Plant Tannins and Essential Oils Have an Additive Deterrent Effect on Diet Choice by Kangaroos

Tannins and essential oils are well recognised as antiherbivore compounds. We investigated the relative effectiveness of the polyphenol, tannin, and the essential oils, 1,8-cineole and pine oil, as feeding deterrents against western grey kangaroos. Both groups of secondary metabolites are naturally abundant in many Australian plants. These three metabolite groups were incorporated separately or together into standard pellets for presentation to kangaroos, and their behaviour (sequence of food choice and feeding time) and amounts consumed were observed. The control (with no secondary metabolites) was much preferred. There was a sharp reduction in the ingestion of pellets containing tannins, 1,8-cineole or pine oil. Combinations of the metabolites resulted in almost no consumption. In association with tannin, pellets containing either 1,8-cineole or pine oil were as effective deterrents as both combined. There was a strong correlation between time spent feeding on the different diets and the amount of food consumed, although the rate of intake was markedly slower when secondary metabolites were present. Behavioural observations showed that the amount of food ingested is initially guided by the presence/absence of essential oils, apparently detected by smell, and later by the presence/absence of tannins, by taste. Both groups of secondary metabolites work in concert by stimulating different senses that minimise herbivory by marsupials, such as the western grey kangaroo, and help to explain their abundance in the Australian flora.

AusTraits, a curated plant trait database for the Australian flora

We introduce the AusTraits database - a compilation of values of plant traits for taxa in the Australian flora (hereafter AusTraits). AusTraits synthesises data on 448 traits across 28,640 taxa from field campaigns, published literature, taxonomic monographs, and individual taxon descriptions. Traits vary in scope from physiological measures of performance (e.g. photosynthetic gas exchange, water-use efficiency) to morphological attributes (e.g. leaf area, seed mass, plant height) which link to aspects of ecological variation. AusTraits contains curated and harmonised individual- and species-level measurements coupled to, where available, contextual information on site properties and experimental conditions. This article provides information on version 3.0.2 of AusTraits which contains data for 997,808 trait-by-taxon combinations. We envision AusTraits as an ongoing collaborative initiative for easily archiving and sharing trait data, which also provides a template for other national or regional initiatives globally to fill persistent gaps in trait knowledge.

The Unique Australian Flora, A Veritable Pandora’s Pharmacopeia of Compounds with Therapeutic Biomedical Potential: Are the Chalcones the Geni in The Box?

The aim of this review was to highlight the unique biodiversity of the flowering plants and shrubs of Australia and their component chemicals that evolved during the separation of the Australian continent from Gondwanaland. The chemicals produced by these flowering plants provided protection ensuring the survival of the Australian flora which had to contend with often harsh Australian climatic conditions. The diversity of plant phytochemicals produced by these flowering plants reflects the unique diversity of the Australian Flora and these represent a Pharmacological goldmine. It was beyond the scope of this review to cover the full spectrum of these chemical compounds present in Australian plants instead we focused on the chalcones in this review. This compound has a special status in medicinal chemistry as a base intermediate for the synthesis of a large repertoire of polycyclic compounds that display anti-bacterial, antifungal, anti-viral and anti-tumour properties and these are thus of considerable interest in Biomedicine.

Alexis Wright’s The Swan Book: Indigenous-Australian Swansong or Songline?

The Swan Book (pub. 2013) by the Indigenous-Australian author Alexis Wright is an eco-dystopian epic about the Indigenous people’s tough struggle to regain the environmental balance of the Australian continent and recover their former habitat. The book envisions a dire future in which all Australian flora and fauna—humans included—are under threat, suffering, displaced, and dying out as the result of Western colonization and its exploitative treatment of natural resources. The Swan Book goes beyond the geographical and epistemological scope of Wright’s previous two novels, Plains of Promise (pub. 1997) and Carpentaria (pub. 2006) to imagine what the Australian continent at large will look like under the ongoing pressure of the Western, exploitative production mode in a foreseeable future. The occupation of Aboriginal land in Australia’s Northern Territory since 2007 has allowed the federal government to intervene dramatically in what they term the dysfunctional remote Aboriginal communities; these are afflicted by transgenerational trauma, endemic domestic violence, alcoholism, and child sexual and substance abuse—in themselves the results of the marginal status of Indigeneity in Australian society—and continued control over valuable resources. This essay will discuss how Wright’s dystopian novel exemplifies an Indigenous turn to speculative fiction as a more successful way to address the trials and tribulations of Indigenous Australia and project a better future—an enabling songline rather than a disabling swansong.

