scholarly journals Dead standing trees contribute to the conservation of arthropods in burnt woodland of Kings Park, Western Australia

2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 361
Author(s):  
Jonathan D Majer ◽  
Syprianus Radho Toly ◽  
Harry F Recher

Dead, standing trees, commonly referred to as stags in Australia and as snags in North America, are a regular feature of forests and woodlands. Although previously regarded as useless, often meriting removal, stags are now recognized as important for wildlife. We quantified the abundance of arthropods that visited or used the trunks of stags in Kings Park, an inner-city woodland park in Perth, Western Australia. Stags ranging from around 4 to 11 years since death were compared with live trees of the same species; Jarrah Eucalyptus marginata, Tuart E. gomphocephala, and Fraser’s Sheoak Allocasuarina fraseriana. At the ordinal level, stags were visited or used by almost as many taxa of arthropods as live trees. One group, the beetles (Coleoptera), when considered at the morphospecies level, was found to be only slightly less diverse on Eucalyptus stags than on live trees and was more diverse on sheoak stags than live sheoaks. A large proportion of the beetle species was specific to either live trees or stags, suggesting that the existence of stags enriches the diversity of arthropods in forests and woodlands. In addition to contributing to arthropod diversity and conservation, these organisms provide a food source for insectivorous vertebrates, as well as contributing to core ecosystem functions, such as nutrient cycling. Retention of stags therefore has important conservation benefits and, other than when there is a risk to public safety, stags should be protected and allowed to fall naturally in the course of time.

1985 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 461 ◽  
Author(s):  
I Abbott ◽  
PV Heurck

A study of foraging by 10 bird species suggests that selective logging of large Eucalyptus marginata will only have affected Melithreptus lunatus, but that proposed silvicultural treatments, including removal of Banksia grandis, may affect several other bird species.


Author(s):  
Jeanine Vélez-Gavilán

Abstract Diplazium esculentum is a herbaceous fern native to Asia. It has been introduced into a number of countries in Africa, Oceania and North America as an ornamental and as a food source. As it produces a large number of spores it can easily escape cultivation and rapidly spread into new areas. The species is reported as having escaped cultivation and become invasive in Hawaii, USA, New Zealand and Australia. In Hawaii, D. esculentum grows abundantly in wet valleys and in sheltered moist areas at dry sites. It is also a frequent volunteer in gardens. In New Zealand it has escaped from cultivation, spreading rapidly and aggressively in riverbanks at an average rate of spread of 1 m per year. In Australia the species is widely cultivated for food and as an ornamental, naturalising in swampy areas of Queensland. Its impacts on other habitats or species are unknown.


Plant Disease ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 93 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Treena I. Burgess ◽  
Janet L. Webster ◽  
Juanita A. Ciampini ◽  
Diane White ◽  
Giles E. StJ. Hardy ◽  
...  

For 30 years, large-scale aerial photography has been used to map the extent of Phytophthora dieback disease in native forests in the southwest of Western Australia, with validation of the observations involving routine testing of soil and root samples for the presence of Phytophthora cinnamomi. In addition to P. cinnamomi, six morpho-species have been identified using this technique: P. citricola, P. megasperma, P. cryptogea, P. drechsleri, P. nicotianae, and P. boehmeriae. In recent years, many new Phytophthora species have been described worldwide, often with similar morphology to existing species; thus, as many of the isolates collected in Western Australia have been difficult to identify based on morphology, molecular identification of the morpho-species is required. Based on amplification of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the rDNA gene, sequence data of more than 230 isolates were compared with those of existing species and undescribed taxa. P. inundata, P. asparagi, P. taxon PgChlamydo, P. taxon personii, and P. taxon niederhauserii were identified based on sequence data. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that nine potentially new and undescribed taxa can be distinguished. Several of the new taxa are morphologically indistinguishable from species such as P. citricola, P. drechsleri, and P. megasperma. In some cases, the new taxa are closely related to species with similar morphology (e.g., P.sp.4 and P. citricola). However, the DNA sequences of other new taxa such as P.sp.3 and P.sp.9 show that they are not closely related to morphologically similar species P. drechsleri and P. megasperma, respectively. Most of the new taxa have been associated with dying Banksia spp., while P.sp.2 and P.sp.4 have also been isolated from dying Eucalyptus marginata (jarrah). Some taxa (P.sp.3, 6, and 7) appear to have limited distribution, while others like P.sp.4 are widespread.


