Finder)
Basic metrics of plant ecological range are routinely used to assess the vulnerability of species to human-induced impacts, particularly climate change. However, we currently lack this type of baseline ecological data for the NSW flora. This project examined the range, climate niche breadth and the diversity of soil types occupied by each species in the NSW flora. The metrics are available online at NSW Niche Finder where users can explore baseline maps of ecological ranges and access climate niche metrics of NSW plants.
Partners
Led by Rachael Gallagher, Michelle Leishman (Macquarie University) Tony Auld (DPIE), Maurizio Rossetto (Royal Botanical Gardens and Domain Trust)
Contact
Using plant traits to assess threatened species adaptive capacity under climate change
This project assessed the adaptive capacity of threatened plants using a trait-based approach to classify species relative to four key areas: dispersal capacity, reproduction, level of specialisation and spatial scale. The outputs included recommendations of a suite of management actions for taxon groupings.
Partners
Led by Rachael Gallagher (Macquarie University) Tony Auld (DPIE), Nathalie Butt (University of Queensland)
Contact
Assessing the vulnerability of threatened species and ecosystems to climate change
This project assessed the vulnerability of threatened species and ecological communities to climate change. Species listed as threatened under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 and with Final Determinations were assessed and future habitat suitability was modelled for a subset of these. This project produced a searchable web tool NSW Threatened Species that allows users to find information on the key threats affecting threatened species, including specific climate threats.Since the completion of the report, the website has been updated to include those species listed under the Biodiversity Conservation Act, 2016.
Partners
Led by Michelle Leishman (Macquarie University), James Brazill-Boast, Tony Auld (DPIE)
Contact
Bioclimatic discordance: Combining molecular and environmental data to identify floristic refugia and corridors
The analysis of molecular data can distinguish between areas that have previously served as population refugia and differentiate them from expansion areas. By combining data from select species of rainforest trees, this project identified the landscape features and areas that have operated as refugia during temporal climatic fluctuations which can inform predictions of where future floristic refugia may occur.
Partners
Led by Maurizio Rossetto (Royal Botanical Gardens and Domain Trust) and Linda Beaumont (Macquarie University)
Contact