Incidence of hyperaccumulation and tissue-level distribution of manganese, cobalt, and zinc in the genusGossia(Myrtaceae)

The rare phenomenon of plant manganese (Mn) hyperaccumulation within the Australian flora has previously been detected in the field, which suggested that the tree genus Gossia (Myrtaceae) might contain new Mn hyperaccumulators. We conducted the first growth experiment on Gossia using a multi-factorial dosing trial to assess Mn, cobalt (Co), and zinc (Zn) (hyper)accumulation patterns in selected Gossia species (G. fragrantissima and G. punctata) after a systematic assessment of elemental profiles on all holdings of the genus Gossia at the Queensland Herbarium using handheld X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. We then conducted detailed in situ analyses of the elemental distribution of Mn, Co, Zn and other elements at the macro (organ) and micro (cellular) levels with laboratory- and synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM). Gossia pubiflora and Gossia hillii were newly discovered to be Mn hyperaccumulator plants. In the dosing trial, G. fragrantissima accumulated 17 400 µg g−1 Mn, 545 µg g−1 Co, and 13 000 µg g−1 Zn, without signs of toxicity. The laboratory-based XFM revealed distinct patterns of accumulation of Co, Mn, and Zn in G. fragrantissima, while the synchrotron XFM showed their localization in foliar epidermal cells, and in the cortex and phloem cells of roots. This study combined novel analytical approaches with controlled experimentation to examine metal hyperaccumulation in slow-growing tropical woody species, thereby enabling insight into the phenomenon not possible through field studies.

AusTraits: a curated plant trait database for the Australian flora

We introduce the AusTraits database - a compilation of measurements of plant traits for taxa in the Australian flora (hereafter AusTraits). AusTraits synthesises data on 375 traits across 29230 taxa from field campaigns, published literature, taxonomic monographs, and individual taxa descriptions. Traits vary in scope from physiological measures of performance (e.g.~photosynthetic gas exchange, water-use efficiency) to morphological parameters (e.g.~leaf area, seed mass, plant height) which link to aspects of ecological variation. AusTraits contains curated and harmonised individual-, species- and genus-level observations coupled to, where available, contextual information on site properties. This data descriptor provides information on version 2.1.0 of AusTraits which contains data for 937243 trait-by-taxa combinations. We envision AusTraits as an ongoing collaborative initiative for easily archiving and sharing trait data to increase our collective understanding of the Australian flora.

Australia's Poisonous Plants, Fungi and Cyanobacteria

Australia's Poisonous Plants, Fungi and Cyanobacteria is the first full-colour, comprehensive guide to the major natural threats to health in Australia affecting domestic and native animals and humans. The overriding aim of the book is to prevent poisoning, as there are few effective treatments available, particularly in domestic animals. The species have been chosen because of their capacity to threaten life or damage important organs, their relative abundance or wide distribution in native and naturalised Australian flora, or because of their extensive cultivation as crops, pastures or in gardens. These include flowering plants, ferns and cone-bearing plants, macrofungi, ergot fungi and cyanobacteria. The plant species are grouped by life form such as herbs, grasses and sedges, shrubs, trees, and for flowering plants by flower type and colour for ease of identification. Species described have colour photographs, distribution maps and notes on confusing species, habitats, toxins, animals affected, conditions of poisoning, clinical signs and symptoms, post mortem changes, therapy, prevention and control. Symbols are used for quick reference to poisoning duration and available ways of managing poisoning. As further aids to understanding, poisoning hot-spots are highlighted and the book lists plants under the headings of animals affected and organs affected. A Digest gives brief details for all poisonous species in Australia. This book is written in a straightforward style making it accessible to a wide audience including farmers, veterinarians, agricultural advisors, gardeners, horticulturists, botanists and park rangers, medical practitioners and paramedics, teachers, parents and pet owners.