Tussock Communities of New Zealand

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Tussock Communities of New Zealand

• Gretchen A. A. Wakeley
• Environmental and Plant Biology
• Ohio University
• NZ Seminar 2005

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Outcome

• I would like you to know if you are in a tussock
  community using certain factors that will be
  discussed.
• Also, I would like you to know the history (and
  perhaps the future) of tussocks in New Zealand

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Important Questions

• What kind of plant and animal species are found
  in tussock communities?
• Where are tussocks on the South Island? What is
  the weather like there because of the
  geographical location?
• What is an indigenous-induced community?
• What are vegetable sheep?
• What kind of research is happening in the tussock
  community?

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So, whats a tussock anyway?
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• Found only in the Southern Hemisphere
• Consists of grasses or sedges
• Found above the tree line and on seasonally
  frosted plains
• Where forests dont grow or formally grew

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Seasonality

• NZs alpine ecosystems have long growing seasons
• Flowers are present in some areas for eight
  months, from October to May
• There are three seasons within the growing season
  of the alpine region
• Vernal
• Aestival
• Autumnal

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What about animals in tussocks?

• All taxa of insects are represented
• Of the four orders of arachnids found in New
  Zealand, only carnivorous spiders have been
  studied in the tussocks, especially Salticidae
• Takahe and kea birds most notable alpine bird
• The rock wren the only bird restricted to the
  alpine range
• Skinks and gecko are the only reptiles found in
  the alpine climate

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http//www.rr.ualberta.ca/Research/Spence_Lab/inde
x.asp?pagephotogallery
http//www.nzbirds.com/rockwren_naturespic.jpg
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Introduced Animals

• Hares impact through grazing and pellet placement
• Goats are also found here, but their range is so
  limited, they do not create much of a threat
• Red deer (Cervus elaphus) are most common and
  most damaging
• Venison export nearly removed the red deer from
  the habitat

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http//www.holoweb.com/nature/animals/Cervus_Elaph
us.htm
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There are three major areas of tussocks

• The grasslands in the rainshadow region to the
  east of the main divide (three types)
• High alpine zone (four types)
• The moister grasslands found to the near west of
  the main divide, including Stewart Island (two
  types)

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Tussocks of the Rainshadow region

• Lowland Montane Short Tussock
• Upland Tall Snow Tussocks
• Tall Copper Tussock

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Pre European Lowland Montane

• Found on dry valley floors
• Highest elevation of 500 m
• Some interspersed woodland
• Featured three prominent sweet grasses
• Fescue tussock
• Silver Tussock
• Blue Wheatgrass

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Enter Fire and Grazing!
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Post Europeans Lowland Montane

• Still found on valley floors
• Up to 1000 m elevation
• Populated by less palatable plants
• Woodlands removed completely

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The Natural History of New Zealand
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Pre European Upland Tall Snow Tussock

• Found between 1200-1400 m elevation in Central
  Otago
• Within these elevations, not found where snow is
  there consistently
• Populated by slim leaved grasses up to 1.2 m
  tall, especially the slim snow tussock Chinochloa
  macra
• These grasses got shorter as elevation increased

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Post European Upland Snow Tussocks

• Range extended to 2000m
• Slim leaved grasses degraded and replaced by
  shorter, less palatable grasses
• An indigenous-induced environment
• Shrubs interspersed including Cottonwood
  (Ozothamnus leptophyllus), Boxwood hebe (Hebe
  odora), and Mountain flax (Phormuim cookianum)

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The Natural History of New Zealand
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Indigenous-induced Communities

• Created through fire and pastoralism
• Still populated by indigenous species, but not
  species that would naturally have been found there

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Elevation Ranges from Pre-European Settlement to
Post-European Settlement
Snow Tussock
Lowland Montane
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Pre European Tall Copper Tussocks

• Dominated by Chionochloa rubra (red tussock)
• Ranges from 750 m through 1000 m
• Widespread throughout the south

Natural History of Southern New Zealand
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Post European Copper Tussock

• Now found only in pockets of Southern South
  Island
• Range shrank due to farming
• Considered of national significance and is being
  managed by prescribed fire and grazing

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High Alpine Zone

• Snowbank Vegetation
• Fellfield
• Cushionfield
• Scree

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Snowbank Vegetation

• Found on leeward slopes where snow accumulates
  and persists into the growing season
• Areas within the snowfall easily defined by the
  species found in the depression after the snow
  has melted

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Natural History of New Zealand
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Fellfield

• Sparse vegetation, little soil, rough terrain
• Grasses grow between fallen rocks or boulders
  with little or no soil
• Several types of lichens
• Many endemic species here
• Home of vegetable sheep
• Raoulia eximia

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Lichen Adaptations in Tussocks

• Photoprotection
• Soil Consolidation
• Nitrogen Fixation

The Natural History of New Zealand
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Vegetable sheep?

