Editing Conondale National Park (section)

== Ecological significance of Conondale National Park ==

=== Flora ===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Queenslandstallesttree.png|thumb|right|GIS Analyst Toby Clewett discovers Queenslands Tallest Tree (photo by Toby Clewett) ]] -->
Two thirds of the original vegetation in the Conondale region has been cleared including large areas of rainforest leaving a mosaic of cattle pastures, cropland, remnant forests and hoop pine plantations. Extensive areas of remnant forests remain in gullies and steeper parts of the Conondale ranges including large areas of un-managed regrowth.<ref name="moran" /> The national park protects significant areas of remnant vegetation including sub-tropical rainforest, wet and dry sclerophyll forest including remnant stands of bunya pine ''Araucaria bidwillii'', hoop pine ''Araucaria cunninghamii'' including extremely tall stands of flooded gum ''[[Eucalyptus grandis]]'' and brush box ''[[Lophostemon confertus]]''.<ref name="wetland" /> Queensland's tallest tree a ''Eucalyptus grandis'' was recently discovered in the park in 2013 and stands at 73&nbsp;metres tall.<ref name="esri" /><ref name="wetland" /> In total there are thirty one different vegetation types including extensive Palm vine forests,<ref>McDonald, W.J., Young, P.A., Watson, M.A., 1998. Distribution and status of the rainforest communities of southeast Queensland. Rainforest Recovery New Millennium World Wildlife Fund Sydney. 28–66.</ref> thirteen are listed as ‘of concern’ including gallery rainforests (notophyll vine forests) and semi-evergreen vine thickets which are listed as endangered.<ref name="nprsr" /><ref name=WebbTracey>{{Citation | author1=Webb, L. J. (Leonard James), 1920-2008 | author-link1=Leonard Webb (academic) | author2=Tracey, J. G. (John Geoffrey), 1920-2004 | author-link2=Geoff Tracey | title=Australian Rainforests: Patterns and Change (Ecological Biogeography of Australia, vol. 1 p. 605-694) | publication-date=1981 | publisher=The Hague: W. Junk | hdl=102.100.100/292256?index=1 | url=http://hdl.handle.net/102.100.100/292256?index=1}}</ref><ref name=Webb>{{cite journal |title=A Physiognomic Classification of Australian Rain Forests|first1=Len|last1=Webb| author-link=Leonard Webb (academic) | journal = Journal of Ecology| publisher=British Ecological Society : Journal of Ecology Vol. 47, No. 3, pp. 551-570|date=1 Oct 1959|volume = 47|issue = 3|pages = 551–570|doi = 10.2307/2257290|jstor = 2257290}}</ref>
[[File:Richmond Birdwing Butterfly (Ornithoptera richmondius).jpg|thumb|Richmond Birdwing Butterfly (''Ornithoptera richmondius'')]]
A total of 796 plant species are recorded in the park, twelve species are listed as endangered, vulnerable or near threatened.<ref name="nprsr" /> Notable threatened species include the gympie nut ''Macadamia ternifolia'' now listed as threatened on the [[IUCN Red List]] and listed vulnerable in Queensland and nationally.<ref name="macadamia">Environment, D. of the, 2009a. [http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/southern-macadamia-species-recovery-plan Southern macadamia species recovery plan]. Retrieved 25 April 2014.</ref> The brush sophora ''Sophora fraseri'' and ''Bosistoa transversa'' are listed nationally as Vulnerable and occurs in semi-evergreen vine thickets, it is threatened by changing fire regimes and competition from [[weed]]s.<ref>EHP,  jurisdiction=Queensland; sector=government; corporateName=Department of E. and H., n.d. Brush sophora – Sophora fraseri [WWW Document]. URL http://wetlandinfo.ehp.qld.gov.au/wetlands/ecology/components/species/?sophora-fraseri (accessed 4.25.14b).</ref>

