Acoustic data may now be accessed for the Samford Ecological Research Facility (SERF). SERF is managed by the Queensland University of Technology, and affiliated with the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN). These are the first available recordings for the A2O, with acoustic sensors actively monitoring the soundscapes of eucalypt woodland (SERF Dry A and SERF Dry B) and notophyll vine forest (SERF Wet A and SERF Wet B) on the outskirts of Brisbane in South-East Queensland.
Thank you to Dr Sally Bryant from the Tasmanian Land Conservancy for deploying the A2O’s most southerly acoustic sensor set to date. Four sensors were recently established in the beautiful Five Rivers Reserve in Tasmania’s Central Highlands, recording soundscapes among Snow Gums and along the banks of the Nive River.
There are now four acoustic sensors deployed across QUT’s Samford Ecological Research Facility, found on the outskirts of Brisbane, Queensland. SERF is a 51 hectare property that protects threatened and endangered ecosystems within a mosaic of remnant native vegetation and cleared pasture. The facility is home to a wide range of audible species, including Australia’s largest nocturnal bird, the Powerful Owl (Ninox strenua).
Access Site 64 data on A2O data portal.
| 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. |
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