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Inundation of a floodplain lake woodlands system: nutritional profiling and benefit to mature Eucalyptus largiflorens (Black Box) trees

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Abstract

River management continues to challenge riparian systems worldwide, with climate change impacts and anthropogenic extractions escalating. The Murray–Darling basin (MDB) in Australia is critical to agricultural production and habitat provision to maintain biodiversity. Concern for the condition of native trees and biota in the MDB has led to substantial research investment to increase ecosystem function understanding and improve floodplain and wetland management. This field study offers new insights into tree nutrition and physiology as interpreted against the plant-soil-environment dynamics of recent flooding. Black Box (Eucalyptus largiflorens (Myrtaceae) is the only key native riverine MDB tree restricted to that region; and appears stressed at the far reaches of certain significant floodplain ecosystems. Here, nutritional and ecophysiological comparisons were made between Black Box trees that had just been inundated, and those nearby that had not. Leaf stomatal conductance, transpiration, total soil aluminium (Al) concentration, soil pH, and soil conductivity were different between inundated and dry sites. Soil moisture increased due to inundation, thus reducing tree water stress across the three study locations. Changes in leaf chemistry were not detected at the very early stages of flooding examined in this study. An increase in soil acidity due to inundation may also enhance bioavailability of nutrients to trees. New insight into immediate plant benefits gained from this study suggests further investigation is warranted to elucidate the influence of flood and drought on nutrient balance and how future wetland management can benefit from a more holistic understanding of plant-soil-environment dynamics.

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Acknowledgements

DF acknowledges funding from La Trobe University and the Australian Research Council (Grant Number DE120100510). The authors thank Shane Southon and Rhett Cameron (Parks Victoria) for site advice, and Anthony Fernando for field assistance.

Funding

Funding was provided by Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (Grant Number: DE120100510). Awarded to: Denise Fernando. La Trobe University (AU)—internal research funding (Grant Number: NA). Awarded to: Denise Fernando.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, 3086, Australia

    Denise R. Fernando

  2. Department of Plant Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Jonathan P. Lynch

  3. School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia

    Suzie M. Reichman

  4. Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Remediation, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia

    Suzie M. Reichman

  5. Department of Animal Plant and Soil Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, 3086, Australia

    Gary J. Clark

  6. School of Ecosystem and Forest Science, The University of Melbourne, Burnley, VIC, 3121, Australia

    Rebecca E. Miller

  7. CSIRO Land and Water, PMB 2, Glen Osmond, SA, 5064, Australia

    Tanya M. Doody

  8. Research Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, 3086, Australia

    Denise R. Fernando & Gary J. Clark

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  1. Denise R. Fernando
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Correspondence to Denise R. Fernando.

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Fernando, D.R., Lynch, J.P., Reichman, S.M. et al. Inundation of a floodplain lake woodlands system: nutritional profiling and benefit to mature Eucalyptus largiflorens (Black Box) trees. Wetlands Ecol Manage 26, 961–975 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-018-9623-x

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