ECOLOGICAL IMPACT of MYRTLE RUST (Austropuccinia Psidii) in a WET SCLEROPHYLL FOREST
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ECOLOGICAL IMPACT OF MYRTLE RUST (Austropuccinia psidii) IN A WET SCLEROPHYLL FOREST Santiago Diaz Torres Bachelor of Biological Sciences Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy School of Biological, and Environmental Sciences Faculty of Science and Engineering Queensland University of Technology 2021 1 Keywords Acmena smithii, Archirhodomyrtus beckleri, Austropuccinia psidii, canopy gap fraction, Decaspermum humile, ecological communities, ecological impact, ecological populations, ecological succession, forest structure, Gossia hillii, invasive species, Myrtaceae, myrtle rust, Rhodamnia maideniana, pathogen spillover, plant-pathogenic fungi, plant–soil feedback, species composition, specific leaf area, light availability, soil nutrients, South East Queensland, Tallebudgera Valley, vegetation monitoring program, wet sclerophyll forest Ecological impact of myrtle rust (Austropuccinia psidii) in a wet sclerophyll forest 2 Abstract Myrtle rust is an infection caused by Austropuccinia psidii, a fungal pathogen that threatens the persistence of plant species within the Myrtaceae family. Myrtle rust was first detected in Australia in April 2010 on the central coast of New South Wales. Myrtle rust originates from South America and has now also spread to other regions where Myrtaceae species are native, including New Caledonia, South Africa, Indonesia, Singapore and New Zealand. The Myrtaceae family is the largest plant family in Australia with over 2250 species and 70 genera. The species of this family make up a large proportion of iconic Australian forests such as dry and wet sclerophyll forests. The importance of studying the ecological impacts of myrtle rust in wild populations has been highlighted in multiple studies in Australia. Understanding its effects in the field will help in the prioritisation of species and environments at risk and understand how plant communities will change over time in response to myrtle rust infection. Previous studies of wet sclerophyll forests have found high infection rates of myrtle rust on susceptible Myrtaceae species growing in the midstory and understory canopies of the forests. However, given that the arrival of myrtle rust in Australia is relatively recent, the impact of myrtle rust on populations over time and on plant community composition and key resources, such as light availability, is equivocal. In this study, I evaluated the impact of myrtle rust on a wet sclerophyll forest in the Tallebudgera Valley in South East Queensland and compared recent survey results with previous survey results, recorded over multiple time periods since 2016. I examined how increasing infection rates of myrtle rust has affected the survival of five species of Myrtaceae: Acmena smithii, Archirhodomyrtus beckleri, Decaspermum humile, Gossia hillii and Rhodamnia maideniana. I also studied how tree mortality in the midstory of the forest canopy changes the resource availability and plant community composition in the understory. Archirhodomyrtus beckleri and Decaspermum humile are tree species that make up the overstory of the canopy of the forest. Acmena smithii, Gossia hillii and Rhodamnia maideniana can grow to shape the midstory of the forest but are shrub species that are more likely to be found in the understory. I regard these are five Myrtaceae species as key species for the forest because they create a complex setting for the community and ecosystem dynamics. Having these five key species a fundamental role in the forest by altering light Ecological impact of myrtle rust (Austropuccinia psidii) in a wet sclerophyll forest 3 dynamics in the forest and bringing nourishment to animal species through edible fruits that are consumed by birds and mammals. Populations of the five Myrtaceae species that make up the structure of the forest decreased over the four years of recorded infection. I used Kaplan–Meier plots to estimate the probability of survival of the five most abundant Myrtaceae species, based on data collected from three time periods over four years. I then used Markov models to predict their probability of survival for the next three years. Over the next three years, predictions from this research suggest that populations of Archirhodomyrtus beckleri and Decaspermum humile may become locally extinct (extirpation), Gossia hillii has a low probability of survival as well, but Acmena smithii and Rhodamnia maideniana have higher probabilities of survival. I used specific leaf area (SLA) as a proxy measure of the physiological adaptations of populations to the local environment that could predict susceptibility to myrtle rust. This is because leaves are usually the common structure associated