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To: Truth666
http://www.wcmc.org.uk/protected_areas/data/wh/lordhowe.html

VEGETATION A wide variety of vegetation types has been described for the islands, with the diversity corresponding with the range of habitats, viz. lowland, montane, valleys, ridges and areas exposed to the maritime influence. Variable exposure to wind and penetration of salt spray appear to be the main determinants of vegetation occurrence, structure and floristics. Lord Howe Island is almost unique among small Pacific Ocean islands in that its mountains have sufficient altitude for the development of true cloud forest on their summits. These are 241 native species of vascular plants on the island, including 105 endemics (DEST/ERIN (1995). Sixteen of these are considered rare, endangered or vulnerable. There are four endemic palm species in three endemic genera. There are also two other endemic genera in the families Asteraceae and Gesneriaceae. Other endemic species are widely scattered among families. Endemism is particularly noticeable among ferns and in the families Asteraceae, Myrsinaceae, Myrtaceae and Rubiaceae. There are 48 species of indigenous pteriodphytes (including 19 endemic ferns) belonging to 32 genera, and 180 species of angiosperms (56 endemics) in 149 genera. A further four species are represented by endemic subspecies or varieties; there are no gymnosperms. Some of the endemics suggest recent speciation, and many have confusing origins, such as the three endemic palm genera Howea, Hedyscope and Lepidorrhachis, and also Dietes sp., the three congeners of which are endemic to southern Africa and which has seeds with apparently only short range dispersal capacity. Other noteworthy endemics are Dendrobium moorei and Bubbia howeana. Many species are threatened or have restricted distribution on the island; there is only one known plant of non-endemic Pandanus pedunculatus, and Chionochloa conspicua ssp. nov. (Poaceae) is an endemic known only from one clump on Mount Lidgbird.

The vegetation has affinities with sub-tropical and temperate rain forests, and 129 plant genera are shared with Australia, 102 with New Caledonia and only 75 with New Zealand. There are 160 naturalised, introduced plant species, mostly, but not exclusively, in the lowland settlement area. Weed species of the greatest immediate concern within the preserve are bone seed (biton bush), kikuya grass (Davey, 1986) and asparagus fern Protoasparagus eathiopicus (Lord Howe Island Board in litt., August 1995). Many other species are potentially serious problems (Davey, 1986).

Twenty-five vegetation associations in twenty alliances have been identified (Pickard, 1983). Fourteen of these associations have endemic species as their dominant components. The slopes of the northern hills are dominated mostly by Drypetes/Cryptocaria rain forest, with Howea forsterana palm forest on the flats behind North Bay and H. belmoreana palm forest in the narrower gullies running down towards Old Settlement Beach. Melaleuca/Cassinia scrubs and Cyperus and Poa grasslands occur on the exposed slopes of Mount Eliza and along the crest of the sea cliffs on the northern coast. The southern mountains are covered with a more variable suite of rain forest and palm associations, often with Pandanus along drainage lines, and with scrub and cliff associations in the more exposed parts and along the coastline. Mutton Bird Point(on the east coast) and King Point (at the southern tip) have small occurrences of Poa grassland. The upper slopes of mounts Gower and Lidgbird include areas of forest dominated by another of the endemic palms, Hedyscepe canterburyana. The very humid summit plateau on Gower and the summit ridge on Lidgbird consist of structurally distinct gnarled mossy forest (Davey, 1986).

So you can't even get the details right about what grows where on Lord Howe. Come back when you've utilized the internet to vet your theories.

44 posted on 05/21/2004 12:06:53 PM PDT by dirtboy (John Kerry - Hillary without the fat ankles and the FBI files...)
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To: dirtboy
"Howea forsterana palm forest on the flats behind North Bay and H. belmoreana palm forest in the narrower gullies running down towards Old Settlement Beach."
Again I aswered this on #62.
Now for the rest of the article - Thanks a lot for posting that. More to follow.
89 posted on 05/23/2004 2:35:21 AM PDT by Truth666
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To: dirtboy
This is a document from the World Heritage Sites - certainly the prime entry point for the public to get some first idea about Lord Howe Island.
Since Lord Howe Island is maybe the best living example to immediately crash the foundation of the current construct of lies, the document has to be a prime example of the process I described in the first comment of this thread : "Poor liars at work".
More to follow.
90 posted on 05/23/2004 2:49:20 AM PDT by Truth666
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To: dirtboy

"Poor (but successful) liars at work"

- spread a big lie, as part of an agenda
- at some point later in time, add another big lie to the construct, as part of the same agenda. Most of the times event the most simple construct (i.e. just two big lies) will be already incompatible - a well known fact that the more lies, the easier it is to be caught.
Now, how is the problem solved of adding new lies without letting the construct looking immediately grotesque ?
There are several key techniques for that. Let's check just the techniques that are used by the World Heritage Sites article.
91 posted on 05/23/2004 3:02:13 AM PDT by Truth666
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To: dirtboy

How to sell big lie based constructs

Technique #1 - downplay key evidence
Fact : nobody has the slightest idea what could be the "ancestors" of the Lord Howe palms (or any of the other endemics, btw).
Implementing technique #1

- #1a - suggest that there is some idea about it : many (endemics) have confusing origins, such as the three endemic palm genera Howea, Hedyscope and Lepidorrhachis and also Dietes sp., the three congeners of which are endemic to southern Africa and which has seeds with apparently only short range dispersal capacity.

Explanation for #1a :
- the word "many" suggests for at least for SOME endemics, the "ancestors" are known (so that evolution theory is not immediately questioned).
- the word "confusing" suggests that, for the endemics whose origin is not known, at least something is compatible with evolution theory (in other words : implicitly suggesting similarities with the flora of New Caledonia or Vanuatu, from where BTW the coral is also supposed to come from).
- give at least one example, no matter how grotesque : but in fact the only similarity that is referred is with South Africa ! (more on this later, explaining the dilemma faced by the poor liars when they use another technique detailed later)
92 posted on 05/23/2004 3:51:17 AM PDT by Truth666
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