=== Richmond birdwing butterfly recovery program ===

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Richmond Birdwing Butterfly.jpg|thumb|right|Richmond Birdwing Butterfly (photo by Tom Tarrant)]] -->
Conondale National Park is considered a critical site for the survival of the richmond birdwing butterfly ''Ornithoptera richmondia'' which is listed as vulnerable in Queensland, the park also has significant stands of the richmond birdwing vine ''[[Aristolochia praevenosa]]'' a species of critical priority for the butterfly.<ref name="sands">Sands, D.P.A., New, T.R., 2013. Conservation of the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly in Australia, 1st ed. Springer, Dordrecht.</ref><ref>EHP,  jurisdiction=Queensland; sector=government; corporateName=Department of E. and H., 2004. Richmond birdwing butterfly [WWW Document]. URL https://www.ehp.qld.gov.au/wildlife/threatened-species/vulnerable/richmond_birdwing_butterfly.html (accessed 4.27.14).</ref> The vine is crucial in the [[Biological life cycle|lifecycle]] of the butterfly which occurs predominantly in rainforests along [[waterways]], it is a food source for the [[larval stage]] of the butterfly's lifecycle and is the only plant the female butterfly will lay its eggs on.<ref name="sands" /> Threats include the exotic dutchmans pipe ''[[Aristolochia elegans]]'' which the female butterfly is attracted to and will lay her eggs on, however the leaves are fatal to the butterfly larvae. Extensive public education and conservation programs are underway in Queensland with cultivation, planting, control of weeds and ecological monitoring occurring.<ref name="nprsr" /><ref name="sands" />
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Eastern bristlebird.jpg|thumb|right|The endangered eastern bristlebird (photo by David Cook)]] -->
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Black-breasted button-quail.jpg|thumb|right|Black-breasted button-quail (photo by Tom Tarrant]] -->

=== Birds ===
[[File:Podargus ocellatus -Redwood -Queensland-8.jpg|thumb|upright|Plumed Frogmouth ''Podargus ocellatus plumiferus'']]
Conondale National Park is considered an [[Important Bird Area]] (IBA) by [[Birdlife International]]<ref>Australian IBAs | BirdLife [WWW Document], n.d. URL http://birdlife.org.au/projects/important-bird-areas/iba-maps (accessed 4.30.14).</ref> with 174 bird species recorded in the park, fourteen species are considered endangered or vulnerable.<ref name="nprsr" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://birdlife.org.au/projects/important-bird-areas/iba-maps|title = For Guardians & Birders &#124; BirdLife}}</ref> Notable species include the pale-yellow robin ''[[Tregellasia capito]]'', paradise riflebird ''[[Ptiloris paradiseus]]'', green catbird ''[[Ailuroedus crassirostris]]'', regent bowerbird ''[[Sericulus chrysocephalus]]'' and grey goshawk ''[[Accipiter novaehollandiae]]'' Australian logrunner ''[[Orthonyx temminckii]]''.<ref name="nprsr" />  Threatened birds in the park include the Coxen's fig parrot ''[[Cyclopsitta diophthalma coxeni]]'', red goshawk ''[[Erythrotriorchis radiatus]]'', [[glossy black cockatoo]] (eastern) ''Calyptorhynchus lathami lathami'' and the powerful owl ''[[Ninox strenua]]''.<ref name="nprsr" />

The Conondale ranges provides an important northern refuge for populations of eastern bristlebirds ''[[Dasyornis brachypterus]]'', a small semi-flightless bird dependent on vegetation cover and sensitive to fire.<ref name="bainetal">Bain, D.W., Baker, J.R., French, K.O., Whelan, R.J., 2008. Post-fire recovery of eastern bristlebirds (Dasyornis brachypterus) is context-dependent. Wildl. Res. 35, 44–49.</ref><ref>Baker, J., 2000a. The Eastern Bristlebird: Cover-dependent and Fire-sensitive. Emu 100, 286–298.</ref> The bird was once common from Victoria to the Queensland but has declined,<ref>Baker, J., 1997. The Decline, Response to Fire, Status and Management of the Eastern Bristlebird [WWW Document]. URL http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=688004812351797;res=IELHSS {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116065549/http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary |date=16 November 2017 }} (accessed 4.25.14).</ref> the species is now listed as Endangered under the IUCN red list of threatened species and listed nationally and in Queensland as endangered.<ref name="bristlebird">Environment,  jurisdiction=Commonwealth of A. corporateName=Department of the, n.d. Dasyornis brachypterus — Eastern Bristlebird [WWW Document]. URL http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=533 (accessed 4.16.14b).</ref> Park managers are currently identifying and protecting suitable habitat within the national park and implementing the recovery plan for the northern population eastern bristlebirds.<ref name="nprsr" /> The plumed frogmouth ''Podargus ocellatus plumiferus'' is listed as vulnerable in Queensland and was only discovered in the Conondale ranges in 1976 with the national park considered a stronghold for the species.<ref name="smithetal"/><ref name="roberts" /> Its habitat is sub-tropical rainforest at high altitudes and estimates of current population in the Conondale ranges are around 800 pairs with less than 2,000&nbsp;ha of suitable [[habitat]] in the region.<ref name="smithetal"/> Current populations are threatened by land clearing, inappropriate fire regimes and [[climate change]].<ref name="Hagger, V. 2013">Hagger, V., Fisher, D., Schmidt, S., Blomberg, S., 2013. Assessing the vulnerability of an assemblage of subtropical rainforest vertebrate species to climate change in southeast Queensland. Austral Ecol. 38, 465–475. doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.2012.02437.x</ref><ref name="smithhamley">Smith, G.C., Hamley, B.J., 2009. Variation in vocal response of Plumed Frogmouth (Podargus ocellatus plumiferus) to call-playback. Emu 109, 339–343.</ref>