• Densely matted tussocks found in high, rocky
  alpine tussock communities
• 20 Species endemic to NZ
• Includes species of Raoulia in the Compositae
  (daisy) family and species of Haasti

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http//wellingtonbotsoc.wellington.net.nz/triprepo
rts/images/2005/5_2784.jpg
http//www.ujf-grenoble.fr/JAL/nz/ima_MH/raoul1.jp
g
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Cushionfield

• Found particularly in the southern South Island
  rainshadow region
• Located on windswept plateaus of the mountain
  ranges of Central Otago
• Tors are a distinctive feature of the
  cushionfield environment
• Exhibits soil hummocks
• Has taken over some
• Snow tussocks due to
• pastorilism

Natural History of Southern New Zealand
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Tors!
Natural History of Southern New Zealand
Natural History of Southern New Zealand
The Natural History of Southern New Zealand
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Bring it home!
Natural History of Southern New Zealand
http//www.americansouthwest.net/utah/mexican_hat/
vog.html
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Scree!

• Talus slopes of loose stone
• Few species here
• Scree buttercup (Ranunculus haastii) quite
  conspicuous

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Wet Western Mountains Stewart Island

• Low Alpine snow tussock- herb field
• Stewart Island

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Low Alpine Snow Tussock

• Found on the western slopes of the Southern Alps
• Restricted by intact wet western forests
• May have copper tussock or mixed shrubland
• Suffered from modification due to grazing
• Plant cover affected by several factors
• Actually exhibits some species found in the
  upland tall snow tussock grassland

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Some species

• Actually exhibits some species found in the
  upland tall snow tussock grassland
• Shrubs often found within 200m of the treeline

The Natural History of New Zealand
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Stewart Island

• Why is Stewart Island in its own category?
• Barely tall enough to be called alpine
• Lots of rain and poor drainage prevent woodland,
  so grassland is prominent
• Vegetation ranges from tussock grassland to
  cushion bog
• Three species found only on the island

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http//www.onenz.co.nz/tourism/15/C/region15c.JPG
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The Natural History of Southern New Zealand
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http//www.onenz.co.nz/tourism/15/C/region15c.JPG
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The Natural History of Southern New Zealand
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Research

• Hydrological effects of burning
• Impact of exotic weeds
• Grazing management

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Hydrological effects of burning tall tussock
grassland on the Lammermoor Range, East Otago,
New Zealand

• Two sites monitored for eight years for
  calibration purposes
• 75 of one site burned in 1988

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The impact of exotic weed competition on a rare
New Zealand outcrop harb, Pachycladon cheesemanii
(Brassicaceae)

• Pachycladon cheesemanii is an endangered endemic
  species
• Threatened by exotic weeds
• Study sowed seeds on forested outcrops, open
  outcrops, and open tussock grasslands. Each site
  was separated into effect areas of weed removal,
  soil disturbing, and unweeded control

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Pachycladon cheesemanii population reactions to
site management
Conclusion?
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Recovery of short tussock and woody species
guilds in ungrazed Festuca novae-zelandiae short
tussock grassland with fertiliser or irrigation

• Tested the premise that current species richness
  is independent of pastoralism and the grazing
  slows the growth of exotic species.
• Tested four site types over 12 years from
  1988-2000

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Results
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What kind of plant and animal species are found
in tussock communities?

• Grasses and sedges
• All kinds of insects
• Some birds
• Few reptiles
• Some invasives

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Where are tussocks on the South Island? What is
the weather like there because of the
geographical location?

• Along the west coast and Stewart Island, where
  the weather moist
• Along the ridges of the Southern Alps, where the
  weather is very harsh
• In the rainshadow on the east side of the
  mountains. The weather is very dry

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What is an indigenous-induced community?

• A community that has native species, but those
  species would not have been there naturally.
  They were brought about by fire and pastoralism

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What are vegetable sheep?

• A kind of daisy that, from a distance, may look
  like a sheep

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What kind of research is happening in the tussock
community?

• Studies about fire and water interaction
• The effects of grazing on indigenous species

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Insert you here!
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Bibliography

• Wielgolaski, F. (Ed.). (1997). Ecosystems of the
  world polar and alpine tundra. 1st ed.
  Amsterdam the Netherlands Elsevier Science B.V..
  
• Darby, J., Fordyce, R., Mark, A., Probert, K.,
  Townsend, C. (Eds.). (2003). The Natural History
  of Southern New Zealand. 1st ed. Dunedin New
  Zealand University of Otago Press.

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• Duncan, M., Thomas, M. (2004). Hydrological
  effects of burning tall grassland in the
  lammermoor range, east otago, new zealand.
  Journal of Hydrology (Wellington North), 43(2),
  125-139.
• Miller, A., Duncan, R. (2004). The impact of
  exotic weed competition on a rare new zealand
  outcrop herb, Pachycladon cheesemanii
  (Brassicaceae). New Zealand Journal of Ecology,
  28(1), 113-124.

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Bibliography

• http//www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary
• http//www.rw.ttu.edu/fec/photos.htm
• http//www.nzbirds.com/rockwren_naturespic.jpg
• http//www.teara.govt.nz/1966/V/VegetableSheep/Veg
  etableSheep/en
• http//wellingtonbotsoc.wellington.net.nz/triprepo
  rts/images/2005/5_2784.jpg
• http//www.ujf-grenoble.fr/JAL/nz/ima_MH/raoul1.jp
  g
• http//www.onenz.co.nz/tourism/15/C/region15c.JPG
• http//www.pamconstable.co.nz/recent/tussock_count
  ry.jpg