Explanation of Descriptive Terms

Each of the references in the database have been described in up to four categories. These categories are explained below. They are:

Location
Lifeform
Ecosystem
Management Issue / Ecological Process

Location

The location of the subject described in a reference is listed either by Local Government Area (LGA) or, where a reference pertains to all or part of Melbourne or does not specify a location, is referred to as Greater Melbourne Area.

View maps of Melbourne LGAs

Lifeform

This category records the taxonomic grouping of the organism that is the primary focus of each reference. Reports or research papers describing vegetation surveys have been indexed under the category Vegetation Community. Several non-taxonomic categories have also been included. The terms used are: Algae, Angiosperms, Birds, Bryophytes, Climate, Ferns, Fish, Fungi, Geology, Gymnosperms, Human, Invertebrates - aquatic, Invertebrates - terrestrial, Mammals, Protozoa, Reptiles, Amphibians, Soils and Vegetation Community.

Ecosystem

The environment that is the subject of the reference is listed in this category. All ecosystems detailed, or implied by the reference, are listed.

The terms used and their definitions are:

Agricultural	Areas of agricultural land-use within the Study Area. Generally in close proximity to urban development.
Built Environment	Urban or suburban areas dominated by roads, buildings and other built structures.
Coastal Dunes	All vegetation communities occurring on coastal and near-coastal sand dunes, consolidated dunes and cliffs. Includes primary dune scrub, coastal cliff vegetation and coastal banksia woodland.
Escarpment	The characteristic vegetation of cliff faces and other steep areas.
Forests	Vegetation with a high density of tree cover.
Grassland	Open, treeless areas that are not managed as farmland and are generally dominated by native grasses.
Heathland	Almost tree-less vegetation occurring on nutrient deficient, sandy areas. In Melbourne, heathland vegetation is generally dominated by silky tea-tree (Leptospermum myrsinoides).
Lake/Reservoir	Large areas of permanent standing freshwater.
Landscaped Urban Park	Includes sporting ovals, golf courses, botanic gardens and other formally designed parklands.
Mangroves	Shrubland occurring on intertidal mudflats and creek mouths dominated by white mangroves (Avicennia marina).
Marine	Port Phillip and Westernport Bays. Although only references relating to the avifauna, islands or intertidal portions of the Bay are included.
Saltmarsh	Saline areas, typically near the coast, with a characteristic halophyte flora.
Shrubland	Shrubby vegetation types lacking a dominant tree layer. For example, swamp paperbark (Melaleuca ericifolia) scrub.
Watercourse	The in-stream portion, and banks (ie. riparian zone) of rivers and streams.
Wetland	Ephemeral or permanent shallow water bodies that may contain saline or fresh water.
Woodland	Ecosystems supporting a low density of trees. In the Melbourne area this term describes both grassy woodlands and those containing heathy elements. Coastal banksia woodlands are listed under coastal dunes.

Management Issue/Ecological Process

This category describes the major issues examined by each study.

Biological Survey	All references that include an inventory of the species occurring at a particular site or in a specific area.
Biomass/Productivity	References studying the biomass or productivity of communities or populations of organisms.
Community Ecology	Studies examining the interaction between organisms at a particular site or in a specific area.
Dieback	References concerning the death of trees from dieback, which could be attributed to a variety of causes.
Diseases/Pathogens	References focusing on the impact of plant or animal pathogens. This category includes studies of cinnamon fungus (Phytophthora cinnamomi).
Edges/Fragmentation	Studies of the impacts of isolation, fragmentation and the creation of edge environments.
Environmental Weeds	References that study or discuss the impacts of any non-native or non-indigenous pest plants.
Feral animals	References that study or discuss the impacts of any non-native animal pests.
Fire	All references concerning the effects, incidence or management of fire.
Grazing	References describing the impact of grazing by herbivores such as cattle, rabbits or kangaroos.
Life History	Ecological studies at the species level including physiology, behaviour and autecology of plants or animals.
Nutrients	References concerning nutrient monitoring, nutrient cycling or the effect of nutrients on organisms or ecosystems.
Pollution	Studies reporting or analysing air, water, noise or soil pollution within the Study Area, or its remediation.
Rare Species	A study or report of a plant or animal species considered endangered, vulnerable, rare or regionally significant by the author(s) of the reference.
Recreation Impacts	Studies reporting the effects of human recreational activities on natural areas.
Revegetation/Restoration	References describing the methodology or outcome of attempts to restore degraded areas. Includes revegetation programs and faunal re-introductions.
Salinity	Studies concerning the process of land salinisation.
Significance Assessment	Studies, generally consultants reports, that assess the significance of a site, or its flora and fauna.
Succession	Studies of the ecological process of succession and vegetation dynamics.
Urbanisation	References examining the impact or potential impacts of expanding cities and towns.
Vegetation Management	All references relating to the management of vegetation, including approaches and techniques (excluding studies associated with revegetation and restoration).
Wildlife Management	All references relating to the management of wildlife, both individual animals and populations. Excludes information on feral animals.

Reference Type

The types of references inclused in the database are:

Consultants' Report	Reports written by biological, ecological or other consultants for a paying client.
Educational	Educational publications intended for the general public and school children. These include field guides, information brochures, teaching guides and other educational material.
Management Plan	Documents containing prescriptions to manage all aspects of a particular area. Reports describing the management of only one component of an area, such as vegetation, have not been included in this category.
Organisational Series/Technical Report	Report completed by government departments or authorities. Technical Report Includes ecological survey reports and technical reports.
Popular	Articles written for newspapers, popular scientific and environmental magazines (e.g. Australian Geographic) and trade publications. Less scientific articles from Victorian Naturalist such as excursion reports are also included.
Scientific Literature	Journal articles, books or book chapters that have been peer reviewed.
Conference Proceedings	Papers reporting on presentations given at conferences, seminars or workshops.
Thesis	Honours, Masters and PhD theses written to attain the corresponding degree.