Austropuccinia psidii (myrtle rust).

Author(s):  
Angus J. Carnegie ◽  
Fiona R. Giblin

Abstract Austropuccinia psidii is a rust fungus with a wide and expanding host range within the Myrtaceae, with over 440 host species currently known (Carnegie and Lidbetter, 2012; Morin et al., 2012; Pegg et al., 2014). Like many rusts, urediniospores of A. psidii can be wind-dispersed over long distances. Viable spores have been detected on clothing and personal effects following visits to rust-affected plantations (Langrell et al., 2003), and this is a viable pathway for dispersal. Furthermore, there are several instances of (accidental) long-distance movement of A. psidii on diseased plants, both within and between continents (Loope et al., 2007; Kawanishi et al., 2009; Carnegie and Cooper, 2011; Zambino and Nolan, 2012). Under sub-optimal conditions, the rust can remain un-symptomatic within plants for more than a month (Carnegie and Lidbetter, 2012). This combination of wide host range and ease of long-distance dispersal make A. psidii a successful invasive pathogen. It has spread quickly once established in new countries, including Jamaica (MacLachlan, 1938), Hawaii (Uchida and Loope, 2009), Australia (Carnegie and Cooper, 2011; Pegg et al., 2014) and New Caledonia (DAVAR Nouvelle-Calédonie, 2014). Severe impact on a range of Myrtaceae has been recorded in amenity plantings, commercial plantations and the native environment. A. psidii was first identified as an invasive pathogen in the 1930s when it caused extensive damage to allspice (Pimenta dioica) plantations in Jamaica (Smith, 1935; MacLachlan, 1938). A. psidii has been identified as a quarantine risk for some time in many countries including Australia (Australian Quarantine Service, 1985; Grgurinovic et al., 2006), South Africa (Coutinho et al., 1998) and New Zealand (Kriticos and Leriche, 2008).

2011 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gunnar Keppel ◽  
Peter Prentis ◽  
Ed Biffin ◽  
Paul Hodgskiss ◽  
Susana Tuisese ◽  
...  

We examined evolutionary relationships, hybridisation and genetic diversity in species of Dacrydium (Podocarpaceae) in Remote Oceania, where it is restricted to New Caledonia and Fiji. We used cpDNA sequence (trnL–trnF) data to construct a phylogeny and estimate taxon divergence by using a relaxed molecular clock approach. The phylogeny was verified using allozymes, which were also used to investigate genetic diversity of all species and the hybridisation dynamics of two endangered species, D. guillauminii and D. nidulum. Our results suggested that Dacrydium species in Remote Oceania form a monophyletic group that arose and diversified within the last 20 million years through long-distance dispersal and a range of speciation mechanisms. Whereas we detected no hybridisation between the Fijian species D. nausoriense and D. nidulum, we confirmed hybridisation between D. guillauminii and D. araucarioides in New Caledonia and determined introgression to be assymetric from the widespread D. araucarioides into the rare, restricted-range species D. guillauminii. In addition, D. guillauminii had lower genetic diversity than did the other species of Dacrydium studied, which had genetic diversity similar to that of other gymnosperms. Our results provided evidence for the recent and complex diversification of Dacrydium in Remote Oceania. In addition, low genetic diversity of and introgression from D. araucarioides, are of grave concern for the conservation of D. guillauminii.


Zootaxa ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2650 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
MATTHEW J. COLLOFF

Three new species of oribatid mite belonging to the genus Crotonia are described: one from Lord Howe Island (C. gorgonia sp. nov.) and two (C. norfolkensis sp. nov. and C. utricularia sp. nov.) from Norfolk Island, South-west Pacific. Crotonia gorgonia sp. nov. belongs to the Capistrata species group which reaches its highest diversity in Australia but is absent from New Zealand. Crotonia norfolkensis sp. nov. is a member of the Cophinaria group, recorded from Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia, but with closest morphological similarity to C. brachyrostrum (Hammer, 1966) from New Zealand. Crotonia utricularia sp. nov. belongs to the Unguifera group, which reaches its highest diversity in New Zealand, is absent from Australia, and is present on Vanuatu and the Marquesas. The distribution of members of the species-groups of Crotonia in the south-western Pacific indicates that the species from Lord Howe Island has affinities with species from Australia, while the species from Norfolk Island are both most similar to species from New Zealand, and represents further evidence of the capacity of Crotonia spp. for long-distance dispersal to oceanic islands.


