TGB Osborn (Koonamore) Vegetation Reserve, Background to Collection 

In the mid-1920's Professor Theodore George Bentley (TGB) Osborn, Professor of Botany in the University of Adelaide, put forward strong scientific arguments concerning the lack of knowledge of the ecology of arid zone vegetation, and the effect of grazing on it (Osborn, 1925). In 1925 negotiations proceeded between the University of Adelaide and Messrs Hamilton Wilcox Ltd to secure a parcel of land for the purposes of research on Koonamore Station, a sheep-grazing property approximately 400 km north-east of Adelaide. A parcel of land of around 390ha was identified and fenced to exclude rabbits and other stock. The area was originally referred to as the Arid Region Flora Reserve but later was named the TGB Osborn Vegetation Reserve after its founder. For simplicity it is commonly referred to as the Koonamore Vegetation Reserve.

This record is a collection of flora and fauna observations conducted in the TGB Osborn Vegetation Reserve (or Koonamore Vegetation Reserve).

These records are organised accordingly :

• Vegetation Quadrats
• Photopoints
• Cassia Corner
• Myoporum platycarpum plant individuals
• Saltbush Transects
• Senna Populations
• Kangaroo Transects
• Rabbit Warren Monitoring

 

We at TERN acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians throughout Australia, New Zealand and all nations. We honour their profound connections to land, water, biodiversity and culture and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. Acknowledgement is due to all the students, staff and researchers who have collected data at the site since its establishment, to those who have entered the data, and to the support of funders and interested parties, including the University of Adelaide. 

In the mid-1920's Professor Theodore George Bentley Osborn, Professor of Botany in the University of Adelaide, put forward strong scientific arguments concerning the lack of knowledge of the ecology of arid zone vegetation, and the effect of grazing on it. In 1925, a parcel of land of around 390 ha was identified in Koonamore Station in South Australia and fenced to exclude rabbits and other stock, and Mr Wilcox, one of the directors, had a three-roomed house erected to serve as a field laboratory. The area was originally referred to as the Arid Region Flora Reserve but later was named the TGB Osborn Vegetation Reserve after its founder. For simplicity it is commonly referred to as the Koonamore Vegetation Reserve. There have been some unwanted animal incursions over the years, but these have been rare. In 1931, for example, rabbits were able to enter due to fence damage. Kangaroos and emus are not fully excluded. As is clear from the objectives stated by TGB Osborn, the reserve was to provide the basis for systematic measurements of the now-protected vegetation. Osborn and his team (including Prof. J.G. Wood and Mr Terry Paltridge) set up a series of quadrats (square plots) and photopoints within the reserve. A series of transects was later added. All of the foregoing were permanently marked, and observations on species occurrence (presence and abundance) and physical measurements of the plants were made repeatedly, but at varying intervals. 

The data presented throughout is observational. For detailed methodology please refer to each preview document, accessible through the following records:

• Vegetation Quadrats
• Photopoints
• Cassia Corner
• Myoporum platycarpum plant individuals
• Saltbush Transects
• Senna Populations
• Kangaroo Transects
• Rabbit Warren Monitoring