Session 10: Invasive fungus threatens Australian native communities
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Myrtle rust (Puccinia psidii) is an invasive fungus native to South America that was first detected in Australia in 2010. It has spread rapidly along the east coast, and is currently recorded in sites as far north as the Northern Territory and south to Tasmania. In order to better understand myrtle rust extent and impacts in Australian native and managed landscapes, a survey was sent to national parks, botanical gardens, councils, natural resource managers, nurseries and forestry agencies in all states where the fungus is present (NT, QLD, NSW, VIC and TAS). The survey revealed that Myrtle rust is widespread in NSW and QLD gardens and streets as well as in native vegetation.
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Session 10: Invasive fungus threatens Australian native communities
- 1. biosecurity built on science Integrating knowledge of distribution, hosts and impacts of Puccinia psidii (myrtle rust) in Australia Laura Fernandez PhD Student Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre
- 2. biosecurity built on science Puccinia psidii (myrtle rust) Described in Brazil (1884) Detected in NSW (2010) Agonis flexuosa www.apstas.comNed Klopfenstein
- 3. biosecurity built on science Myrtaceae in Australia ~ 2250 spp. Atlas of Living Australia / www.ala.org.au / by Rachael Gallagher > 300 known susceptible spp.
- 4. biosecurity built on science Genera of Australian Myrtaceae Eucalyptus ~ 850 spp. Melaleuca ~200 spp. Callistemon 37 spp.
- 5. biosecurity built on science Negative impacts Rhodamnia rubescensSyzygium jambos R. Makinson A. Carnegie Rhodamnia rubescens L. Fernandez Chamelaucium uncinatum L. Fernandez Rhodamnia rubescens
- 6. biosecurity built on science It is important to have updated information on the distribution and impacts of invasive species decisions quarantine, management and control Survey
- 7. biosecurity built on science Myrtle rust survey • Ethical approval from Macquarie University • Qualtrics software from Macquarie University
- 8. biosecurity built on science Myrtle rust survey • 548 emails • National Parks, Botanical Gardens, councils, forestry corporation, nurseries and bush regeneration groups • NSW, QLD, VIC, TAS, NT • Survey sent December 2015 - closed February 2016
- 9. biosecurity built on science Myrtle rust survey • Number of questions: maximum 10 • To be responded in 10 minutes or less
- 10. biosecurity built on science Myrtle rust survey 1 - Have you seen evidence of myrtle rust in your area? Yes 2 - Localities? 3 - Plant community type? 4 - Plant species? Severity? Tissues? 5 - Control? 6 - Threat? No 7 - Have you received information? 8 - Work for local government..? 9 - Are you willing to be contacted? 10 - Comments
- 11. biosecurity built on science Results • 254 responses (surveys started), 200 surveys completed 1 - Have you seen evidence of myrtle rust infection on plants in your area? Yes No 123 131 NSW 63 44 QLD 15 7 VIC 4 35 TAS -- 12 NT -- 4 ACT -- 5 82 107
- 12. biosecurity built on science • At what localities have you observed myrtle rust? Four new Local Government Areas (LGAs) were detected: New LGAs for myrtle rust NSW Singleton Muswellbrook QLD Burdekin Gladstone Map by Katherine Berthon
- 13. biosecurity built on science Plant community type / Land use types: 78 responses 13 3 3 2 2 1 1 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 Artificial 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Natural
- 14. biosecurity built on science Can you remember which plant species you have seen infected? People named 50 species of 13 genera Rhodamnia rubescens 27 Melaleuca quinquenervia 13 Syzygium jambos (exotic) 12 Rhodomyrtus psidioides 10 Five reported new host species: Lophomyrtus obcordata Kunzea parvifolia Leptospermum myrtifolium Eucalyptus amplifolia Lophostemon confertus
- 15. biosecurity built on science Control? Threat? No: 41 Yes: 31 Yes 41 R. rubescens and R. psidioides Don’t know 14 No 12 Probably 8
- 16. biosecurity built on science - Who will benefit from my research? Respondents, natural resource managers, park rangers, scientists, community > open channels of communication with stakeholders - How I will deliver it to end-users? send results back to respondents, publish in scientific journals, available online, recommendations for managers - How will they use my research? Including new susceptible species in host species list, adding new locations into current distribution, accurate management - End-user’s perspective quote 1: “If we know where it is currently and how fast it is spreading this would be valuable information to have (Lane Cove NSW Gov.)” quote 2: “I don't know how to ID it but would like to learn/ know more about it (Biosis – Leaders in Ecology and Heritage Consulting)”
- 17. biosecurity built on science Future – Next steps of my research • Chapter 1: Introduction • Chapter 2: Integrating knowledge of distribution, hosts and impacts of Puccinia psidii (myrtle rust) in Australia • Chapter 3: Assessing susceptibility of Australian species to Puccinia psidii (myrtle rust) • Chapter 4: Impacts of Puccinia psidii (myrtle rust) on rainforest native communities • Chapter 5: Impacts of Puccinia psidii (myrtle rust) after fire • Chapter 6: Conclusion
- 18. biosecurity built on science Acknowledgements - Supervisors Michelle Leishman, Angus Carnegie and Geoff Pegg - Rachael Gallagher and Katherine Berthon For more information, please email: laura.fernandez@students.mq.edu.au Thank you!
Editor's Notes
- Occurrences from herbarium records those are not validated?
- Myrtle rust is considered to be the most serious threat to eucalypt plantations worldwide (Coutinho et al 1998).
- …for governments, scientists and natural resource managers in order to take wiser decisions when it comes to quarantine, management and control. Make it very clear why we wanted to do the survey, what are the knowledge gaps, people awareness, are people (resource managers) recognizing the fungus or they don’t know what to look for? Are they looking for it at all?
- Qualtrics survey to be received via email and completed online
- 548 emails were then redistributed by some people or uploaded to websites of bushcare people for example
- reported as widespread in NSW and QLD gardens and streets as well as native forest. In VIC reported only in urban areas but not in native bushland and no occurrences were reported for NT nor TAS, probably due to its recent arrival (2015) and non-ideal climatic conditions for the fungal spores to germinate.
- Five new local government areas detected (2 in QLD and 3 in NSW); not new areas found for Victoria / NT 4 people from Darwin did not see it are from Darwin
- Five species that are not in the current list of host species were found / Eucalyptus amplifolia, known as the cabbage gum, is a common eucalyptus tree of the coastal areas and tablelands of New South Wales and adjacent areas in south eastern Queensland / Kunzea parvifolia, commonly known as violet kunzea, is a shrub species native to eastern Australia / Leptospermum Myrtifolium: Myrtle Tea-tree, native mainly to south east NSW, south of QLD, Victoria and Tasmania. Lophomyrtus obcordata,[is a species of evergreen shrub. It is found throughout New Zealand > nurseries, bronze/red foliage, favourite of rabbits. Lophostemon confertus is an evergreen tree native to Australia, Common name brush box. Its natural range in Australia is north-east New South Wales and coastal Queensland[3] but it is commonly used as a street tree in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and other cities in eastern Australia. Myrtle rust environmental impacts working group
- Add how many yes/no
- Community in general and in particular biodiversity aware (bushcare groups, birds and plants enthusiasts, etc.)