Rare or overlooked? The distribution of Hairy Jointgrass in north coast New South Wales, Australia, and implications for its conservation status
Efficient threatened species prioritisation and management is critical to the overall success of biodiversity conservation. Insufficient species information can make it challenging to accurately assess a species’ extinction risk and develop appropriate management strategies. In this study we underto...
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
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ELSEVIER GMBH
2020
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| Online Access: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/IC150100041 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/87227 |
| _version_ | 1848764903858372608 |
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| author | White, L. Catterall, C. Tomlinson, Sean Taffs, K. |
| author_facet | White, L. Catterall, C. Tomlinson, Sean Taffs, K. |
| author_sort | White, L. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Efficient threatened species prioritisation and management is critical to the overall success of biodiversity conservation. Insufficient species information can make it challenging to accurately assess a species’ extinction risk and develop appropriate management strategies. In this study we undertook field surveys and spatial data analysis to better understand the habitat and distribution of the threatened annual grass Arthraxon hispidus (Thunb.) Makino (Hairy Jointgrass) within its north coast New South Wales range. We developed and tested a high-resolution maximum entropy (Maxent) model, using field survey population mapping and freely available spatial data (e.g. soil, topography, foliage cover, hydrology) to identify its landscape distribution drivers, to predict its suitable habitat areas and to estimate its abundance. The model indicated that A. hispidus habitat occurs in non-woody vegetation in areas of high topographic wetness and persistent moisture, particularly in and around drainage lines or on south-facing slopes. We found that A. hispidus appears to be much more widespread than previously known, with high rates of occurrence at predicted but previously unsurveyed sites, and approximately 15 % of the study area projected to be suitable habitat for the species. We estimated that the extent of occurrence and area of occupancy of the species exceeded vulnerable species listing criteria thresholds within IUCN guidelines. This study demonstrates how species distribution modelling can add to existing resources to provide cost-effective data to inform and streamline conservation planning. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:26:45Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-87227 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:26:45Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | ELSEVIER GMBH |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-872272023-01-25T07:37:36Z Rare or overlooked? The distribution of Hairy Jointgrass in north coast New South Wales, Australia, and implications for its conservation status White, L. Catterall, C. Tomlinson, Sean Taffs, K. Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Biodiversity Conservation Ecology Biodiversity & Conservation Environmental Sciences & Ecology Biodiversity conservation Species distribution model Threatened species listing criteria Spatial ecology Habitat mapping Threatened flora Maxent New South Wales Australia SPECIES DISTRIBUTION MODELS HABITAT SUITABILITY ASSESSING THREATS EXTINCTION RISK CLIMATE-CHANGE SAMPLING BIAS BIODIVERSITY PREDICTION PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT Efficient threatened species prioritisation and management is critical to the overall success of biodiversity conservation. Insufficient species information can make it challenging to accurately assess a species’ extinction risk and develop appropriate management strategies. In this study we undertook field surveys and spatial data analysis to better understand the habitat and distribution of the threatened annual grass Arthraxon hispidus (Thunb.) Makino (Hairy Jointgrass) within its north coast New South Wales range. We developed and tested a high-resolution maximum entropy (Maxent) model, using field survey population mapping and freely available spatial data (e.g. soil, topography, foliage cover, hydrology) to identify its landscape distribution drivers, to predict its suitable habitat areas and to estimate its abundance. The model indicated that A. hispidus habitat occurs in non-woody vegetation in areas of high topographic wetness and persistent moisture, particularly in and around drainage lines or on south-facing slopes. We found that A. hispidus appears to be much more widespread than previously known, with high rates of occurrence at predicted but previously unsurveyed sites, and approximately 15 % of the study area projected to be suitable habitat for the species. We estimated that the extent of occurrence and area of occupancy of the species exceeded vulnerable species listing criteria thresholds within IUCN guidelines. This study demonstrates how species distribution modelling can add to existing resources to provide cost-effective data to inform and streamline conservation planning. 2020 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/87227 10.1016/j.jnc.2020.125792 English http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/IC150100041 ELSEVIER GMBH restricted |
| spellingShingle | Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Biodiversity Conservation Ecology Biodiversity & Conservation Environmental Sciences & Ecology Biodiversity conservation Species distribution model Threatened species listing criteria Spatial ecology Habitat mapping Threatened flora Maxent New South Wales Australia SPECIES DISTRIBUTION MODELS HABITAT SUITABILITY ASSESSING THREATS EXTINCTION RISK CLIMATE-CHANGE SAMPLING BIAS BIODIVERSITY PREDICTION PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT White, L. Catterall, C. Tomlinson, Sean Taffs, K. Rare or overlooked? The distribution of Hairy Jointgrass in north coast New South Wales, Australia, and implications for its conservation status |
| title | Rare or overlooked? The distribution of Hairy Jointgrass in north coast New South Wales, Australia, and implications for its conservation status |
| title_full | Rare or overlooked? The distribution of Hairy Jointgrass in north coast New South Wales, Australia, and implications for its conservation status |
| title_fullStr | Rare or overlooked? The distribution of Hairy Jointgrass in north coast New South Wales, Australia, and implications for its conservation status |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rare or overlooked? The distribution of Hairy Jointgrass in north coast New South Wales, Australia, and implications for its conservation status |
| title_short | Rare or overlooked? The distribution of Hairy Jointgrass in north coast New South Wales, Australia, and implications for its conservation status |
| title_sort | rare or overlooked? the distribution of hairy jointgrass in north coast new south wales, australia, and implications for its conservation status |
| topic | Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Biodiversity Conservation Ecology Biodiversity & Conservation Environmental Sciences & Ecology Biodiversity conservation Species distribution model Threatened species listing criteria Spatial ecology Habitat mapping Threatened flora Maxent New South Wales Australia SPECIES DISTRIBUTION MODELS HABITAT SUITABILITY ASSESSING THREATS EXTINCTION RISK CLIMATE-CHANGE SAMPLING BIAS BIODIVERSITY PREDICTION PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT |
| url | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/IC150100041 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/87227 |