Flowering Patterns of Melliferous Eucalypts

Chasing Tales:
Engagement to Insight
Dr Melanie Birtchnell
Manningham City Council
and
Oekologie
Ecology.Botany.Assessment.Advice.
Short-term view…over the long-term
• In 1989, Tilman found that
1.7% of 749 papers extracted from the quality journal
Ecology
over a ten year period
involved research of more than five years duration.
• Analysis of the few longer-term studies
indicated that even five years of observation
was insufficient (Tilman 1989).
Community knowledge is rarely used
The Case Study
Flowering ecology
• Flowering ecology is the
relationship between flowering
and ecological functioning:
• floral resources (nectar and pollen)
• pollinators (e.g. invertebrates, fauna,
avifauna)
• pollination services
• reproduction
• ecosystem health
• ecosystem commodities, including
honey
• Despite the clear importance of understanding
flowering ecology, there is an historic paucity of
related research
– many studies have been short-term
• a GRC - Global Research Crisis!
– long-term studies critical to reveal REAL (rather than
perceived) ecological patterns
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particularly pertinent for studies of long-lived species
temperature: five - ten years data
rainfall: 30 years data
replicated data sets
• This research addressed a critical research
gap:
– what are the long-term trends in floral ecology
of south-east Australian melliferous (honey)
flora?
• Apiarists have ecological knowledge
relating to:
– flowering patterns of south-east Australian
melliferous flora
– nectar production and nectar-related bee
mortality
– pollen-related insect nutrition
The research relied on
interviews with highly
experienced apiarists, each of
whom had operated
commercially (with a
minimum of 350 hives) for at
least 30 years
…a world-first (?) and a risk
worth taking!
Findings
• observations spanned at least 30 years
– more than half of respondents had > 50 years commercial
apicultural experience
• flowering patterns (including flowering frequency,
intensity and the timing and duration of
flowering), and nectar production patterns of 76
important melliferous flora were examined
– seventy of these species were Eucalyptus species
• Flowering patterns:
– frequency in most spp. was considered
highly variable
• however, most species displayed a long-term
average interval between flowering episodes
of two to four years
– period varied greatly between species
(and, spatially, within species)
• some species flowered for much extended
periods than others
• latitude, altitude and flood regimes could
shift flowering period by four to six weeks
• long-term observations indicated that
flowering period has remained constant
Source: Mueller - www.anbg.gov.au
• Flowering patterns:
– intensity: short-term fluctuations
• a generally linear (albeit unreliable) relationship
between flowering and nectar production was
observed by many apiarists
• environmental conditions prior to a flowering event
could exert greater influence over nectar production
than that exerted by flowering intensity
– factors affecting flowering patterns
– tools used by apiarists to predict flowering
events
– climatic change
• Nectar production:
– highly variable in both frequency
and quantity
– long-term negative trends in nectar
yields produced by most species
were observed by most apiarists
– climate change (seasonal change)
implicated
– factors affecting honey (nectar)
production
– tools used by apiarists to predict
nectar and honey production
• Miscellaneous topics:
– impact of logging on flowering patterns
– effects of agricultural chemicals on flowering
patterns
– relationship between
Bogong Moths and
honey production
Source: www.smh.com.au
– the impact and extent of
‘toxic’ nectar on honeybees and honey
production
• The importance of floral ecology and the
complexity of ecological relationships were
highlighted throughout this study
• Also highlighted: the value of experiential data
provided by apiarists
• Whilst primarily an investigation into floral
ecology of south-east Australian melliferous flora,
also invaluable as a written,
accessible record of long-term
observational data
• Very few studies have
used observational data
as a basis for
phenological research,
yet this study
demonstrated that such
information can provide
a critical wealth upon
which further research
can be developed
Implications for biodiversity and
(human) community
• A knowledge of the patterns of
flowering events (and, so, the
provision of floral resources)
provides fundamental insight:
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Source: www.australianmuseum.net.au
pollination
resource availability
faunal distribution
wildlife conservation
ecological function and integrity
ecosystem dynamics
land use planning
seed collection
• On an island in the South Pacific in 1976, Dr Jared Diamond learnt
from local guides that certain plants on the island were only eaten ‘after
the hungi kengi.’
• He was taken to the hut of a very old woman. They explained that
hungi kengi was the local term for a massive cyclone that had hit the
island around 1910, forcing people to turn to wild plants not normally
eaten in order to survive.
• This elderly woman was the only person who had been alive at the time
of the event, and therefore the only person who could pass down this
information.
• ‘Now, this old woman was the last person alive in her village with that
inherited experience and knowledge. If another big cyclone were to
strike Rennell [Island], her encyclopedic memory of which wild fruits
to eat would be all that stood between her fellow villagers and
starvation.’ (Diamond 2012)
• Elders are highly esteemed in countries and communities with oral
traditions because they remain the primary source of historical
knowledge (as opposed to written records).
• There is a genuine risk that, with the death of these individuals, much
of the traditional knowledge of the geographies where their ancestors
often have lived for millennia is lost, along with its potential to help
provide solutions to current and future environmental challenges.
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Australian bush foods?
Australian climatic patterns?
seasonal patterns in terrestrial and marine animals?
vegetation management for fire?
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Applying the method to improve
biodiversity and community health
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Bushfire planning
– fire behaviour in local areas
– safe places in local areas
– access and egress insights
– learning to live with fire without destroying the indigenous species with
which we share this continent – Hansen and Griffiths (2012) Living with
fire. CSIRO Publishing.
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Hydrology
– changes in hydrology
– impacts of altered hydrology
– insights into restoring hydrology/managing more effectively and efficiently
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Wildlife
– breeding and migration patterns
– habitat requirements
– impacts on wildlife over time
– threatening processes
• Sustainable and meaningful lifestyle practices
– survival in the Great Depression – in our local areas
– multicultural lessons
• Climatic change
– what’s real and what’s perceived?
– patterns in nature that have changed?
• Functional communities
– how did local communities function historically?
– where could we learn some lessons in community function and
inclusivity?
• Accessing community-held knowledge is vital
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for biodiversity
for community
for individuals
for economics
• The depth and quality of information held in the
community is vast and highly useful
– if well targeted, can be cheap, quick, easy and fun to
collect
– gives deep sense of satisfaction and purpose to
community
– rewarding
– bridges ‘gaps’ between policy-makers and community
– strategic, smart decisions
Acknowledgements
• Dr. Maria Gibson (PhD supervisor) and
Dr. Peter Beech (co-supervisor)
• Research was funded by:
– Rural Industries Research and Development
Corporation (RIRDC)
– Holsworth Wildlife Research Fund
– Deakin University
• The apiarists interviewed
• Ray and Mark Hall, Rob Manning, Colin Fleay, Bronwyn
Shalders, Max Kane, Len Green, Ken Gell, Bob
McDonald, Steve Asirvadem and Mahli Asirvadem for
field assistance
• Dr. Robert (Bob) Parsons
• Dr Jared Diamond, for valuing community knowledge
Questions?
Source: www.australiaimages.net