Pilbara Seed Atlas and Field Guide: Plant Restoration in Australia's Arid Northwest

by Todd E. Erickson (Editor), Russell L. Barrett (Editor), David J. Merritt (Editor), Kingsley W. Dixon (Editor)

Overview

The Pilbara region in Australia’s arid northwest is rich in flora that is suited to extreme temperatures and boom and bust cycles of moisture availability. It is also a region important for its natural resources. In places where mining activities have finished and the land is under management for ecological restoration, there is increasing demand for information about native plant communities and the biology of their seeds.

Pilbara Seed Atlas and Field Guide is the first book to combine plant identification with robust, scientific criteria for cost-effective seed-based rehabilitation. It describes 103 regional plant taxa and provides guidelines for effective collection, cleaning, storage and germination of their seeds. It addresses issues such as timing of collection, quality and viability of seed, and dormancy release, which are essential for successful restoration programs. With photographs to portray the subtle differences and unique features of each species’ biology, this book will be of great use to practitioners in the field, including environmental consultants, rehabilitation companies, commercial seed collectors and government authorities, as well as naturalists and people interested in growing the Pilbara’s remarkable plants.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781486305544
Publisher:	CSIRO PUBLISHING
Publication date:	04/01/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	312
File size:	67 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Todd E. Erickson is the Project Manager of the Restoration Seedbank Initiative, a joint project between The University of Western Australia, Kings Park and Botanic Garden, and BHP Billiton Iron Ore.

Russell L. Barrett has worked as a Research Botanist with the Botanic Gardens, the Australian National Herbarium and CSIRO. He is an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Western Australia and a research Associate at the Western Australian Herbarium.

David J. Merritt is a Senior Research Scientist at Kings Park and Botanic Garden. A seed scientist for more than 15 years, his research interests include seed banking; seed dormancy and germination; and restoration ecology.

Kingsley W. Dixon was Foundation Director of Science at Kings Park and Botanic Garden in Perth, Western Australia. He is a specialist in the ecology, restoration and conservation biology of Australian native plants and ecosystems. He has been involved in multi-disciplinary scientific groups for 40 years, specializing in seed ecology and biology, nursery production systems, seed banking and restoration ecology. He is a Professor in the School of Molecular and Life Sciences at Curtin University. His interest and love of coastal ecosystems and working with Cambridge Coastcare spurred him to produce this book.

Table of Contents

Foreword from BHP Billiton Iron Ore
Foreword
Contributing authors
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1: Introduction to plant diversity of the Pilbara
Chapter 2: Seed collection, cleaning, and storage procedures
Chapter 3: Seed dormancy and germination of arid zone species
Chapter 4: A systematic approach to seed management for restoration
Chapter 5: An atlas to the plants and seeds of the Pilbara region
Appendix A: Seed dormancy class and suggested dormancy alleviating pre-treatments
Appendix B: Preparation of smoke water and application of aerosol smoke for use as a seed pre-treatment
Appendix C: Checklist of vascular plants in the Pilbara Bioregion
Glossary
Index