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Eucalyptus trees (Eucalyptus largiflorens) killed by prolonged flooding of the Menindee Lakes to create storage reservoirs.

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A photo of the Menindee Lakes in arid Australia depicts floodplain eucalyptus trees (Eucalyptus largiflorens) that were killed by prolonged flooding after the lakes were made into storage reservoirs for irrigation and drinking. A recent study of Australian lakes found that when lakes in floodplains are made into reservoirs, greatly reducing the fluctuations in water level, the biodiversity of waterbirds found at the lake is also reduced. High waterbird diversity requires diversity of habitat, which is lost when the water levels are rarely reduced by a drought. Plants such as eucalyptus trees that previously provided complex microhabitat and breeding sites can no longer live on the floodplain when it remains flooded and droughts are rare. Because low waterbird diversity was also observed at lakes with high drought and low flooding, and diversity was highest at intermediate levels of variability, water levels in Australian floodplain lakes support the intermediate disturbance hypothesis. This photograph originally appeared on the cover of Ecology (85:9) in September of 2004.
Temporal and geographic description Menindee Lakes, Australia.
Format
Primary or BEN resource type
Discipline Specific Core Concepts
Life science discipline (subject)
Keywords flood, disturbance, intermediate disturbance hypothesis, habitat loss, diversity, biodiversity, habitat diversity, bird, waterbird, floodplain, hydrology, reservoir
Key taxa tree, eucalyptus, Eucalyptus largiflorens
Audience
Intended End User Role
Language
Educational Language
Pedagogical Use Category
Pedagogical Use Description This photograph could be used to illustrate flooding, disturbance, a floodplain lake, reservoirs, human impact on ecosystems, or terrestrial species killed by a prolonged flood.
Aggregation Level
Structure
Full Name of Primary Author Richard Kingsford
Primary Author Controlled Name
Primary Author Affiliation Department of Environment and Conservation, Australia

Biology Program, Wilkes University
Primary Author email Richard.kingsford@npws.nsw.gov.au,
Added By Id
  • educationintern
Submitter Name Ken Klemow
Submitter Email kklemow@wilkes.edu
Rights Copyright 2004 by the Ecological Society of America.
License
Publisher
Review type
Drought and Water Ecosystem Services Collection Off
Conservation Targets Under Global Change Collection Off
Big Data Collection Off
Editors Choice No
Resource Status
Date Of Record Submission 2008-04-03
I Agree to EcoEdDL's Copyright Policy & Terms of Use No
Date Of Record Release 2010-02-16 00:51:36
Last Modified By Id
  • tmourad
Date Last Modified 2015-03-20 08:22:20
Release Flag Published

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