The Swamp Wallaby 'Wallabia bicolor': a generalist browser as a key mycophagist

Mammal-macrofungal interactions are integral to ecosystem function in landscapes dominated by ectomycorrhizal (EM) plants. EM fungi, critical symbiont's with forest plants, produce sporocarps (fruit bodies) which are an important food resource for a variety of mammals. These mammals in turn play an important dispersal role, particularly for truffle-like (below-ground fruiting or hypogeous basidiomycetes) sporocarpic fungi that do not actively discharge their spores (sequestrate). This thesis examines interactions between truffle-like fungi and a non-specialist, mycophagous marsupial, the swamp wallaby 'Wallabia bicolor'. The availability of truffle-like fungi sporocarps as a food resource for mycophagous (fungus-feeding) mammals, the macrofungal diet of the swamp wallaby, and gut-retention and potential dispersal of macrofungal spores by swamp wallaby are examined

Rethinking soil water repellency and its management

Soil water repellency (SWR) is a widespread challenge to plant establishment and growth. Despite considerable research, it remains a recalcitrant problem for which few alleviation technologies or solutions have been developed. Previous research has focused on SWR as a problem to be overcome, however, it is an inherent feature of many native ecosystems where it contributes to ecosystem functions. Therefore, we propose a shift in the way SWR is perceived in agriculture and in ecological restoration, from a problem to be solved, to an opportunity to be harnessed. A new focus on potential ecological benefits of SWR is particularly timely given increasing incidence, frequency and severity of hotter droughts in many regions of the world. Our new way of conceptualising SWR seeks to understand how SWR can be temporarily alleviated at a micro-scale to successfully establish plants, and then harnessed in the longer term and at larger spatial scales to enhance soil water storage to act as a “drought-proofing” tool for plant survival in water-limited soils. For this to occur, we suggest research focusing on the alignment of physico-chemical and microbial properties and dynamics of SWR and, based on this mechanistic understanding, create products and interventions to improve success of plant establishment in agriculture, restoration and conservation contexts. In this paper, we outline the rationale for a new way of conceptualising SWR, and the research priorities needed to fill critical knowledge gaps in order to harness the ecological benefits from managing SWR

'Cort short on a mountaintop' - Eight new species of sequestrate 'Cortinarius' from sub-alpine Australia and affinities to sections within the genus

During the course of research on mammal mycophagy and movement in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, extensive collections of sequestrate fungi were made, including numerous cortinarioid taxa. Historically any novel taxa would have been described in the cortinarioid sequestrate genera 'Descomyces', 'Hymenogaster', 'Protoglossum', 'Quadrispora', 'Thaxterogaster' or 'Timgrovea' based on broad morphological similarities of the sporocarps and spore ornamentation. However, consistent with other recent analyses of nuclear DNA regions, taxa from sequestrate genera were found to have affinities with 'Cortinarius' and 'Descolea' or 'Hebeloma', and to be scattered across many sections within 'Cortinarius'. None of the historical sequestrate cortinarioid genera are monophyletic in our analyses. In particular, the gastroid genus 'Hymenogaster' is paraphyletic, with one clade including two species of 'Protoglossum' in 'Cortinarius', and a second clade sister to Hebeloma. Eight new species of sequestrate Cortinarius are described and illustrated, and discussion of their affinities with various sections provided: 'C. argyronius', 'C. caesibulga' and 'C. cinereoroseolus' in section 'Purpurascentes', 'C. maculobulga' in section 'Rozites', 'C. sinapivelus' in section 'Splendidi', 'C. kaputarensis' in a mixed section 'Phlegmacium/Myxacium' within a broader section 'Dermocybe', 'C. basorapulus' in section 'Percomes' and 'C. nebulobrunneus' in section 'Pseudotriumphantes'. Keys to genera of the 'Bolbitiaceae' and 'Cortinariaceae' containing sequestrate taxa and to currently known Australian species of sequestrate 'Cortinarius' and 'Protoglossum' are provided. As with the related agaricoid taxa, macroscopic characters such as colour and texture of basidioma, degree of loculisation of the hymenophore, and stipe-columella development and form remain useful for distinguishing species, but are generally not so useful at the sectional level within 'Cortinarius'. Microscopic characters such as spore shape, size, and ornamentation, and pileipellis structure (simplex vs duplex and size of hyphal elements) are essential for determining species, and also appear to follow sectional boundaries

