The Northern Plains Grasslands Community
Northern Plains Grasslands are naturally treeless plains. Trees and large shrubs are very uncommon in the landscape. But these are not treeless wastelands. Grasslands complement the adjacent woodlands, providing essential habitat for many valuable and endangered species of plants and animals. The grasslands have great diversity, with numerous species of grasses and herbs. Floristic diversity is greater than 10 species per 100m2, often exceeding 20 and occasionally 30 species per 100m2.
Vegetation communities
The Northern Plains Grassland Community are lowland grasslands included in three Ecological Vegetation Classes: Plains Grassland, Chenopod Grassland and Plains Savannah. Trees and shrubs may occur sparsely, but grasses, mostly perennial, are dominant.
Northern Plains Grasslands are distinct from other Victorian grasslands such as on the Volcanic Plains to the south. The presence of saltbush (Chenopod) species, including members of the Maireana and Einadia genera, and a high diversity of annual wildflowers, suggests close links with the vegetation communities of the semi-arid and arid interior of Australia.
In the lower rainfall parts of the Northern Plains, today’s remaining grasslands consist either of a plains herbland of no particular dominance, or an open to closed tussock grassland dominated by Wallaby-grasses (Austrodanthonia setacea and A.caesptiosa), Spear-grasses (Austrostipa scabra and A.gibbosa) and Spider Grass (Enteropogan acicularis). Such dominance tends to be the result of past grazing and disturbance events.
Occasionally, Northern Plains Grasslands occur as an open grassy shrubland dominated by a variety of species. A range of perennial and annual herbs occupy the inter-tussock spaces. Prior to intensive livestock grazing and cultivation, the grasslands would probably have contained a greater abundance of annual and perennial herbs, shrubs and summer growing (C4) grasses.
Download the maps in the right panel to view predicted pre-European vegetation types and remaining native grassland in Victoria.
Fauna
The unique characteristics of the grassland soils and vegetation provide habitat for a range of grassland dependent fauna species.
Grassland soils are predominantly heavy-textured grey and red clays, which swell and shrink extensively as they become successively wet then dry, leaving deep cracks characteristic of these soils. These deep soil cracks provide key habitat for grassland dependent fauna, such as small mammals (Fat-tailed Dunnart Sminthopsis crassicaudata and Common Dunnart S. murina), reptiles (Hooded Scaly-foot Pygopus schraderi Fig. 9, and Curl Snake Suta suta), and some bird species escaping extreme heat.
For other fauna species, the structural complexity of the grassland vegetation, with well-developed grass tussocks, inter-tussock spaces of varying size and character, and a variety of forbs, provides vital habitat. Vegetation provides sources of food, protection from predators, and nesting material for omnivores such as the Plains-wanderer (Pedionomus torquatus); predominantly granivorous birds such as the Brown Quail (Coturnix ypsilophora), Stubble Quail (C. pectoralis), Little Button-quail (Turnix velox) and Red-chested Button-quail (T. pyrrhothorax); and birds that are mainly insectivorous such as the Rufous Songlark (Cincloramphus mathewsi), Brown Songlark (C. cruralis) and Australasian Pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae).