The black-breasted button-quail ''Turnix melanogaster'' is a small ground dwelling bird which inhabits notophyll vine forest or ‘dry rainforests’ <ref name="bbq">Environment, D. of the, 2009b. National recovery plan for the black-breasted button-quail (Turnix melanogaster) [WWW Document]. URL http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/national-recovery-plan-black-breasted-button-quail-turnix-melanogaster (accessed 4.25.14).</ref><ref name="smythpavey">Smyth, A.K., Pavey, C.R., 2001. Foraging by the endangered black-breasted button-quail (Turnix melanogaster) within fragmented rainforest of an agricultural landscape. Biol. Conserv. 98, 149–157. doi:10.1016/S0006-3207(00)00149-X</ref> with up to 90% of its habitat has been cleared with less than 2,500 individuals estimated remaining in the wild.<ref name="smythpavey" />  The species is listed as vulnerable nationally and in Queensland<ref name="bbq" /> and is considered near threatened on the IUCN red list.<ref>IUCN Redlist, n.d. Turnix melanogaster (Black-breasted Buttonquail, Black-breasted Button-quail) [WWW Document]. URL https://iucnredlist.org/details/22680556/0 (accessed 4.26.14a).</ref><ref name="smythyoung">Smyth, A.K., Young, J., 1996. Observations on the endangered Black-breasted Button-quail Turnix melanogaster breeding in the wild. Emu 96, 202–207.</ref> The Conondale populations is considered an important population due to the size and location being within a national park.<ref name="bbq" />
[[File:Potorous tridactylus - profile.JPG|thumb|upright|Long-nosed potoroo ''Potorous tridactylus'']]

=== Mammals ===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Booloumba Creek Falls.jpg|thumbnail|k|Booloumba Creek Falls (photo by Bevan Koopman)]] -->
There have been 68 species of [[mammals]] recorded in the park with many being uncommon and range restricted such as the yellow-bellied glider ''[[Petaurus australis]]'', koala ''[[Phascolarctos cinereus]]'', grey headed flying-fox ''[[Pteropus poliocephalus]]'', golden-tipped bat ''[[Kerivoula papuensis]]''.<ref name="nprsr" /> The rufous bettong ''[[Aepyprymnus rufescens]]'' occurs in the park and is the largest of the [[potoroos]], it feeds at night on roots and fungi<ref name="nprsr" /><ref name="frederick">Frederick, H., Johnson, C., 1996. Social Organisation in the Rufous Bettong, Aepyprymnus Rufescens. Aust. J. Zool. 44, 9–17.</ref><ref name="mcfarland">McFarland, D., n.d. Systematic vertebrate fauna survey project stage iiB-assessment of habitat quality for priority species in southeast queensland bioregion.</ref> occurring in wet and dry sclerophyll forests.<ref name="nprsr" /><ref name="frederick" /><ref name="mcfarland" /> Threats include changes to fire regimes, over-grazing and predation by feral animals.<ref>Rufous Bettong - profile | NSW Environment & Heritage [WWW Document], 2014. URL http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=10033 (accessed 4.27.14).</ref> The long-nosed potoroo ''Potorous tridactylus tridactylus'' is recorded in the park and is the smallest member of the kangaroo superfamily,<ref>Victorian Government, Department of Environment, and Primary Industries, n.d. Action Statement No. 254 Long-nosed Potoroo Potorous tridactylus Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.</ref> it is listed nationally and in Queensland as vulnerable.<ref name="potoroo">Environment,  jurisdiction=Commonwealth of A. corporateName=Department of the, n.d. Potorous tridactylus tridactylus — Long-nosed Potoroo (SE mainland) [WWW Document]. URL http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=66645 (accessed 4.25.14c).</ref> Current threats include predation by European foxes and land clearing.<ref name="potoroo" /> The spotted-tail quoll ''Dasyurus maculatus maculatus'' has been recorded in the park<ref name="nprsr" /> and is mainland Australia's largest surviving marsupial and one of three distinct subspecies.<ref>Belcher, C.A., 2003. Demographics of tiger quoll (Dasyurus maculatus maculatus) populations in southeastern Australia. Aust. J. Zool. 51, 611–626.</ref><ref name="quoll">Environment,  jurisdiction=Commonwealth of A. corporateName=Department of the, n.d. Dasyurus maculatus maculatus (SE mainland population) — Spot-tailed Quoll, Spotted-tail Quoll, Tiger Quoll (southeastern mainland population) [WWW Document]. URL http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=75184 (accessed 4.25.14d).</ref> The spotted-tail quoll has undergone drastic losses in Queensland with a 50 - 90% reduction in range since European settlement.<ref>Lunney, D., Matthews, A., 2001. The contribution of the community to defining the distribution of a vulnerable species, the spotted-tailed quoll, Dasyurus maculatus. Wildl. Res. 28, 537–545.</ref> This is attributed to habitat loss, fragmentation, logging, poison baiting, predators and cane toads, habitat critical to the spotted-tail quoll includes large tracts of undisturbed mature forest.<ref name="quoll" />

