Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Michelle Boulle, Barbara A. A. Stewart, Sarah Barrett
Summary: Phosphite has been aerially sprayed in southwestern Australia to control Phytophthora cinnamomi for the past 25 years. There were concerns that this spraying might increase phosphorus concentrations in nutrient-deficient soils and lead to a loss of phosphorus-sensitive plant species. However, the study found no evidence of harmful effects on Proteaceae species richness and abundance at the three sites studied. Instead, spraying diseased vegetation with phosphite benefited Proteaceae diversity and abundance by preventing the disappearance of certain species.
CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Shannon Hunter, Rebecca McDougal, Nari Williams, Peter Scott
Summary: A study found that prolonged use of phosphite treatment in New Zealand avocado orchards may lead to increased tolerance of the Phytophthora pathogen to phosphite. By comparing three phosphite-susceptible and three tolerant isolates in experiments, it was discovered that the tolerant isolates colonized lupin roots more extensively and produced more sporangia and zoospores in the presence of phosphite. This raises concerns about the future efficacy of phosphite in managing Phytophthora diseases.
Article
Ecology
Akira S. Mori, Forest Isbell, Marc W. Cadotte
Summary: Biodiversity changes can have serious consequences for ecosystem functionality. This study introduces different methods to assess the relationship between diversity and multifunctionality, focusing on redundancy/uniqueness and the influence of the number and identity of functions. The results highlight the importance of retaining high levels of diversity in managed assemblages and emphasize the need to unravel the hierarchical roles of biodiversity. Understanding the relationship between biodiversity and multifunctionality is crucial for both theory and practice.
Article
Plant Sciences
Himbutugoda S. Harshani, James L. Tsakalos, Thomas M. Mansfield, Jen McComb, Treena I. Burgess, Giles E. St. J. Hardy
Summary: The study found that the infestation of Phytophthora cinnamomi significantly affected the forest structure, taxonomic and functional diversity, and species composition in the jarrah forest of southwestern Australia. Non-infested zones showed higher levels of understorey cover, species richness, Shannon diversity, and evenness compared to infested zones.
JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Maria Socorro Serrano, Francisco Jose Perez, Lorena Gomez-Aparicio
Summary: The study investigated the interactive effects of climate change and pathogen infection on Mediterranean mixed oak forests. Results showed that the impact of the pathogen was more significant than climate factors, with some tree species exhibiting resistance to multiple stressors. Overall, the adaptability of the pathogen to changing climatic conditions in the region was highlighted.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Thomas Fartmann, Marco Drung, Ole Henning, Franz Loeffler, Jonas Brueggeshemke
Summary: Common juniper plays a significant role as a keystone species in both calcareous grasslands and heathlands, positively affecting the species richness and abundance of breeding birds.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Carlo Bregant, Antonio A. Mulas, Giovanni Rossetto, Antonio Deidda, Lucia Maddau, Giovanni Piras, Benedetto T. Linaldeddu
Summary: Monitoring surveys in four forest nurseries in Italy identified fourteen Phytophthora species associated with collar and root rot in Mediterranean and alpine regions. A new species, Phytophthora mediterranea, was described based on genetic and morphological analysis, showing potential threat to native Mediterranean vegetation. Discovery of Phytophthora cinnamomi in alpine nurseries suggests its expansion into colder environments due to climate change.
Article
Ecology
Mark Baah-Acheamfour, Mark Dewey, Erin C. Fraser, Stefan G. Schreiber, Amanda Schoonmaker
Summary: This study provides a quantitative evaluation of the effectiveness of past and current reclamation criteria in boreal Alberta, Canada. The results indicate that the current criteria are more effective in promoting ecosystem recovery. Changes to the criteria, including metrics around soil quality, woody stem requirements, and native plant coverage, have positive impacts on the recovery process.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Carolyn F. Scagel, Jerry E. Weiland, Bryan R. Beck, Jesse N. Mitchell
Summary: Temperature has a significant impact on the biology and response to fungicides of Phytophthora spp. Different species have different optimal temperatures and responses to temperature and fungicides. These findings help define the optimal temperature and application conditions for fungicides.
