Resistance to quambalaria shoot blight and myrtle rust in Corymbia calophylla seedlings

Abstract Corymbia calophylla (marri), an endemic keystone tree species in southwest Western Australia, is increasingly impacted by the introduced basidiomycete smut Quambalaria pitereka. The basidiomycete rust Austropuccinia psidii (myrtle rust), an invasive pathogen recently introduced to Eastern Australia, is expected to spread to the southwest of Western Australia eventually. Austropuccinia psidii has similar epidemiology to Q. pitereka, and there is concern that C. calophylla may be susceptible. Preliminary pathogenicity tests showed significant differences in aggressiveness between twelve Q. pitereka isolates, and there was evidence of interactions between isolates and C. calophylla provenances. Seedlings from 59 open-pollinated families from 11 provenances covering the natural range of marri were screened for resistance to Q. pitereka and A. psidii under controlled glasshouse conditions. Resistance of seedlings within provenances to Q. pitereka and A. psidii differed significantly. There was no significant correlation between resistance to Q. pitereka and resistance to A. psidii. Seedlings of provenances from wetter regions were more resistant to both pathogens, but the correlation coefficients were insignificant. Seedlings of four families in three provenances (Serpentine, Chidlow, and Kingston) showed 100% resistance to Q. pitereka. Narrow-sense heritability estimates were 0.07 for quambalaria shoot blight resistance and 0.34 for myrtle rust resistance. The results indicate the potential to use selected families/individuals resistant to Q. pitereka and A. psidii for tree improvement programs and adaptive management strategies

EquiFACS: the Equine Facial Action Coding System

Although previous studies of horses have investigated their facial expressions in specific contexts, e.g. pain, until now there has been no methodology available that documents all the possible facial movements of the horse and provides a way to record all potential facial configurations. This is essential for an objective description of horse facial expressions across a range of contexts that reflect different emotional states. Facial Action Coding Systems (FACS) provide a systematic methodology of identifying and coding facial expressions on the basis of underlying facial musculature and muscle movement. FACS are anatomically based and document all possible facial movements rather than a configuration of movements associated with a particular situation. Consequently, FACS can be applied as a tool for a wide range of research questions. We developed FACS for the domestic horse (Equus caballus) through anatomical investigation of the underlying musculature and subsequent analysis of naturally occurring behaviour captured on high quality video. Discrete facial movements were identified and described in terms of the underlying muscle contractions, in correspondence with previous FACS systems. The reliability of others to be able to learn this system (EquiFACS) and consistently code behavioural sequences was high—and this included people with no previous experience of horses. A wide range of facial movements were identified, including many that are also seen in primates and other domestic animals (dogs and cats). EquiFACS provides a method that can now be used to document the facial movements associated with different social contexts and thus to address questions relevant to understanding social cognition and comparative psychology, as well as informing current veterinary and animal welfare practices

Host species of mistletoes (Loranthaceae and Viscaceae) in Australia

Taylor-Robinson, AW ORCiD: 0000-0001-7342-8348In order to study the relationships between mistletoes and their host species, comprehensive collections of both mistletoes and hosts are needed. The effect of sampling effort on the estimation of mistletoe host range was demonstrated in a comparison of an inventory of host mistletoe interactions published by Downey in 1998 and a 2019 inventory presented here, which is based on data from collections in the Australian Virtual Herbarium and information in the literature. New hosts were recorded for 93% of the 90 Australian mistletoes. There were 338 previously known hosts recorded to be parasitised by additional mistletoe species, and 317 new host species that were not previously known as mistletoe hosts (25 being alien species). These were from 78 new host genera and 13 new host families. The total number of host species was 1186 within 327 genera from 92 host families. A total of 63% of all Australian mistletoes parasitise species of either Eucalyptus or Acacia or both these genera. The large rise in host species recorded in less than two decades between inventories suggests that current knowledge of hosts is still incomplete, such that further new hosts will be discovered in future. Some mistletoe species show a strong preference to one host family or genus but due to insufficient collecting it is premature to conclude that any of the three species known from a single host are host specific. © 2020 CSIRO