Glossary

ALA

Atlas of Living Australia

alpha-convex hull

A modified minimum convex polygon created by linking all occurrence records with a set of non-intersecting triangles and removing those edges whose length is greater than the mean edge length of all triangles combined, multiplied by α (i.e. Li > L x α; where α = 0.3). The remaining area is taken as the range size in km2. This method provides a more conservative estimate of range size than does a polygon encompassing all records (i.e., minimum convex polygon) and minimises the underestimation of range size inherent in area of occupancy calculations (i.e., summing the area within occupied grid cells). These features make α-hull estimation particularly suited to studies using occurrence data collected in a non-systematic way, such as herbarium records.

Altitude

Altitude above sea level

Annual mean temperature

The mean of all the weekly mean temperatures. Each weekly mean temperature is the mean of that week's maximum and minimum temperature.

Annual precipitation

The sum of all the monthly precipitation estimates.

APC

Australian Plant Census

Area of occupancy

Here, the area inside all 2km x 2km grid cells occupied by the species according to vouchered specimen occurrence records in the Australian Virtual Herbarium.

Aridity index

The ratio of mean annual precipitation to mean annual potential evapotranspiration, where higher values represent regions of greater humidity (i.e., lower aridity). Values of AI < 0.5 are considered indicative of arid conditions.

Atlas of NSW Wildlife

The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage's database of flora and fauna records. Further information on the Atlas

Available water capacity

Available water capacity computed for each of the specified depth increments

AVH

Australian Virtual Herbarium

Bulk density - whole earth

Bulk density of the whole soil (including coarse fragments) in mass per unit volume by a method equivalent to the core method

Clay

< 2 um mass fraction of the < 2 mm soil material determined using the pipette method

Depth of regolith

Depth to hard rock. Depth is inclusive of all regolith.

Depth of soil

Depth of soil profile (A & B horizons)

Effective cation exchange capacity

Cations extracted using barium chloride (BaCl2) plus exchangeable H + Al

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act)

The Australian Government's central piece of environmental legislation that provides for the protection and management of nationally and internationally important flora, fauna, ecological communities and heritage places (defined under the Act as matters of national environmental significance). Under the Act, threatened species and ecological communities can be listed as Conservation dependent, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in wild or Extinct. Further information on the EPBC Act

Extent of occurrence

Here, the area inside an alpha convex hull encompassing all occurrence points across the species range according to vouchered specimen records in the Australian Virtual Herbarium.

Family

Family names were taken directly from the Schedules of the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW) and were current at the time of listing.

IBRA Region

The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation of Australia (IBRA) classifies Australia's landscapes into large geographically distinct bioregions based on common climate, geology, landform, native vegetation and species information. Information on IBRA region for each species or community is derived from the listing of the species or community on the Schedules of the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW).

Isothermality

The mean diurnal range divided by the annual temperature range, multiplied by 100.

IUCN

International Union for Conservation of Nature

Key threatening process

A process can be listed under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW) as a key threatening process if it adversely affects threatened species, populations or ecological communities, or could cause species, populations or ecological communities that are not threatened to become threatened.

LGA

Local Government Areas: areas within Australia over which incorporated local governing bodies have responsibility. Information on LGA for each species or community is derived from the listing of the species or community on the Schedules of the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW).

LLS

NSW Local Land Service. There are 11 Local Land Service regions within NSW whose mission is to provide publicly-funded biosecurity, natural resources management and agricultural advisory services.

Max temp of warmest month

The highest temperature of any monthly maximum temperature.

Mean diurnal range

The mean of all the monthly diurnal temperature ranges. Each monthly diurnal range is the difference between that month's maximum and minimum temperature.

Mean temp of coldest quarter

The coldest quarter of the year is determined (to the nearest week), and the mean temperature of this period is calculated.

Mean temp of driest quarter

The driest quarter of the year is determined (to the nearest week), and the mean temperature of this period is calculated.

Mean temp of warmest quarter

The warmest quarter of the year is determined (to the nearest week), and the mean temperature of this period is calculated.

Mean temp of wettest quarter

The wettest quarter of the year is determined (to the nearest week), and the mean temperature of this period is calculated.

Min temp of coldest month

The lowest temperature of any monthly minimum temperature.

