Article
Agronomy
Eugenio Diogo, Helena Machado, Ana Reis, Carlos Valente, Alan J. L. Phillips, Helena Braganca
Summary: Eucalyptus globulus, the main species of eucalyptus in Portuguese planted forests, experienced an increase in plantations in the second half of the twentieth century due to its use in the paper and pulp industry. Despite initially being free from pests and diseases, the number of insects and pathogens affecting these trees gradually increased. Recent studies identified two Phytophthora species, P. cinnamomi and P. alticola, as the cause of root rot and dieback in E. globulus, with P. alticola being the first report outside of South Africa. The possible factors contributing to the increased occurrence of this disease are discussed.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PLANT PATHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Maria Vivas, Jeronimo Hernandez, Tamara Corcobado, Elena Cubera, Alejandro Solla
Summary: This study explores the influence of maternal environment on the resistance of offspring in Quercus ilex trees to Phytophthora cinnamomi. The research indicates that offspring from infected trees showed higher survival rates and resistance to the pathogen compared to those from non-infected trees.
Review
Plant Sciences
Noelani van den Berg, Velushka Swart, Robert Backer, Alicia Fick, Raven Wienk, Juanita Engelbrecht, S. Ashok Prabhu
Summary: This review provides an overview of the molecular defense pathways utilized by resistant avocado rootstock against Phytophthora cinnamomi, including phytohormone profiles, pathogenesis-related gene expression, and cell wall modification. Recent advances such as composite plant transformation, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analyses, genomics, and transcriptomics will further elucidate avocado defense mechanisms.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Bryce T. Adams, Stephen N. Matthews
Summary: This study examines the importance of local habitat features on the distributions of forest songbirds. The authors found that vegetation structure, floristics, and environmental factors are among the most important features. Different species differentiate among specific forest types and respond to structural variation. The results highlight the significance of maintaining vegetation heterogeneity in the face of accelerating environmental change.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
F. Javier Dorado, Juan Carlos Alias, Natividad Chaves, Alejandro Solla
Summary: The main threats to chestnut in Europe are climate change and emerging pathogens. This study aimed to investigate the combined effects of global warming and Phytophthora cinnamomi (Pc) infection on chestnut seedlings. Results showed that plant growth and root biomass were significantly higher under high ambient temperature compared to ambient temperature and heat wave event. Secondary metabolite compounds in leaves and roots were also altered significantly with temperature. Pc infection had a significant impact on the secondary metabolite profile of plants, and the group of trees that best survived Pc infection exhibited specific changes in metabolite composition. This is the first study to address the combined effects of global warming and Pc infection in chestnut.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shankar K. Shakya, Niklaus J. Grunwald, Valerie J. Fieland, Brian J. Knaus, Jerry E. Weiland, Cristiana Maia, Andre Drenth, David Guest, Edward C. Y. Liew, Colin Crane, Tun-Tschu Chang, Chuen-Hsu Fu, Nguyen Minh Chi, Pham Quang Thu, Bruno Scanu, Eugenio Sanfuentes Stowasser, Alvaro Duran, Marilia Horta Jung, Thomas Jung
Summary: Various hypotheses have been proposed on the origin of Phytophthora cinnamomi, a devastating plant pathogen. A phylogeographic analysis of populations from different continents suggests Taiwan as a possible ancestral area with the highest genotypic diversity in Asia. The study also identified two global, clonal lineages of the pathogen on all continents, pointing towards a partially sexual, semi-clonal mode of reproduction in Asian populations.
Article
Plant Sciences
Patrick Ferreira, Abdessalem Chahed, Leticia M. Estevinho, Natalia Seixas, Rodrigo Costa, Altino Choupina
Summary: Ink disease is a significant cause of decline in chestnut orchards, with the Phytophthora cinnamomi being the main pathogen responsible for the disease in Portugal. This highly aggressive and widely distributed plant pathogen causes economic losses and decline in numerous plant species. Effective treatments are currently unavailable.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Olumide S. Jeff-Ego, Bruce Topp, Andre Drenth, Julianne Henderson, Olufemi A. Akinsanmi
Summary: The study assessed the susceptibility of 153 wild Macadamia genotypes to Phytophthora pathogens, with Macadamia ternifolia showing the highest disease severity while M. tetraphylla and M. jansenii exhibited the most resistance to P. cinnamomi. Variations among genotypes resulted in the classification into three resistance groups. Overall, 14 M. tetraphylla and 2 M. integrifolia genotypes were identified as resistant to both P. cinnamomi and P. multivora in the in vivo assay.
