TERN Calperum Mallee SuperSite - Australia

The Calperum Mallee SuperSite is a member of the Australian SuperSite Network (SuperSites, http://www.supersites.net.au/), a facility within the Australian Terrestrial Ecosystem Network (TERN, http://www.tern.org.au/). The SuperSite is located on Calperum Station, near Renmark, South Australia with research plots located in mallee woodland, Callitris woodland and floodplain black box, river red gum and lignum ecosystems. The property was a pastoral grazing lease for nearly 150 years, so it has suffered grazing-induced modifications to its ecosystems that are now being actively restored. The Native Title for the area is held by the First Peoples of the River Murray and Mallee. Key research objectives include: • What are the fundamental energy, carbon, water and nutrient stocks and flows in the Mallee, Callitris woodland and river floodplain ecosystems? • How are these stocks and flows responding to the management interventions (reduced and controlled grazing, controlled fire, controlled floods on the floodplain)? • How are the biota changing in form, frequency and distribution as climate changes and management interventions are imposed? • How important is the connectivity between these ecosystems for hydrology, faunal movement and as refugia in times of drought?