A history of aquatic plants in the Coorong, a Ramsar-listed coastal wetland, South Australia

摘要: The Coorong in South Australia is an internationally recognised ecologically significant coastal lagoon that extends 140 km south-east from the mouth of River Murray. has increasingly been impacted by a variety human activities. Declining migratory bird abundance linked to loss Ruppia tuberosa, aquatic plant main feedstock for wide water birds. Analysis remains radiometrically dated core southern shows salt-tolerant annual tuberosa only present at this site recent times. By contrast, perennial megacarpa, which limited tolerance elevated salinity, appears have several millennia, although it had never observed ecological surveys part Coorong. Diatom analysis same reveals shift estuarine/marine assemblages assemblage reflective salinity levels. Charophyte, ostracod and foraminifera also indicate change community associated with increased study since European settlement. Elevated result catchment modifications reduced freshwater inflows northern extremities Coorong, marine input via Murray Mouth. This demonstrates utility multiproxy palaeoecological data addressing complex management questions. In absence such information, managers must ultimately rely on sourced historical record which, more often than not, already skewed impact