2006 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Wheeler ◽  
M. Byrne

Phylogeographic patterns in the cp genome of Eucalyptus marginata Don ex Sm., a species common in the mesic region of south-western Australia, were investigated by using RFLP analysis. The chloroplast diversity was structured into two geographically distinct lineages and nested clade analysis inferred historical fragmentation as the major influence on the phylogeographic pattern. The lineages were separated along the geomorphological boundary of the Darling Scarp, which separates the Coastal Plain from the Darling Plateau. The divergence between the lineages is consistent with uplifting of the Darling Plateau in the late Neogene. Further geographic structuring in haplotype distributions was evident in the forest lineage on the Darling Plateau, where one sublineage was present in the central forest region and another was restricted to the south-eastern region. The level of divergence between these sublineages was similar to that between divergent lineages that have been identified in comparative phylogeographic studies of cpDNA variation in three species widespread throughout south-western Australia. In these species, divergence was attributed to the influence of significant changes in climatic oscillations across the semi-arid region during the mid-Pleistocene. The divergence identified in this study indicates that the influence of climatic change was widespread throughout south-western Australia, including the mesic, higher-rainfall region.


Author(s):  
D. W. Minter

Abstract A description is provided for Cerothallia luteoalba, a lichen-forming fungus growing on well-lit, sunny trunks of trees with alkaline bark, particularly Ulmus spp. Some information on its habitat, dispersal and transmission and conservation status is given, along with details of its geographical distribution (Africa (Morocco, South Africa), North America (USA (Colorado, Washington)), Asia (Iran, Israel, Syria), Atlantic Ocean (Portugal (Azores)), Australasia (Australia (Western Australia)), Europe (Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK)).


Author(s):  
D. W. Minter

Abstract A description is provided for Geoglossum cookeanum. Some information on its associated organisms and substrata, habitats, dispersal and transmission and conservation status is given, along with details of its geographical distribution (North America (Mexico and USA (Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire and Tenesse)), Asia (Georgia, India (Uttarakhand) and China (Guizhou, Heilongjiang, Jilin and Yunnan)), Australasia (Australia (South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia) and New Zealand), Europe (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and UK)). No reports of negative economic impacts of this fungus have been found.


Author(s):  

Abstract A new distribution map is provided for Pseudomonas syringae pv.coronafaciens (Elliott) Young, Dye & Wilkie. Hosts: Oats (Avena). Information is given on the geographical distribution in Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Asia, Japan, USSR, Uzbekistan, Siberia, Australasia, Australia, Western Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Denmark, Germany, Irish Republic, Norway, Poland, Romania, UK, Yugoslavia, North America, Canada, Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec, Mexico, USA, South America, Argentina, Chile.


1984 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 367 ◽  
Author(s):  
IJ Colquhoun ◽  
RW Ridge ◽  
DT Bell ◽  
WA Loneragan ◽  
J Kuo

Land use which reduces tree canopy density and the impact of Phytophthora cinnamomi are believed to be altering the hydrological balance of parts of the northern jarrah forest, Western Australia. In the drier eastern zones of the forest, replacement plant communities must maintain the soil-salt-water balance to prevent significant increases in salinization of streams in water supply catchments. Daily and seasonal patterns of the diffusive resistance of leaves and xylem pressure potential were determined for the major natural dominant of the region, Eucalyptus marginata, and five other species of Eucalyptus used in rehabilitation. Three types of daily and seasonal patterns were observed. E. marginata and E. calophylla exhibited little stomatal control of water loss, and leaf resistances remained low throughout the study period (type 1). E. maculata, E. resinifera and E. saligna exhibited marked stomatal regulation during summer days when xylem pressure potentials fell below -2.O MPa (type 2). E. wandoo (type 3) also controlled water loss but developed xylem pressure potentials far lower than all other species tested (<-3.0 MPa). Although none of the species tested replicated the summer stomatal resistance and xylem pressure potential patterns of E. marginata, it is suggested that total annual water use should be examined before selecting the most appropriate species to rehabilitate disturbed sites in the eastern zones of the northern jarrah forest region.


2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 107 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. L. McDougall ◽  
G. E. St J. Hardy ◽  
R. J. Hobbs

The spatial distribution of Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands at seven dieback sites in the jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata Donn. ex Smith) forest of Western Australia was determined by the following two baiting techniques: in situ baiting with live Banksia grandis Willd. seedlings and ex situ baiting of sampled soil and root material. Four areas within each site were sampled, reflecting dieback age and position in the landscape. Approximate dieback ages of 50, 20 and 5 years were determined by aerial photography. The 50-year-old age class was divided into wet valley floor and dry gravelly slope. Phytophthora cinnamomi was recovered most frequently from the 5-year-old (dieback fronts) and wet 50-year-old areas by both baiting techniques. It was recovered from more than twice as many areas and about five times as many samples when in situ B. grandis baits were used compared with ex situ soil and root baiting. Almost all recoveries from in situ baits were made between October and December. From both methods, it appears that P. cinnamomi has a patchy distribution within dieback sites in the northern jarrah forest. It is easily detected only on dieback fronts and wet valley floors. On dry gravelly sites affected 20 years or more ago, P. cinnamomi is rare and may even be absent at some sites. This makes confident detection of the pathogen difficult. In situ baiting at least allows a temporal component to the sampling and will be a useful method of detection in areas where P. cinnamomi is rare or transient.


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