Truffle-like fungi sporocarps in a eucalypt-dominated landscape: patterns in diversity and community structure

Truffle-like fungi are highly diverse yet poorly known in Australia. To assess the species richness, biomass, and community assemblages of truffle-like fungi in different habitats we sampled sporocarps of truffle-like fungi in three eucalypt-dominated forest types (grassy woodland, wet sclerophyll forest, and dry sclerophyll forest) once in summer and once in winter, at two sites (Mount Kaputar and New England) in northern New South Wales, Australia. One hundred and eighteen species in 35 genera were collected; over half (51.7 %) of the species were undescribed. Grassy woodland and wet forest communities had greater species richness and a lower standing crop than dry forest communities. Species richness and standing crop was greater in winter than in summer. Overall, species from the family Russulaceae, and the genera 'Dermocybe', 'Descomyces', and 'Hysterangium' were dominant. Community composition varied among forest types and each forest type exhibited a suite of unique and common species, although much variation was unexplained. Variation in community structure was associated with some habitat attributes; at Mount Kaputar, woody plant species richness, canopy cover, litter depth, soil phosphorous, and elevation helped explain the sporocarp communities of different forest types, while at New England, woody plant species richness, rainfall, topographic aspect, soil texture, and soil nitrogen helped explain communities. This work contributes to knowledge of truffle-like fungal diversity, the factors affecting sporocarp distribution across landscapes, and the availability of sporocarps as a food resource for mycophagous mammals. Greater understanding of fungal diversity and mammal-fungal interactions also has important implications for managing forest biodiversity

Modelling mycorrhizal fungi dispersal by the mycophagous swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) [dataset]

Despite the importance of mammal-fungal interactions, tools to estimate the mammal-assisted dispersal distances of fungi are lacking. Many mammals actively consume fungal fruiting bodies, the spores of which remain viable after passage through their digestive tract. Many of these fungi form symbiotic relationships with trees and provide an array of other key ecosystem functions. We present a flexible, general model to predict the distance a mycophagous mammal would disperse fungal spores. We modelled the probability of spore dispersal by combining animal movement data from GPS-telemetry with data on spore gut-retention time. We test this model using an exemplar generalist mycophagist, the swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor). We show that swamp wallabies disperse fungal spores hundreds of metres—and occasionally up to 1265 m—from the point of consumption, distances that are ecologically significant for many mycorrhizal fungi. In addition to highlighting the ecological importance of swamp wallabies as dispersers of mycorrhizal fungi in eastern Australia, our simple modelling approach provides a novel and effective way of empirically describing spore dispersal by a mycophagous animal. This approach is applicable to the study of other animal-fungi interactions in other ecosystems

New Guinean bandicoots: New insights into diet, dentition and digestive tract morphology and a dietary review of all extant non-Australian peramelemorphia