with infection by A. psidii. I measured SLA in the five Myrtaceae key species described above. I did not find a significant correlation between high SLA in species with higher mortality rates. Although the overall trend was promising, further research should be conducted in different environments and with more species and samples to understand whether SLA is a good predictor of susceptibility to myrtle rust. I hypothesised that the high mortality rates found at these sites in the mid-canopy and understory would result in more light reaching the forest floor and greater soil nutrient levels. I measured canopy gap fraction as a surrogate measure of light availability for the forest floor and soil nutrients associated with plant decomposition in regions of the forest with and without mortality. I found a significant variance between canopy gap fractions but no significant difference in soil nutrients. I surveyed the understory species composition of the forest. I found that 11 non-native species, seven of them regarded as invasive because of high impacts and/or spread, were present on the forest floor (e.g. Ageratina adenophora and Ochna serrulata). However, I did not find a significant correlation between quadrats that showed higher mortality because of myrtle rust and the cover of invasive species in the understory. In this thesis, I aimed to understand the impact of myrtle rust over four years of recorded infection on five prominent Myrtaceae species in a wet sclerophyll forest and the Ecological impact of myrtle rust (Austropuccinia psidii) in a wet sclerophyll forest 4 subsequent effects that increasing mortality caused by myrtle rust might have on the plant community composition of the ground cover. I found that myrtle rust affects the composition of the forest over time by killing prominent species in the mid- and understory and this mortality could impact on longer-term community assembly by changing light availability reaching the forest floor. However, I did not record a significant shift in plant composition on the forest floor and soil nutrient conditions, which may be explained by the short period (four years) of recorded infections. Most studies research the impacts of invasive species and in particular invasive pathogens after 10 to 30 years of infection. This study represents an important interim examination of how invasive pathogens impact in the early stages of arrival and an opportunity to understand how resultant processes begin to shift. The significant differences found in the canopy gaps because of mortality in the mid- and understory suggest that changes in composition and other resource availability may become more pronounced over time. Annual follow-up studies are highly recommended to document the impact on populations not just after 10 years but every couple of years so that timelines of impact can be better understood and the timing of management interventions optimised. Ecological impact of myrtle rust (Austropuccinia psidii) in a wet sclerophyll forest 5 Table of Contents Keywords ………………………………………………………………………….….………1 Abstract …………………………………………………………………………….….……...2 Table of Contents ……………………………………………………………………..………5 List of Figures ……………………………………………………………………….…….….8 List of Tables ……………………………………………………………………….…….….11 Statement of Original Authorship ……………………………………………….…………..12 Acknowledgements ………………………………………………………………….……....13 Chapter 1: Introduction …………………………………………………………….…….. 14 1.1 Background ………………………………………………………………….………14 1.2 Literature review …………………………………………………………………….15 1.2.1 Value of the Myrtaceae family in Australia …………………………………………16 1.2.2 Wet sclerophyll Forest and the Tallebudgera Valley ………………………………. 17 1.2.3 Ecological value of five focal Myrtaceae species of the Tallebudgera Valley wet sclerophyll forest …………………………………………………………………… 19 1.2.4 A. psidii life cycle and susceptibility categorisation ……………………………….. 23 1.2.5 Plant traits and A. psidii ………………………………………………...………….. 24 1.2.6 Canopy structure and light dynamics ………………………………………………. 25 1.2.7 Impact of Austropuccinia psidii on keys species of a wet sclerophyll forest…….….26 1.2.8 Impact of mortality on light availability and community assembly of wet sclerophyll forests…………………………………………………...………..……. 28 1.3 Research scope ……………………………………………………………..………. 30 1.4 Data chapter outline …………………………………………………………....…….30 Chapter 2: Population impact: Impact of Austropuccinia psidii on keys species of a wet sclerophyll forest over time ……..…………………………………………………………32 2.1 Aims and objectives …………………………………………………………..……. 32 2.2 Research design ……………………………………………………….……………. 33 2.2.1 Assessing mortality (percentage of dead trees) in focal Myrtaceae populations …... 33 2.2.2 Specific leaf area measurements and susceptibility classification …………...….…..34 2.3 Analysis ……………………………………………………………………..……….35