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Published (Version of record)CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open
Journal article
Collateral damage: epiphytic orchids at risk from myrtle rust
Australian journal of botany, Vol.71(8), pp.523-536
02/12/2023
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Abstract
Epiphytic orchids rely on the habitat provided by their plant hosts to survive. The naturalisation of Austropuccinia psidii (G. Winter) Beenken (the causal agent for myrtle rust) in Australia means that some of these plant hosts, from the family Myrtaceae, are at risk of serious decline. We aimed to identify orchid species that associate with myrtaceous host plants and determine which, if any, might be susceptible to loss of habitat as a result of myrtle rust. We reviewed species descriptions and herbarium records and identified 73 epiphytic orchid species that are commonly found growing on myrtaceous hosts. At least seven orchid species are predominantly reliant on myrtaceous hosts, are distributed predominantly in the myrtle rust zone, and have host species that are highly or extremely susceptible to myrtle rust. Four of these orchid species are already listed as threatened. The impact of myrtle rust is broader than causing decline of Myrtaceae species, with knock-on effects on other biota, including epiphytic orchids. Moreover, there is the potential for further impact on these orchids through fragmentation (e.g. affecting pollination) and interactive effects with fire. Increased effort is required to identify the relative frequency of myrtaceous and non-myrtaceous hosts for these epiphytic orchid species, especially in relation to the compound effects of myrtle rust and other perturbations, such as fire and climate change. Where this is not possible, ex situ conservation may be required.
Details
- Title
- Collateral damage: epiphytic orchids at risk from myrtle rust
- Creators
- Heidi Zimmer - Centre for Australian National Biodiversity ResearchMark Clements - Centre for Australian National Biodiversity ResearchEndymion Cooper - Centre for Australian National Biodiversity ResearchDavid JonesRobert Makinson - Australian Network for Plant Conservation Inc. (Canberra, Australia)Katharina Nargar - James Cook UniversityKristy Stevenson - University of Queensland
- Contributors
- Ben Gooden (Editor)
- Publication Details
- Australian journal of botany, Vol.71(8), pp.523-536
- Publisher
- CSIRO Publishing
- Identifiers
- 991013157410802368
- Copyright
- © 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article