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Impacts of Myrtle Rust Induced Tree Mortality on Species and Functional Richness within Seedling Communities of a Wet Sclerophyll Forest in Eastern Australia3.89 MB
Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Impacts of Myrtle Rust Induced Tree Mortality on Species and Functional Richness within Seedling Communities of a Wet Sclerophyll Forest in Eastern Australia
Plants, Vol.12(10), pp.1-20
2023
Abstract
Austropuccinia psidii is an introduced plant pathogen known to have caused significant declines in populations of several Australian native Myrtaceae species. However, limited research has focused on the impacts of the pathogen on plant communities in the aftermath of its invasion. This study investigated the relationship between disease impact level, plant species diversity, and functional richness in seedling communities in a wet sclerophyll forest in southeast Queensland. A clear shift was found from early colonizer Myrtaceae species in the mid- and understory to a more diverse non-Myrtaceae seedling community indicative of secondary succession. Comparisons of key Myrtaceae species and the seedling community suggest that there may also be a shift towards species that produce drupes and larger seeds, and overall, a current reduction in fruit availability due to the dramatic loss of previously dominant species. Seedling diversity showed no significant correlation with tree mortality, possibly due to favorable rainfall conditions during the study period. The more subtle changes in forest composition, such as changes in fruit type and availability due to myrtle rust, however, could affect the visitation of local bird species in the short term and certainly reduce the store of early colonizing native shrub and tree species.
Details
- Title
- Impacts of Myrtle Rust Induced Tree Mortality on Species and Functional Richness within Seedling Communities of a Wet Sclerophyll Forest in Eastern Australia
- Authors
- Kristy Stevenson (Corresponding Author) - The University of QueenslandGeoff Pegg (Author) - Department of Primary IndustriesJarrah Wills (Author) - The University of QueenslandJohn Herbohn (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Tropical Forests and People Research CentreJennifer Firn (Author) - Queensland University of Technology
- Publication details
- Plants, Vol.12(10), pp.1-20
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Date published
- 2023
- DOI
- 10.3390/plants12101970
- ISSN
- 2223-7747
- Copyright note
- © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Grant note
- PBSF038 / Plant Biosecurity Science Foundation
- Organisation Unit
- Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research; Tropical Forests and People Research Centre; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Forest Research Institute
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99734298002621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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