Article
Plant Sciences
Jerry E. Weiland, Carolyn F. Scagel, Niklaus J. Grunwald, E. Anne Davis, Bryan R. Beck
Summary: Soil drench application of fungicides is more effective for controlling Phytophthora root rot caused by P. cinnamomi, while foliar sprays are ineffective for P. plurivora. Sensitivity to phosphorous acid and mefenoxam varies among Phytophthora spp. and isolates, with some isolates being fungicide-insensitive, especially within P. plurivora.
Article
Microbiology
Qurrat Ul Ain Farooq, Giles Edward St. John Hardy, Jen A. McComb, Peter Campbell Thomson, Treena Isobel Burgess
Summary: This study investigated the plant growth and responses of the microbial profile in the rhizosphere soil and root endosphere of avocado plants infested or not infested with Phytophthora cinnamomi. The findings showed that applying phosphite or mineral mulch to the soil can reduce root growth and visible root damage in infested plants. Bacterial abundance and diversity were reduced in the infested rhizosphere and root endosphere, but the presence or absence of mineral mulch resulted in greater diversity and larger differences in rhizosphere community composition. Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria had higher abundance in the presence of Phytophthora. The addition of silicate-based mineral mulch can protect against Phytophthora root rot through changes in rhizosphere bacterial community composition, while the changes induced by spraying plants with phosphite are different from those resulting from the application of mineral mulch to the soil.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Randy Swaty, Kori Blankenship, Kimberly R. Hall, Jim Smith, Megan Dettenmaier, Sarah Hagen
Summary: Assessing ecosystem change requires considering both the degree of conversion and representation in protected area networks, as well as comparing the current state to a meaningful reference condition. This article reviews the use of a departure metric to measure ecosystem conditions and demonstrates its implementation through case studies. The departure metric helps identify hidden risks and lost functions, providing valuable insights for conservation and management.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhiyan Xu, Hui Yang, Hongzhi Mao, Qiutong Peng, Shiwen Yang, Qingchuan Chou, Yujing Yang, Zhongqiang Li, Lifei Wei
Summary: Understanding the link between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is crucial for ecosystem-based management. The role of multitrophic diversity in sustaining multifunctionality is still unclear in highly diverse aquatic ecosystems. A species-addition experiment was conducted in simulated multitrophic ecosystems to evaluate the relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning within and across trophic levels. The results showed positive species richness-productivity relationships within and across trophic levels. Negative correlations were found between species richness and total phosphorus variation, as well as between species richness and ecosystem multifunctionality across trophic levels. Environmental factors, such as water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, irradiance, and time, were found to mediate the relationships between ecosystem multifunctionality and species richness within and across trophic levels, rather than species richness alone. The study highlights the importance of multitrophic richness, especially for consumers, in driving ecosystem multifunctionality. The management of aquatic macrophyte diversity in wetlands should consider not only macrophyte richness but also different functional groups and life-forms.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Manuela Rodriguez-Romero, Belen Godoy-Cancho, Isabel M. Calha, Jose Antonio Passarinho, Ana Cristina Moreira
Summary: The study evaluated the inhibitory effects of herbaceous plants on a pathogen population, analyzed the inhibitory capacity of aqueous root extracts on pathogen growth, and assessed the defense response of Quercus seedlings to the pathogen in the presence of different plant species.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ludzula Mukwevho, Tatenda Dalu, Frank Chidawanyika
Summary: Protected savannas play a crucial role in preserving biological diversity, but excessive grazing by mammals can have cascading effects on communities and disrupt ecosystem functioning. This study examined the abundance, species richness, and composition of arthropods in long-term grazing exclosures in Kruger National Park, South Africa. The results showed that Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, and Araneae were the most abundant orders of arthropods sampled. The abundance and species richness of certain orders, such as Diptera and Hymenoptera, varied significantly between exclosures. The study concludes that long-term mammal grazing can enhance species richness and niche composition, leading to the presence of unique and sparse arthropods in protected savannas.