Mortality of Adult Livistona austrails is on Cabbage Tree Island, Australia.

An isolated population of Livistona australis (R. Br.) Mart. has been impacted by almost a century of browsing by European rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus, on Cabbage Tree Island, Australia. Ongoing adult mortality was documented in this study (n=19) between 1992 and 2001 in addition to a lack of seedling recruitment. Structural failure of the palm trunk or subsidence of the substrate was the prime cause of death in this palm population (63%) with natural senescence of mature palms making up the remainder of the sample. This represents an annual decline of 0.4% per annum and if continued without further recruitment would result in the adult population halving in 125 years. Rabbits were eradicated from the island a decade ago, and the recovery of the vegetation, including palm seedlings, gives hope that the hiatus in recruitment will not negatively impact on the structure of this unique island rain forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]