Composition of the plant community in remnant patches of grassy woodland along an urban-rural gradient in Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

The composition of the plant community in remnant patches of open grassy woodlands with an overstorey of Eucalyptus camaldulensis was investigated along an urban-rural gradient in Melbourne, Australia. The plant community showed very little difference between patches along the gradient, particularly in terms of the indigenous plant species. Average annual rainfall was the main factor contributing to patterns of indigenous plant species richness, while the level of urbanization in the surrounding landscape had a strong influence on the number of non-indigenous species recorded in the remnant plant community. Patterns of species richness were largely influenced by landscape-scale factors, whil..