ANNALS OF APPLIED BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Dina Neves, Andreia Figueiredo, Marisa Maia, Endre Laczko, Maria Salome Pais, Alfredo Cravador
Summary: In this study, a metabolome analysis was performed to investigate the role of secondary metabolites in the defense response of Phlomis purpurea against Phytophthora cinnamomi. The findings showed that the rapid increase in secondary metabolite production contributes to the innate immunity of Phlomis purpurea against the pathogen. This study confirms the potential of Phlomis purpurea as a biological control agent and suggests its application in green forestry/agriculture.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Edson A. Alvarez-Alvarez, R. Carlos Almazan-Nunez, Pablo Corcuera, Fernando Gonzalez-Garcia, Marlene Brito-Millan, Victor M. Alvarado-Castro
Summary: Land-use changes have impacted biodiversity in the Neotropics, particularly in agroforestry systems. This study evaluated the diversity of birds and their response to different land-use types in a Mexican cloud forest landscape. The results showed that late forests and shade coffee plantations had higher bird species diversity compared to cattle pastures. The study also highlighted the importance of shade coffee plantations in maintaining taxonomic and functional diversity of birds.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Martha W. Zillig, Frank A. Fogarty, Erica Fleishman
Summary: The majority of management plans for birds on public lands in the western United States do not recognize geographic variation in species' habitat. This study examined associations between plant species and functional groups with occupancy of bird species across different subregions of the Great Basin. The results showed significant variations in bird-plant associations among subregions, indicating the need to consider geographic variation in bird management.
ORNITHOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Zhenpeng Chen, Binbin Jiao, Jing Zhou, Haibin He, Tingting Dai
Summary: In this study, a new target gene, Pcinn13739, was identified for the detection of Phytophthora cinnamomi, and a recombinase polymerase amplification-lateral flow dipstick (RPA-LFD) assay was established. The assay showed high specificity to P. cinnamomi and was 100 times more sensitive than conventional PCR assays. The results also demonstrated the potential applications of the RPA-LFD assay for diagnosing P. cinnamomi in various samples.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Tingting Dai, Yue Xu, Xiao Yang, Binbin Jiao, Min Qiu, Junxin Xue, Felipe Arredondo, Brett M. Tyler
Summary: Phytophthora cinnamomi is a destructive pathogen causing root rot and dieback diseases. An improved transformation system using PEG/CaCl2 successfully generated transformants displaying green fluorescence, with one of them showing similar virulence to wild-type isolate. This system could be useful for functional genomics studies of P. cinnamomi.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
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
Forestry
M. Teresa Martnez, Isabel Arrillaga, Ester Sales, Maria Amparo Perez-Oliver, M. del Carmen Gonzalez-Mas, Elena Corredoira
Summary: The study investigated the use of axillary budding and somatic embryogenesis (SE) to propagate asymptomatic holm oak genotypes identified in disease hotspots in Spain. Both methods were successful in propagating tolerant genotypes, with axillary budding in particular suitable for medium-term conservation. The in vitro cloned progenies of the tolerant genotypes showed inhibitory effects on Phytophthora cinnamomi mycelia.
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Holly S. Bradley, Sean Tomlinson, Michael D. Craig, Adam T. Cross, Philip W. Bateman
Summary: Mitigation translocation, a subset of conservation translocation, lacks post hoc monitoring and requires more investment in time, expertise, and resources to improve its effectiveness. It is critical for future mitigation translocations to conform to an established experimental approach to align with the relative success of other conservation translocations.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Ecology
Gabrielle Beca, Leonie E. Valentine, Mauro Galetti, Richard J. Hobbs
Summary: The study found that about 22% of non-flying land-dwelling mammals globally can be considered as bioturbators, playing important roles in ecosystem engineering related to soil processes and services. Of these bioturbator mammal species, 16% are threatened, 2% are already Extinct, and 8% are classified as Data Deficient. The main threats come from activities related to agriculture and aquaculture (29%) and biological resource use (22%).
Article
Ecology
Sophie L. Cross, Holly S. Bradley, Emily P. Tudor, Michael D. Craig, Sean Tomlinson, Michael J. Bamford, Philip W. Bateman, Adam T. Cross
Summary: Mineral extraction activities have intense disruptive effects on ecosystems and their associated fauna. While restoration of discontinued mine sites is a legislative requirement in Australia, there remains ambiguity around the optimal techniques for restoring biodiverse and functional fauna assemblages. Coordination and dialogue between researchers, environmental regulators, and the mining industry are crucial for implementing effective fauna monitoring practices to support ecosystem recovery.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Philip W. Bateman, Robyn Benken, Ryan Glowacki, Robert A. Davis
Summary: Malformations of vertebrae, including kyphosis, occur commonly in turtles while scoliosis is rarely reported in wild lizards. This study reports the first case of scoliosis in a wild Australian lizard and highlights the importance of monitoring the frequency of such abnormalities in understanding the impact of environmental changes on populations.