Mycologia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 110 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nguyen

Fungi can produce resistant propagules that may last for decades. Basidiospores from ectomycorrhizal fungi had been experimentally shown to last for at least 6 yr, but there are few reports on the longevity of saprotrophic members of mushroom-forming fungi. Here, the author shows evidence of spore longevity of these fungi by collecting, drying, storing, and germinating these spores over time. Results showed that dark-colored spores have a much-extended longevity as compared to light-colored spores. Dark-colored spores of some species are viable to at least 2.8 yr, whereas light-colored spores are generally viable for a much shorter period of time. The author proposes that mushroom-forming basidiomycete fungi employ two different ecological strategies: one with extended longevity that allows for long-distance dispersal, and the other takes advantage of optimal conditions that support both mushroom formation, basidiospore dispersal, and germination locally.


2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina V Klaus ◽  
Nicholas J Matzke

Abstract The ability of lineages to disperse long distances over evolutionary timescales may be influenced by the gain or loss of traits adapted to enhance local, ecological dispersal. For example, some species in the southern conifer family Podocarpaceae have fleshy cones that encourage bird dispersal, but it is unknown how this trait has influenced the clade’s historical biogeography, or its importance compared with other predictors of dispersal such as the geographic distance between regions. We answer these questions quantitatively by using a dated phylogeny of 197 species of southern conifers (Podocarpaceae and their sister family Araucariaceae) to statistically compare standard, trait-independent biogeography models with new BioGeoBEARS models where an evolving trait can influence dispersal probability, and trait history, biogeographical history, and model parameters are jointly inferred. We validate the method with simulation-inference experiments. Comparing all models, those that include trait-dependent dispersal accrue 87.5% of the corrected Akaike Information Criterion (AICc) model weight. Averaged across all models, lineages with nonfleshy cones had a dispersal probability multiplier of 0.49 compared with lineages with fleshy cones. Distance is included as a predictor of dispersal in all credible models (100% model weight). However, models with changing geography earned only 22.0% of the model weight, and models submerging New Caledonia/New Zealand earned only 0.01%. The importance of traits and distance suggests that long-distance dispersal over macroevolutionary timespans should not be thought of as a highly unpredictable chance event. Instead, long-distance dispersal can be modeled, allowing statistical model comparison to quantify support for different hypotheses.


2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Maurizot ◽  
H. J. Campbell

AbstractNew Caledonia is known as a global biodiversity hotspot. Like most Pacific islands, its modern biota is characterized by high levels of endemism and is notably lacking in some functional groups of biota. This is the result of its distinctive palaeobiogeographical history, which can be described in terms of three major episodes relating to Gondwana, Zealandia and New Caledonia. The geological record, the fossil record and the modern biota of the archipelago are all reviewed here. The geological record shows that the main island, Grande Terre, was submerged between 75 and 60 Ma. There is a 9 myr interval without any geological record between 34 and 25 Ma, immediately after the obduction of the Peridotite Nappe. Grande Terre may or may not have been submerged during this 9 myr interval. The ages given by molecular biology, independent of any geological calibration points, form a continuous spectrum from 60 Ma up to the present day. The derived lineage ages from molecular phylogenies all post-date 60 Ma, supporting the idea of the continuous availability of terrestrial environments since 60 Ma. Of the three common scenarios for the origin of the New Caledonia biota, long-distance dispersal is the most plausible, rather than vicariance or dispersal over short distances.


Author(s):  
Carolyn Swan

Around the year 970 CE, a merchant ship carrying an assortment of goods from East Africa, Persia, India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, and China foundered and sank to the bottom of the Java Sea. Thousands of beads made from many different materials—ceramic, jet, coral, banded stone, lapis lazuli, rock crystal, sapphire, ruby, garnet, pearl, gold, and glass—attest to the long-distance movement and trade of these small and often precious objects throughout the Indian Ocean world. The beads made of glass are of particular interest, as closely-dated examples are very rare and there is some debate as to where glass beads were being made and traded during this period of time. This paper examines 18 glass beads from the Cirebon shipwreck that are now in the collection of Qatar Museums, using a comparative typological and chemical perspective within the context of the 10th-century glass production. Although it remains uncertain where some of the beads were made, the composition of the glass beads points to two major production origins for the glass itself: West Asia and South Asia.


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