=== Amphibians  ===

Thirty one species of frogs are known to occur in the Conondale ranges including species of scientific interest, the endangered giant barred frog ''Mixophyes iteratus'' occurs at its northern limit.<ref>Lemckert, F., Brassil, T., 2000. Movements and habitat use of the endangered giant barred river frog (Mixophyes iteratus) and the implications for its conservation in timber production forests. Biol. Conserv. 96, 177–184. doi:10.1016/S0006-3207(00)00066-5</ref> The endangered fleay's barred frog ''Mixophyes fleayi'' and the vulnerable tusked frog ''Adelotus brevis'' and cascade treefrog ''Litoria pearsoniana'' have also been recorded in the park, the threatened stream frog recovery plan is currently being implemented along with monitoring of these threatened species in the park.<ref name="nprsr" />
[[File:EgrandisAlexFCA2.jpg|thumb|upright|Flooded gum ''[[Eucalyptus grandis]]'']]
The Conondale region has experienced recent rapid declines in frog populations; the southern gastric brooding frog ''Rheobatrachus silus'' which only became known to science in 1973 and the southern dayfrog ''Taudactylus diurnus'' declined rapidly between 1979 and 1981 with both presumed extinct. Four other species found in the park have also declined.<ref>Parris, K.M., McCarthy, M.A., 1999. What influences the structure of frog assemblages at forest streams? Aust. J. Ecol. 24, 495–502. doi:10.1046/j.1442-9993.1999.00989.x</ref> There have been similar declines and disappearances of frogs in north Queensland and Central America under similar circumstances, the causes of these declines in still unknown but several hypotheses have been developed including the possible impact of chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis which has been reported in the region.<ref name="streamfrogs">Environment, D. of the, 2013b. National recovery plan for Stream Frogs of South-east Queensland 2001-2005 [WWW Document]. URL http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/national-recovery-plan-stream-frogs-southeast-queensland-2001-2005 (accessed 4.16.14).</ref><ref name="frogdeclines">Environment, D. of the, 2004. Declines and Disappearances of Australian Frogs [WWW Document]. URL http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/declines-and-disappearances-australian-frogs (accessed 4.25.14).</ref>

=== Reptiles ===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Rufous Bettong.jpg|thumb|right|Rufous Bettong (photo by Narelle Power)]] -->
There are 54 species of reptiles recorded in the park which include the rough-scaled snake ''Tropidechis carinatus'', lace monitor ''Varanus varius'', land mullet ''Bellatorias major'', carpet python ''Morelia spilota'' and the near threatened challenger skink ''Saproscincus rosei'' which occurs in rainforest but has also been found to occur in high densities in exotic Lantana camara thickets.<ref name="nprsr" /><ref>Virkki, D.A., Tran, C., Castley, J.G., 2012. Reptile Responses to Lantana Management in a Wet Sclerophyll Forest, Australia. J. Herpetol. 46, 177–185.</ref>

=== Invertebrates  ===

The Conondale crayfish ''Euastacus urospinosus'' only occurs in upland rainforest streams in the Conondale and [[Blackall|Blackall Range]] ranges, one of its strongholds is Conondale National Park.<ref name="borsboom">Borsboom, A., 1998. Aspects of the biology and ecology of the Australian freshwater crayfish, Euastacus urospinosus (Decapoda: Parastacidae). Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. 119, 87–100.</ref> The crayfish burrows in rainforest streams at elevations between 450-550m, the Bundaroo creek system where the crayfish occurs has an absence of historical mining and logging which may account for its continued survival.<ref name="borsboom" />  The species is classified as endangered on IUCN red list with the species being highly range restricted due to climatic intolerances and susceptibility to catastrophic weather events and climate change.<ref name="redlist">IUCN Redlist, n.d. Euastacus urospinosus [WWW Document]. URL [https://web.archive.org/web/20121114074048/http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/8147/0] (accessed 4.27.14b).</ref> Other threats are feral pigs Sus scrofa wallowing and destroying creek bank vegetation and crayfish burrows.<ref name="mcfarland" />