Mammals,+Invert+and+Weeds

**Mammals, Invertebrates and Weeds**

 * Dr. Simpson's class - Emma.L, Emma.M & Brooke**
 * Mrs Weekses class - Seyi and Darcy**

Mammals.

 * The current main mammals that can be located on the school property are:**
 * Ringtail Possums - //Pseudocherius Peregrinus//
 * Sugar Gliders - //Petaurus Breviceps//
 * Brown Antechinus - //Antechinus Stuartii//
 * Rufus Bettongs - //Aepyprymnus Rufescens//
 * Tasmanian Pademelons - //Thylogale Billardierii//
 * Common Mouse - //Mus Musculus//
 * Common Rat - //Rattus Rattus//
 * Red Foxes - //Vulpes Vulpes//
 * Rabbits - //Oryctolagus Cuniculus//
 * Sheep - //Corredale//
 * Goat
 * Cows

The sheep, goat and cows were introduced to the property as recreational farm animals, although their location is restrained they still cause significant damage to the property. As the soil was previously and still is infertile the livestock strain the vegetation that still grows there. To control and increase the fertility of soils livestock should be strip grazed to allow for regeneration of vegetation. The Rufus Bettongs and the Tasmanian Pademelons have been captured elsewhere and have been placed in the Woodleigh Wildlife reserve. The Ringtail Possums, Sugar Gliders, Brown Antechinus, Common Mouse, Common Rat, Red Foxes and Rabbits are all wild mammals living in the Woodleigh school environment. However the Rabbits,and Red Foxes are pests and are not wanted in the area as they harm other animals and their habitats. There are several populations of sugar gliders living on the school property, because of the lack of vegetation around the school these two groups are unable to communicate, this therefore creates breeding problems within the species.


 * Possible Management Plans:**
 * Corridors need to be created to allow the Sugar Gliders to move between many trees and interact with other species, as this is not the case at the moment.
 * When creating more dense vegatation, to allow the Sugar Gliders to move, developing it into a horseshoe shape would be a good idea. Leaving the north end open will still allow the Sugar Gliders to move but will also prevent fire damage.

Invertebrates.

 * The current main invertebrates that can be located on the school property are:**
 * Honey Bee - //Apis Mellifera Linnaeus **Darcy and Seyi** found a hive in and old gum tree//
 * Earthworms - //Lumbricus Terrestris//
 * Slugs - //Pulmonata//
 * Garden Ant - //Lasius Niger//
 * Common Earwig - //Euborellia Annulipes//
 * Spiders - //Arachne//
 * Mosquito - //Culex Pipiens//
 * Stonefly Nymph - V//aries//
 * Dragonfly Nymph - //Anisoptera//
 * Damselfy Nymph - //Odonata Anispotera//

The main large dam of the school is a problem as there were no invertebrates or other life living in it. Investigation of this is needed because it could mean that the water is polluted.


 * Possible Management Plans:**
 * Maintaining the enviroment as it is, is the best managment plan for invertebrates, as it is keeping their natural habitat at its optimal state.
 * Planting tress around dams and streams could be done to filter the water and provide homes for many invertabrates.
 * The lower dam is a concern for inverterbrates because from the traps we set in the dam there were no invertebrates found.

Weeds.

 * The current main weeds that can be located on the school property are: **
 * Cape Weed - Arctotheca calendula
 * Dock - Acetosa sagittata
 * Blackberry - Rubus fruticosus species aggregate
 * Mallow - Malva parviflora
 * Nightshade - Solanum nigrum
 * Pittosporum - Pittosporaceae
 * Sorel - Rumex acetosa
 * Yorkshire Fog (grass) - Holcus Lanatus
 * Thistle - Onopordum Acanthium

Cape weed is abundant in the open, sunny paddocks while other weeds such as the blackberry remain in the more overgrown grassy areas. The Pittosporums were suppose to have been completely removed from the schools property but two, one near the gym and another near the front tennis courts, still remain.

The Bettongs in the Woodleigh Wildlife Reserve have been controlling the cape weed by eating it. Although they are controlling the cape weed, the Betongs are leaving open grassy areas for blackberries to spread.


 * Possible Management Plans: **
 * For the larger paddocks that are overgrown with cape weed, removal of these weeds is far more difficult than smaller areas.
 * Weed poison can be used but run-off can pollute water systems and the poisons can also have detrimental effects on insect, aquatic and invertebrate populations and also on native fauna.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Slashing of cape weed before it flowers can help to reduce seed despersal and therefore reduces the distribution.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Blackberry bushes can be managed by tethering a goat in problem areas. Blackberry's can also be pulled out by hand.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Most weed can be managed by hand pulling, but only for small scale areas.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Other ways to manage weeds are mulching, burning, herbicides - such as injecting into tree trunks, ring barking, biological controls - such as introducing native plants that overrun pest plants.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">During the late winter months before the cape weed has begun to flower, slash cape weed low to reduce chance of flowering, therefore reducing seed distribution. This method is the easiest way of removing cape weed as by preventing the plant from flowering it is unable to reproduce more plants for next years cycle.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Management plan for cape weed: **

Blackberry plants are difficult to remove due to their thorns and thick woody branches. One of the easiest ways to remove blackberry plants is to tether a goat near the problem areas. The goat removes the main bulk of the plant, leaving only the roots which can be removed using a hoe.
 * Management plan for blackberry:**

The best way to remove weeds that do not have a large distribution is simply to hand pull them or to use a hoe to dig them out. Weeds should be removed before flowering begins so the seeds do not disperse and pulled weeds should be collected as if weeds are left with dirt remaining on the roots the weed could possibly still grow, therefore wasting your effort of pulling them out in the first place.
 * Management plan for smaller distribution weeds:**

So what is your suggested weed management plan, given that we have local native mammals that rely on invertebrates as part of their diet and a watercourse that supports a diversity of frogs and invertebrates, how do you propose to manage the weed species? You may suggest quite different strategies for different parts of the property in response to the different pressures present.

1. What do we have here? Can you identify them? 2. Where do you find them? Are they abundant? 3. Do they associate with other features - vegetation, buildings, pathways etc. 4. Are they significant - rare, endangered, indigenous australian food source etc. 5. What management actions will you suggest for their protection?`