PPBio Australasia: Mesoscale variation in vegetation communities and condition assessments at Karawatha Forest, a peri-urban park in south east Queensland
The Centre for Innovative Conservation Strategies (CICS) at Griffith University has initiated a new “Program for Planned Biodiversity Studies” (PPBio) in Australasia. The program was developed in Brasil to facilitate long-term regional biodiversity monitoring and condition assessment. PPBio involves integrated, standardised long-term ecological plots based on a 5km x 5km grid of trails, with 30 permanent terrestrial plots (250m long) and any number of permanent aquatic plots (depending on available water courses, etc.). The modular design allows for modifications of the standard grid and in 2006 we established the first Australian grid at Karawatha Forest within the peri-urban zone of outer Brisbane, south-east Qld. Herein we present data on the variation in density and species composition of woody stems (> 1cm DBH) among 36, 1ha plots evenly spaced at 500m intervals across the landscape. We also examine condition assessment at each of the plots. Species abundance and composition and weed abundance varied greatly among plots demonstrating the spatial heterogeneity of eucalypt woodlands and the importance of meso-scale biodiversity research for condition assessments. These data provide an essential baseline for reserve managers to monitor colonisation and extinction patterns in response to threats such as climate change and urbanisation.