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Stanley Mastrantonis, Michael D. Craig, Richard J. Hobbs, Andrew H. Grigg, Michael Renton
Summary: This article presents a novel approach for conservation prioritisation that takes into account the spatial distribution of different resources and species' movements. The study found that using these tools and models can lead to Pareto-optimal solutions that balance economic production objectives with the conservation of species' requirements and movement corridors.
ENVIRONMENTAL MODELLING & SOFTWARE
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Michael D. Craig, Tony Kirkby, Vicki L. Stokes, Michael Renton, Richard J. Hobbs
Summary: This study found that factors influencing nest selection for the endangered tree hollow-nesting Karak bird include the depth and height of the hollows, as well as their proximity to ephemeral and permanent water sources. Suitable hollows are likely to be scarce in the landscape, indicating a need for management strategies to maintain their supply. Maintenance of drink sites in areas experiencing declines in rainfall may require innovative approaches, such as artificial drink sites.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Holly S. Bradley, Michael D. Craig, Adam T. Cross, Sean Tomlinson, Michael J. Bamford, Philip W. Bateman
Summary: This study used high-resolution terrestrial LiDAR imaging to investigate the habitat requirements of the endangered western spiny-tailed skink. The findings provide insights for translocation site selection and management objectives. Moreover, this technology has diverse applications in future ecological studies and wildlife management initiatives.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Holly S. Bradley, Michael D. Craig, Sean Tomlinson, Adam T. Cross, Michael J. Bamford, Philip W. Bateman
Summary: Patchy resource distribution can attract predator activity and pose a threat to endangered species. The Western Spiny-tailed Skink in Western Australia relies on log piles as a reliable food source, but these piles also attract generalist predators. Research shows that the presence of inhabited coarse woody debris attracts more corvids and predatory birds, and the activity of these predators increases as the distance from the landfill decreases. This suggests the need for adaptive management to protect species around active mining areas.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
R. S. Carter, C. A. Lohr, A. H. Burbidge, R. van Dongen, J. Chapman, R. A. Davis
Summary: Island avifauna, specifically the Abrolhos Painted Button-quail, is facing high rates of decline and potential extinction in Western Australia. Introduction of tammar wallabies and house mice has led to vegetation declines and degradation of critical habitat for the quail. The study found that changes in vegetation cover were closely related to tammar wallaby density and rainfall. Preventing further introductions of mice, rats, and feral cats is crucial for limiting declines of this subspecies.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Yanlin Li, Anna J. M. Hopkins, Robert A. Davis
Summary: Museums play an important role in research by providing specimens for studying temporal changes in species occurrence during urbanization. However, the study found that museum collections were inadequate for assessing the impact of urbanization on reptile species in Perth. Only 0.5% of the study area was well sampled, highlighting the need for a renewed focus on building museum collections.
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Robert A. Davis, Philip J. Seddon, Michael D. Craig, James C. Russell
Summary: Invasive rats pose the largest threat to island biodiversity worldwide. Detecting and managing introduced rat populations is challenging, but recent developments in rat surveillance, such as motion-sensored cameras and rodent detection dogs, have significantly improved our ability to detect rats at low densities. Other innovations, including the use of eDNA and drones, show promise in further enhancing detection capabilities.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Shannon Treloar, Cheryl Lohr, Anna J. M. Hopkins, Kym Ottewell, Shelley McArthur, Robert A. Davis
Summary: The use of noninvasive scat DNA sampling with genetic markers allows for the estimation of mala population abundance.
Article
Zoology
M. A. Cowan, H. A. Moore, B. A. Hradsky, C. J. Jolly, J. A. Dunlop, M. L. Wysong, L. Hernandez-Santin, R. A. Davis, D. O. Fisher, D. R. Michael, J. M. Turner, L. A. Gibson, C. G. Knuckey, M. Henderson, D. G. Nimmo
Summary: Understanding movement ecology and habitat selection is crucial for animal conservation. This study focused on the habitat selection of the endangered northern quoll in Western Australia. The results showed that northern quolls prefer activity areas with rugged topography, rocky habitat, and riverbed, while avoiding areas with high coverage of spinifex sandplain. Protecting rugged rocky habitat and providing efficient movement pathways are important for the conservation of northern quolls.
AUSTRALIAN MAMMALOGY
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Robert A. Davis, Leonie E. Valentine, Michael D. Craig
Summary: Prescribed fire had no significant effect on the overall bird community or foraging guilds in threatened Banksia woodlands in southwest Australia. Only two out of 26 frequently occurring species showed responses to fire. The study recommends prescribed burning regimes that reduce early successional habitat and increase late successional habitat to accommodate late-successional reptiles, Carnaby's black cockatoo, and mammals.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF WILDLAND FIRE
(2022)