2011 NT Travel Award Winner

Lauren Young

ESA11 ABSTRACT

THE INFLUENCE OF INVASIVE BUFFEL GRASS ON BIRD BEHAVIOUR IN SEMI-ARID CENTRAL AUSTRALIA

Cenchrus ciliaris L. (buffel grass) is an exotic perennial grass that has significant agricultural value in arid and semi-arid Australia. Despite its benefits, C. ciliaris is an invasive weed in Australia. Cenchrus ciliaris has invaded alluvial plains and creek lines of central Australia, where it can form dense swards and impact negatively on native vegetation, reducing herbaceous species richness and abundance. Changes in native vegetation in turn can affect habitat suitability and resource availability for native fauna where C. ciliaris invasion has ocurred. Behaviour of birds was investigated in conjunction with a vegetation survey at experimental field sites where C. ciliaris has been managed since 2008, and adjacent sites in which C. ciliaris is unmanaged. Differences in C. ciliaris cover allowed me to test for correlations between bird behaviour and habitat use, and C. ciliaris cover of different suites of species as well as comparing behaviour between managed and unmanaged sites. Negative impacts of C. ciliaris were observed for all three foraging guilds; ground, above ground and flexible. Ground foraging birds were the most consistently impacted by increasing C. ciliaris cover, which suggests that this group is likely to gain the most benefit from C. ciliaris control.

Lauren is a recently completed  honours student (1st class) at CDU in Alice Springs and will present her paper at ESA11 in Hobart (November 21-25).

The judging panel this year was Dr Sean Bellairs (CDU Darwin), Dr Don Franklin (CDU Darwin), Dr Glen Edwards (NRETAS Alice Springs).  We thank them for their time and energy in reviewing applications.

For more details about the award and entry criteria click here