Southeast wetland plant functional groups 

There are presence absence records for vegetation and matched hydrological data from 687 1 x 1 m quadrats recorded from 11 wetlands and wetland complexes (28 sampled hydrological gradients (referred to as transects) across the upper and lower southeast of South Australia. Plant data were collected in spring 2013. Hydrological monitoring data at each site consisted of continuous (6 hourly) surface water level data from a state agency monitoring network. Observed water levels at the monitoring instrument on the day of monitoring were related to the observed depth of water at each quadrat, assuming a flat, level water surface and obtain a datum for each quadrat relative to the monitoring instrument. The continuous monitoring record was then used to calculate a range of different hydrological predictors indicating the variation at each quadrat. The hydrological dataset provided are the univariate summary statistics recording different aspects of surface water dynamics for each quadrat. Hydrological predictors (sum-exceedance value, hydroperiod and maximum inundation depth) were calculated for annual and seasonal periods in the three-years prior to plant data collection. See metadata and relevant publication for additional details on calculation. Hydrological predictors for each quadrat are provided in a single matrix of sites by predictors, with relevant location details for the quadrat (xy coordinates, site, transect). Included is a single electrical conductivity class for each transect (ordinal variable - low moderate, high - see metadata). Vegetation data are provided as a single matrix (quadrats x plant functional group) showing presence absence of each functional group in each quadrat. There is also a lookup table giving the assignment of each plant species to a plant functional group. 

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. 

The primary aim of this project was to build upon existing information to develop ecological response models for diverse wetland plant assemblages in the South East. The South-East Water Science Review had earlier identified that further investigations were required into the water requirements of wetland communities. This project combined hydrological data from the South-East NRM Board Groundwater dependent ecosystems monitoring network with new vegetation data. Plants were classified into water plant functional groups and built hydrological-niche models for each of them. Summary from the Goyder Institute website http://www.goyderinstitute.org/ The Environmental Water theme focuses on developing a detailed understanding of the ecosystems of our major water resources including the River Murray and the wetland systems in the South East of South Australia. These systems contain several RAMSAR wetlands of international importance which require a robust integrated management approach to maintain the environmental values of these regions while also achieving social and economic outcomes. South East Research Program Groundwater supports the economic base of the South East through irrigation, town and industry water supplies. The water resources of the South East need to be managed as a holistic system, recognising the interconnection between surface water and groundwater to maximise the economic and social benefits of regional water resources and to ensure adequate environmental water provisions to the regions wetland systems including the Coorong. 

Quadrat sampling: (NB excerpted from Gehrig et al 2015, Chapter 5. 'Vegetation surveying protocol for Task 2') The vegetation surveying protocol was designed to capture a large number of observations over a wide range of hydroperiods and salinities to enable probability functions to be developed for species and/or functional groups. This entailed a large number of small quadrats be established to enable statistically significant relationships between hydrology and salinity and the presence of a species or functional group. Undertaking inventories of the species present was not an aim of the project; therefore, the species list presented in Appendix 5 is by no means a comprehensive plant species list of wetlands in the South East. Vegetation surveys were undertaken in the case study wetlands in spring 2013, autumn 2014 and spring 2014. But only the spring 2013 data were used in modelling because they had reliable water depth measurements that allowed validation of the quadrat elevation against LiDAR predicted elevations. In spring 2013, a series of 1 x 1 m quadrats were established in the case study wetlands (40 to 130 in each wetland depending on size and plant diversity); with 817 quadrats in total. Quadrats were positioned at different points along the elevation gradient from the spring/winter high water level (usually wet heath) to a maximum depth of approximately 1 m. The location of each quadrat was recorded by GPS and the elevation determined using the digital elevation model (DEM). Where the DEM elevation was inaccurate the elevation was determined using water depth for inundated quadrats (comparisons of nearby quadrats) or a laser level in the case of Deadmans Swamp where no quadrats were inundated. The species present in each quadrat were recorded along with water depth. Electrical conductivity (EC), pH and turbidity were measured for each wetland (or each basin if the wetland was comprised of more than one basin or there are likely water quality gradients present e.g. Hacks/Bool Lagoon or Lake George). Plants were identified using keys in Sainty and Jacobs (1981), Jessop and Tolken (1986), Prescott (1988), Dashorst and Jessop (1998), Romanowski (1998), Sainty and Jacobs (2003) and Jessop et al. (2006). In some cases due to immature individuals or lack of floral structures plants were identified to genus only. Nomenclature follows the Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research and Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria (2014) Species identified during vegetation surveys were allocated to a WPFG (sensu Brock and Casanova 1997; Casanova 2011) on the basis of information obtained about germination behaviour from seed bank studies and ecological information obtained from literature and overall morphology. A list of species recorded during the vegetation surveys and functional groups is presented in Appendix 5.