New South Wales Scientific Committee

An independent committee of scientists appointed by the Minister. The NSW Scientific Committee is responsible for deciding which species, populations and communities should be listed as threatened by extinction in New South Wales. Further information on the NSW Scientific Committee

Niche breadth

The extent of climatic or soil conditions occupied by the species across its range. Here, calculated as the difference between the maximum and minimum values of a climate or soil variable occupied by the species across its Australian range according to vouchered specimen records in the Australian Virtual Herbarium.

NSW Office of Environment and Heritage

The New South Wales Government agency that works to protect and conserve the NSW environment, including the natural environment, Aboriginal country, culture and heritage and built heritage, and manages NSW national parks and reserves. Further information on the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage

NSW Office of Environment and Heritage profiles

Profiles of threatened species and ecological communities available through the Office of Environment and Heritage website. (Example species profile)

NSW Scientific Committee Determination

The NSW Scientific Committee makes Determinations about the species, populations, communities and key threatening processes that are listed under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW). View all NSW Scientific Committee Final Determinations

Organic carbon

Mass fraction of carbon by weight in the < 2 mm soil material as determined by dry combustion at 900° C

pH - CaCl2

pH of 1:5 soil/0.01M calcium chloride extract

Precipitation of coldest quarter

The coldest quarter of the year is determined (to the nearest week), and the total precipitation over this period is calculated.

Precipitation of driest month

The precipitation of the driest month.

Precipitation of driest quarter

The driest quarter of the year is determined (to the nearest week), and the total precipitation over this period is calculated.

Precipitation of warmest quarter

The warmest quarter of the year is determined (to the nearest week), and the total precipitation over this period is calculated.

Precipitation of wettest month

The precipitation of the wettest month.

Precipitation of wettest quarter

The wettest quarter of the year is determined (to the nearest week), and the total precipitation over this period is calculated.

Precipitation seasonality

The Coefficient of Variation is the standard deviation of the monthly precipitation estimates expressed as a percentage of the mean of those estimates (i.e. the annual mean).

Range dimensions

The maximum distance between the N-S and/or the E-W extent of the species range. Here, measured as the difference between the maximum and minimum latitude (N-S) or longitude (E-W) in the 5th and 95th percentile of the vouchered specimen occurrence records in the Australian Virtual Herbarium.

Range size

The areal extent of a species range in km2 as measured by either the extent of occurrence (here, the area inside an alpha-convex hull encompassing all occurrences) or the area of occupancy (here, the sum of the area of all the 2km x 2km grid cells occupied by the species across Australia).

Sand

20 um - 2 mm mass fraction of the < 2 mm soil material determined using the pipette method

Saving our Species management stream

As part of the NSW Government's Saving our Species program, threatened species have been allocated to one of six management streams depending on their distribution, ecology, security, and what is known about them. The six management streams are: Site-managed species, Iconic species, Data-deficient species, Landscape-managed species, Partnership species and Keep watch species.

Saving our Species program

The New South Wales Government's conservation program that aims to maximise the number of threatened species that can be secured in the wild in NSW for 100 years. Threatened species are allocated to one of six management streams and prioritised for management action. Further information on the Saving our Species program

Silt

2-20 um mass fraction of the < 2 mm soil material determined using the pipette method

Site-managed species

One of the six management streams under the NSW Government's Saving our Species conservation program. Site-managed species are those best managed by carrying out targeted conservation projects on specific sites.

Species

Species name as it appears on the Schedules of the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW).

Temperature annual range

The difference between the maximum temperature of the warmest month and the minimum temperature of coldest month.

Temperature seasonality

Standard deviation of mean monthly temperature, multiplied by 100.

Threat status

Listing of species or community as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable on the Schedules of the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW).

Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW) (TSC Act)

Legislation that provides for the conservation of threatened species, populations and ecological communities of animals and plants in NSW (the Act does not generally apply to fish). Further information on the TSC Act

Threatened Species Conservation Regulation 2010 (NSW)

Prescribes the criteria for the listing of critically endangered species, endangered species, vulnerable species, endangered populations, critically endangered ecological communities, endangered ecological communities and vulnerable ecological communities under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995.

Total nitrogen

Total nitrogen

Total phosphorous

Total phosphorus

Year of gazettal

Year that the NSW Scientific Committee Determination was made to list a species or ecological community as threatened on the Schedules of the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW).