Online resource 2: summary of three key bioclimatic variables across the native range of Eucalyptus globulus

Article title: Assessing the invasive potential of Eucalyptus globulus in Australia: quantification of wildling establishment from plantations

Authors: Matthew J. Larcombe, Joaquim S. Silva, René E. Vaillancourt, Brad M. Potts

Corresponding author:

Journal: Biological Invasions

We identified thatE. globulus wildling abundance increased in areas with high Mean annual precipitation, low Mean annual temperature and low Precipitation seasonality (regular rainfall). In order to estimate an average value for these threebioclimatic variables across the native range of E. globulus, we used the geographic location of 5 to 29 native trees from each of the 13 recognised races across the species range (Dutkowski and Potts 1999; Table 1) to estimate the values of the three variables from ANUCLIM (Xu and Hutchinson 2011). The race averages were calculated and these values then used to estimate an average species wide value for the climatic variables.

The estimated average Mean annual temperature (12.5 degrees C) and Precipitation seasonality (22.1 coefficient of variation, see paper) across the native range are low, while Mean annual Precipitation (1010 mm)is intermediate (Table 1; and Fig 5 main paper). This indicates that values of the bioclimatic variables that were found to promote wildling establishment, when accounting for Region and Plantation age (Model 3), are similar to the values of those variables where E. globulus grows naturally, particularly for Mean annual temperature and Precipitation seasonality. The trend with Mean annual precipitation was not as strong; however this factor is highly variable, ranging from 725 mm (Southern Furneaux) to 1845 mm (Western Tasmania).

Table 1 Summary of Mean annual precipitation, Mean annual temperature and Precipitation seasonality for the 13 races of E. globulus across the species natural range. The Australian state in which the race occurs (VIC = Victoria, TAS = Tasmania), and the number of trees/locations within the geographic range of the race that were used to calculate the race averages are shown.

Race (Eucalyptus globulus) / State / n trees/ locations / Mean annual precipitation (mm) / Mean annual temperature (degrees C) / Precipitation seasonality
Coastal Plain (Gippsland) / VIC / 14 / 889 / 14.3 / 20.1
Eastern Otways / VIC / 9 / 950 / 13.4 / 30.2
Strzelecki Ranges / VIC / 6 / 1128 / 12.6 / 20.0
Western Otways / VIC / 10 / 1093 / 13.4 / 30.2
Flinders Island / TAS / 6 / 784 / 13.2 / 20.3
King Island / TAS / 15 / 936 / 13.3 / 38.2
North-eastern Tasmania / TAS / 9 / 873 / 11.2 / 13.4
Recherche Bay / TAS / 10 / 1232 / 11.5 / 20.2
South-eastern Tasmania / TAS / 16 / 848 / 10.4 / 16.3
Southern Furneaux / TAS / 27 / 725 / 13.4 / 17.6
Southern Tasmania / TAS / 29 / 1017 / 10.8 / 19.7
St Helens / TAS / 17 / 808 / 13.2 / 14.8
Western Tasmania / TAS / 5 / 1845 / 11.8 / 26.2
Total/average / 173 / 1010 / 12.5 / 22.1

References

Dutkowski GW, Potts BM (1999) Geographic patterns of genetic variation in Eucalyptus globulus ssp. globulus and a revised racial classification. Australian Journal of Botany47(2), 237-263.

Xu T, Hutchinson M (2011) ANUCLIM version 6.1 user guide. The Australian National Unievsity, Fernner School of Environment and Society, Canberra.