Transplanting the leafy liverwort Herbertus hutchinsiae : A suitable conservation tool to maintain oceanic-montane liverwort-rich heath?

Thanks to the relevant landowners and managers for permission to carry out the experiments, Chris Preston for helping to obtain the liverwort distribution records and the distribution map, Gordon Rothero and Dave Horsfield for advice on choosing experimental sites and Alex Douglas for statistical advice. Juliane Geyer’s help with fieldwork was greatly appreciated. This study was made possible by a NERC PhD studentship and financial support from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Scottish Natural Heritage.Peer reviewedPostprin

The floristic changes of Scottish moorland dominated by heather (Calluna vulgaris, Ericaceae) but unburnt for 50 years and kept checked by moderate grazing

Vegetation and herbivore usage have been monitored since 1969/1970 at four moorland sites where heather (Calluna vulgaris) remained the main species under moderate levels of grazing. Much of the annual growth of the heather was regularly consumed by this grazing, but no burning occurred to remove heather biomass. Two sites were on acidic base-poor soils and had only minor cover of grasses and herbs, their vegetation having most affinity to H10 heath in the National Vegetation Classification of British plant communities. The other two sites were on more base-rich soils, and grasses and herbs had substantial cover; their vegetation showed most affinity to NVC CG11a grassland. One of the latter sites lies at 700 m and Calluna grew poorly being close to its altitudinal limit; the other three sites were at lower altitude and Calluna grew strongly creating dense swards. Over the 43–44 years of observation Calluna increased moderately in height but many subordinate higher plants declined in cover, as measured by point-quadrat recording. Bryophytes increased at three sites largely due to substantial gains of Hylocomium splendens, but other pleurocarpous mosses suffered some declines. At the three lower-altitude sites species number fell by 20–35% between the first and last recordings, but at the high-altitude site there was negligible change in species number. The main drivers of change were the grazing received and the performance of Calluna, and no evidence was found of species composition reacting to climate change or nitrogen deposition. To maintain diversity, timely burning is recommended

Giardia in Western Australian wildlife

Giardia has been found in numerous species of mammalian wildlife but very little information is available on the species and strains/genotypes that occur naturally in mammals in the wild. Recently, a novel genotype of Giardia was described in Western Australia, in the Southern brown bandicoot, or quenda (Isoodon obesulus). In order to determine the host range, distribution and prevalence of this novel 'quenda' 'genotype of Giardia, a comprehensive survey of this marsupial and cohabiting mammalian species was undertaken throughout the mainland and some off-shore islands of Western Australia, including urban areas. The overall prevalence of Giardia in 351 wildlife samples was low, with only 4.8% (17) samples testing positive. Amongst the 51 quenda samples, 11.8% (6) were positive for the 'quenda' genotype, 5.9% (3) for assemblage C/D and 2% (1) for assemblages A and E. This study has demonstrated that Giardia is a remarkably rare parasite in native wildlife in Western Australia, raising questions about the ecology of Giardia infections in wildlife

The diversity, distribution and host-parasite associations of trypanosomes in Western Australian wildlife

Little is known regarding the diversity, distribution or host-parasite associations of Trypanosoma spp. in Australian wildlife. Here we report on an investigation based on divergence of the 18S rRNA gene of trypanosomes isolated from a range of hosts and varied geographical locations. A total of 371 individuals representing 19 species of native animals from 14 different locations were screened. In total, 32 individuals from 9 different species tested positive for the parasite. Phylogenetic analysis revealed considerable parasite diversity with no clear geographical distribution and no evidence of host specificity. In general, it appears that Australian Trypanosoma spp. are widespread, with several genotypes appearing in multiple host species and in varied locations including both mainland areas and offshore islands. Some host species were found to be susceptible to multiple genotypes, but no individuals were infected with more than a single isolate

Trypanosomes in a declining species of threatened Australian marsupial, the brush-tailed bettong Bettongia penicillata (Marsupialia: Potoroidae)

The brush-tailed bettong (Bettongia penicillata), or woylie, is a medium-sized macropod marsupial that has undergone a rapid and substantial decline throughout its home range in the Upper Warren region of Western Australia over a period of approximately 5 years. As part of an investigation into possible causes of the decline a morphologically distinct Trypanosoma sp. was discovered by light microscopy in the declining population but was absent in a stable population within the Karakamia Wildlife Sanctuary. Further investigations employing molecular methods targeting variations in the 18s rRNA gene determined that the trypanosome was novel and was also present within the Karakamia population albeit at a much lower overall prevalence and individual parasitaemia levels. Phylogenetic analysis suggests the novel Trypanosoma sp. to be closely related to other trypanosomes isolated from native Australian wildlife species. Although it appears unlikely that the parasite is solely responsible for the decline in woylie population size, it may (singularly or in conjunction with other infectious agents) predispose woylies to increased mortality

The role of trypanosomes in the decline of a threatened species of Australian marsupial, the brush-tailed bettong (Bettongia penicillata)

The brush-tailed bettong (Bettongia penicillata), or woylie, has undergone a rapid and substantial decline throughout its range in the southwest of Western Australia over a period of approximately five years. As part of an investigation into possible causes of the decline, a morphologically distinct Trypanosoma sp. was discovered by light microscopy in the declining population but was not observed in a captive and stable population within the Karakamia Wildlife Sanctuary. Further investigations employing molecular methods targeting variations in the 18s rRNA gene determined that the trypanosome was novel and was also present within the Karakamia population albeit at a much lower overall prevalence and individual parasitemia levels. Phylogenetic analysis suggests the novel Trypanosoma sp. to be closely related to other trypanosomes isolated from native Australian wildlife species. The potential for a trypanosome species to affect the woylie population, singularly as well as in conjunction with other infectious agents as part of a concomitant infection, is discussed