Category: Queensland University of Technology

Mitchell Grass Rangeland (59)

Access Site 59 data on A2O data portal.

Site name: Mitchell Grass Rangeland
Site number: 59
Point numbers: 233 (Mitchell Grass Rangeland Dry A), 234 (Mitchell Grass Rangeland Wet A), 235 (Mitchell Grass Rangeland Dry B), 236 (Mitchell Grass Rangeland Wet B)
Ecoregion: Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas and shrublands
Participant and site owner: Queensland University of Technology, Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network
Site location: Western Queensland
Latitude: -23.523
Longitude: 144.311
Site description: The Mitchell Grass Rangeland site has been established near Longreach in Western Queensland. Mitchell Grass Rangeland is a TERN SuperSite managed by the Queensland University of Technology. The site is located on an actively grazed cattle and sheep property recently affiliated with the Longreach Pastoral College, the Queensland Department of Primary Industries Rosebank Research Station and several CSIRO research programs. Mitchell Grass Rangelands are defined by mostly treeless plains with occasional ridges, rivers and gorges. Curly Mitchell Grass (Astrebla lappacea), Bull Mitchell Grass (Astrebla squarrosa) and Hoop Mitchell Grass (Astrebla elymoides) are the dominant vegetation in the area. A low overstorey of Gidgee (Acacia cambagei) and other tree and shrub species may be found in some places.

The site’s two dry acoustic sensors are located on open grassy plains dominated by Mitchell Grass tussocks. The site’s two wet acoustic sensors are located along creek and drainage lines fringed with Coolabah (Eucalyptus coolabah) and River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis).

Samford Ecological Research Facility (64)

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Site name: Samford Ecological Research Facility (South-East Queensland Peri-Urban Samford)
Site number: 64
Point numbers: 253 (SERF Dry A), 254 (SERF Wet A), 255 (SERF Dry B), 256 (SERF Wet B)
Ecoregion: Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests
Participant and site owner: Queensland University of Technology, Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network
Site location: South-East Queensland
Latitude: -27.388
Longitude: 152.878
Site description: The Samford Ecological Research Facility (SERF) is a 51 hectare property located in subtropical Queensland, hosting the South-East Queensland Peri-Urban TERN SuperSite. SERF is situated in a broadly fragmented landscape, shaped by historical cattle grazing, logging and agriculture, and recent residential development. The site protects threatened and endangered ecosystems within a mosaic of remnant native vegetation and cleared pasture.

The site’s two dry acoustic sensors are located in open eucalypt woodland growing on soils derived from weathered granite. These forests are dominated by Pink Bloodwood (Corymbia intermedia), Grey Ironbark (Eucalyptus siderophloia), Swamp Box (Lophostemon suaveolens), and Forest Red Gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis).

SERF’s two wet acoustic sensors are located in notophyll vine forest on alluvial plains. This vegetation community has been heavily cleared over the past 150 years, with SERF protecting one of the few remaining intact examples growing along the banks of Samford Creek. Dominant vine forest species include Native Elm (Aphananthe philippinensis),White Kamala(Mallotus discolor), White Cedar (Melia azedarach), Bunya Pine (Araucaria bidwillii), and Silky Oak (Grevillea robusta).

Both vegetation communities are home to a wide range of vertebrate and invertebrate species, many of which are audible and readily detected by acoustic sensors.