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Abstract

Global climatic change has been strongly implicated in the decline of many species. However, other processes
can contribute towards the extinction risk of these species. Could management of these processes arrest or slow climatically
related decline? We test the relationship between climate change, and other potential threatening factors, and the decline of
Eucalyptus gunnii, a tree endemic to the subalpine regions of Tasmania, Australia. Through observing the spatial patterns of
both climatic change and dieback, we found there was a stronger pattern of increasing droughts in the eastern part of the
species range, the region which also displayed the worst dieback. A time series of aerial photographs revealed that the most
severe drought periods in the last several decades have coincided with the most rapid tree decline. However, the sites that
suffered the worst dieback were also more heavily used for stock grazing, a factor which had a stronger spatial relationship
with tree decline than climate. Other factors were also implicated in the decline, including possum browsing. The good health
of some populations in the most climatically stressed areas suggests that the amelioration of non-climatic stresses could be
effective in maintaining the health of the surviving populations.

Item Type:	Article
Authors/Creators:	Calder, J and Kirkpatrick, JB
Journal or Publication Title:	Australian Journal of Botany
ISSN:	0067-1924
DOI / ID Number:	https://doi.org/10.1071/BT08105
Additional Information:	Copyright © 2008 CSIRO
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