Little is known about the diets and ecology of New Guinea\u27s 14 bandicoot species. In order to better understand the diet and digestive morphology of these marsupials, we reviewed the literature, studied the dental morphology, conducted analysis of gastrointestinal contents, and measured the digestive tracts of: Echymipera clara, E. davidi, E. kalubu, E. rufescens, Isoodon macrourus, Microperoryctes ornata, M. papuensis and Peroryctes raffrayana. These species consume a mix of fungi, insects and plant material that is broadly consistent with the omnivorous diet characteristic of most Australian bandicoots; however, morphological observations reveal variation between species that likely reflect finer-scale differences in diet. Dental morphology suggests a wider variety of diets (insectivore, omnivore, frugivore) than on the Australian mainland (mostly omnivore). Dissections and measurements of the digestive tract of seven New Guinean species indicate variation linked to diet. The relatively short caecum in all New Guinean species, but especially in E. clara and E. kalubu, is particularly suggestive of limited consumption of fibrous plant material; the relative length of the large intestine suggests variable capacity for water reabsorption. Our dietary data also suggest that some of these species also play an important role in the dispersal of hypogeous fungi

Microbiomes of Western Australian marine environments

27 pages, 5 figures, 1 appendixMicrobes are fundamentally important to the maintenance of all habitats, including those in the ocean: they govern biogeochemical cycles, contribute to resistance from disease and nutritional requirements of macroorganisms and provide enormous biological and genetic diversity. The oceanic environment of the west coast of Australia is dominated by the Leeuwin Current, a poleward flowing boundary current that brings warm water down the coastline from the north. Due to the influence of the current, tropical species exist further south than they would otherwise, and stretches of the coastline host unique assortments of tropical and temperate species. Seawater itself, as well as the benthic macroorganisms that inhabit ocean environments, form habitats such as extensive areas of seagrass beds, macroalgal forests, coral reefs, sponge gardens, benthic mats including stromatolites, continental slopes and canyons and abyssal plain enviroments. These environments, and the macroorganisms that inhabit them, are all intrinsically linked with highly abundant and diverse consortiums of microorganisms. To date, there has been little research aimed at understanding these critical organisms within Western Australia. Here we review the current literature from the dominant coastal types (seagrass, coral, temperate macroalgae, vertebrates and stromatolites) in Western Australia. The most well researched are pelagic habitats and those with stromatolites, whereas data on all the other environments are slowly beginning to emerge. We urge future research efforts to be directed toward understanding the diversity, function, resilience and connectivity of coastal microorganisms in Western AustraliaPeer Reviewe

Unmasking the complexity of species identification in Australasian flying-foxes.

Pteropus (flying-foxes) are a speciose group of non-echolocating large bats, with five extant Australian species and 24 additional species distributed amongst the Pacific Islands. In 2015, an injured flying-fox with unusual facial markings was found in Sydney, Australia, following severe and widespread storms. Based on an initial assessment, the individual belonged to Pteropus but could not be readily identified to species. As a consequence, four hypotheses for its identification/origin were posited: the specimen represented (1) an undescribed Australian species; or (2) a morphological variant of a recognised Australian species; or (3) a hybrid individual; or (4) a vagrant from the nearby Southwest Pacific Islands. We used a combination of morphological and both mitochondrial- and nuclear DNA-based identification methods to assess these hypotheses. Based on the results, we propose that this morphologically unique Pteropus most likely represents an unusual P. alecto (black flying-fox) potentially resulting from introgression from another Pteropus species. Unexpectedly, this individual, and the addition of reference sequence data from newly vouchered specimens, revealed a previously unreported P. alecto mitochondrial DNA lineage. This lineage was distinct from currently available haplotypes. It also suggests long-term hybridisation commonly occurs between P. alecto and P. conspicillatus (spectacled flying-fox). This highlights the importance of extensive reference data, and the inclusion of multiple vouchered specimens for each species to encompass both intraspecific and interspecific variation to provide accurate and robust species identification. Moreover, our additional reference data further demonstrates the complexity of Pteropus species relationships, including hybridisation, and potential intraspecific biogeographical structure that may impact on their management and conservation

Correction to: Rethinking soil water repellency and its management

© 2019, Springer Nature B.V. The article entitled “Rethinking soil water repellency and its management”, which is part of the special issue on “Applying microbial communities to improve restoration and conservation outcomes” was published prematurely in Volume 220, Issue 10, October 2019