Mabi forests (also known as Complex Notophyll Vine Forests) are a type of ecological community found in the Australian state of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

which is considered to be critically endangered and which consists of remnant patches found only either in North Queensland's Atherton Tablelands or at Shiptons Flat (also known as ''Kuna'') along the

Annan River The Annan River ( Kuku Nyungkal: ''Yuku Baja'') is a river located in the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland, Australia. Course and features The river rises in the Yorkey Range below Mount Romeo near , north-northwest of . The river flows g ...

Distribution

Mabi forests, also known as Complex Notophyll Vine Forests, are confined to the Atherton Tableland with the exception of small remnant patch at Shiptons Flat which is also known as ''Kuna'' along the banks of

.Department of Environment and Heritage (2004) ''Mabi Forest'' Nationally Threatened Species and Ecological Communities Information Sheet
Accessed 17 March 2009Federal Register of Legislative Instruments (2007) ''Inclusion of ecological communities in the list of threatened ecological communities under section 181 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999''
Accessed 17 March 2009Hershberger, Henry & Hershberger Ruth (1986) "''Kuku Yalanji Dictionary'' Summer Institute of Linguistics. Darwin"
Accessed 16 March 2009 Botanist Tony Irvine writing for Trees for the Evelyn and Atherton Tablelands Inc in 2004, described their distribution, then, as follows:

"..today remnants consist of Curtain Fig including Thomas Road, Picnic Crossing, Kairi Research Station, Cullamungie Pocket (slightly south of Pelican Point but on the eastern side of Tinaroo Dam), Halloran's Hill, Nasser's Property (Wongabel), Wongabel State Forest, Nicholas Creek, Tolga Scrub and other small scattered areas of less than 0.5 ha on private property. Curtain Fig is the largest remnant, roughly consisting of slightly less than 4 square kilometres in area."

Source of name

The name ''"Mabi"'' is a locally

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

Dyirbal and

Yidiny language Yidiny (also spelled Yidiɲ, Yidiñ, Jidinj, Jidinʲ, Yidinʸ, Yidiń ) is a nearly extinct Australian Aboriginal language, spoken by the Yidinji people of north-east Queensland. Its traditional language region is within the local government area ...

name for the Lumholtz tree kangaroo The name "Mabi forest" was given to this particular type of ecological community, as it is a forest type and

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

that supports high populations of Lumholtz tree kangaroos (aka ''Mabi'')

Likely conservation status

A Threatened Species Scientific Committee charged with advising on the conservation status of native species and ecological communities recommended the remnant Mabi forests be listed as "critically endangered" for the following reasons:

"There is only 1050 ha of Mabi Forest left, and this occurs as a series of small, isolated patches. Many of the remnant patches of Mabi Forest are being invaded by exotic smothering vines, and feral and domestic animals. The use of remnant patches of Mabi Forest by stock can impact on this ecological community through trampling, grazing and soil compaction."

Characteristics

Mabi forests are a particular kind of dense vine forest that grows on nutrient rich yet porous volcanic soils with annual rainfalls averaging between 1300 – 1600 mm and a severe seasonal dry around October of each year These ecological communities can be distinguished from other forests types by their thick layer of shrubs and many

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themsel ...

s growing beneath more open canopies of semi-

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

and scattered

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

trees (reaching upwards to between 25m and 45 m high). Irvine described Mabi forests as follows:

"..the key thing about Mabi Forest...is that it has mostly tall canopy trees, many vines and a dense shrub layer."

"Key diagnostic features of Mabi forest are: * Many trees with plank buttresses up to 45m tall * A well-developed layer of specific shrub species and scrambling lawyer vines. * A high presence of deciduous and semi-deciduous trees. * Scattered large lianas and many slender vines * Large-sized individual
epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes exce ...
s * High presence of stinging bushes along edges and in large canopy gaps * Usually has seasonal wilting of the understorey and seasonal heavy leaf fall."

Irvine further describes the multiple layers of typical Mabi forest as follows:

"The forest may have up to six layers of vegetation. The canopy is uneven and consists of: # Scattered emergent trees, 40-45m tall # A main canopy, 25-40m tall but occasionally as low as 14-20m... # A subcanopy, 12-20m tall # A lower layer, 6-8m tall. This layer tends to be absent in areas with lower upper canopies. # A predominantly dense shrub and scrambling lawyer vine zone 1-5m tall. # A zone of seedling trees, shrubs, vines and herbs 0-1m tall."

References

External links

Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (2009). ''Mabi Forest (Complex Notophyll Vine Forest 5b)''
Accessed 21 March 2009
Department of Environment and Heritage (2004) Map of Mabi Forest Threatened Ecological Communities, Wet Tropics BioRegion
Accessed 17 March 2009
State of Queensland's Environment Protection Agency (2008) "Recovery Plan for Mabi Forest"
Accessed 27 April 2010 {{coord, 17, 17, 19, S, 145, 34, 09, E, type:landmark_region:AU, display=inline,title Forests of Queensland Environment of Queensland