Regional ecosystem details for 8.3.11
| Regional ecosystem | 8.3.11 |
|---|---|
| Vegetation Management Act class | Endangered |
| Wetlands | Palustrine |
| Biodiversity status | Endangered |
| Subregion | 2 |
| Estimated extent1 | Pre-clearing 4000 ha; Remnant 2021 300 ha |
| Short description | Melaleuca viridiflora var. attenuata open forest in broad drainage areas |
| Structure code | Open Forest |
| Description | Melaleuca viridiflora var. attenuata closed forest to woodland (8-14m tall). Other occasional to rare associated canopy species include Pandanus cookii, Nauclea orientalis, Melaleuca dealbata, M. leucadendra and Lophostemon suaveolens, and more rarely, Corymbia tessellaris and Eucalyptus tereticornis. The epiphyte Dendrobium canaliculatum is almost always present in the canopy. Shrub layers are usually absent. The ground layer is mid-dense to sparse and is often dominated by species such as Ischaemum rugosum, Azolla pinnata, Leersia hexandra, Cyperus gunnii subsp. novae-hollandiae, Cyperus dactylotes and Cyperus lucidus. Broad drainage depressions and swamps on level alluvial plains of lowlands. Water lies at the surface for most of the year. Geology mapped variously as Qf, Qa, Qw and Qha (Quaternary sand, gravel, clay, silt, gravel: flood-out sheets, small fans, floodplain alluvium, some colluvium, residual soil, swamp deposits, active stream channels and low terraces). Palustrine. (BVG1M: 22b). |
| Supplementary description | Batianoff, Dillewaard and Franks (1997), 11 (in part); Nexus Environmental Studies Pty Ltd (1998), 3e |
| Protected areas | South Cumberland Islands NP |
| Special values | 8.3.11: This regional ecosystem is dominated by Melaleuca viridiflora var. attenuata which is uncommon in the Central Queensland Coast area, and which resembles M. viridiflora var. viridiflora but is taller, with softer white bark, and paler yellowish flowers which open later in the year than M. viridiflora var. viridiflora. It is naturally restricted to small patches in low drainage depressions, a large proportion of which have now been drained and cleared. The remaining areas are often the only vegetation left standing in an otherwise cleared landscape, and provide valuable habitat for fauna and help to protect riparian systems from erosion. Habitat for species which are poorly known in the Central Qld Coast, such as Utricularia aurea, Lemna aequinoctialis, Ottelia ovalifolia, Dentella repens, Fimbristylis littoralis, Eleocharis philippinensis, Lobelia stenophylla and Panicum paludosum. |
| Fire management guidelines | SEASON: Early winter to winter. INTENSITY: Moderate. INTERVAL: 5-8 years. INTERVAL_MIN: 5. INTERVAL_MAX: 8. STRATEGY: At least 50% should be left unburnt. ISSUES: Seasonal inundation probably results in high litter decomposition rates and consequent low rates of fuel accumulation. Such inundation is probably a major functional component of this ecosystem. The swamp orchid flowers between August and December. |
| Comments | 8.3.11: Melaleuca viridiflora var. attenuata has affinities to M. viridiflora var. viridiflora and M. quinquenervia. This RE can be very similar to some examples of 8.2.11 and 8.2.7e which can be distinguished by their occurrence in dune swales instead of alluvial plains. The RE 8.3.13a may contain some M. viridiflora var. attenuata but it is not the dominant species. Occurs in scattered areas from Goorganga Plain to Bloomsbury and at Notch Point east of Ilbilbie. In pre-clearing times it was found extensively around Mackay and west to Mirani, these areas are no longer considered to be remnant vegetation in 2006. Extensively cleared. Many remnants have severe weed infestations, particularly of *Urochloa mutica (para grass), and *Hymenachne amplexicaulis (hymenachne). Threatened by draining and clearing for agricultural purposes. Generally a palustrine wetland although also some areas have been converted to lacustrine water bodies associated with the construction of bunds and levees. |
1 Estimated extent is from version 13 pre-clearing and 2021 remnant regional ecosystem mapping. Figures are rounded for simplicity. For more precise estimates, including breakdowns by tenure and other themes see remnant vegetation in Queensland.
