Australian corticolous myxomycetes: models of distribution and development
Peter Wellman
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
17 Warragamba Avenue, Duffy, ACT 2611, Australia. Email: wellmanp@iinet.net.au
Australian Journal of Botany 67(8) 617-629 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT19155
Submitted: 22 September 2019 Accepted: 17 December 2019 Published: 10 February 2020
Journal compilation © CSIRO 2019 Open Access CC BY-NC-ND
Abstract
This paper presents an integrated model of the variation over a continental landmass of myxomycetes, a single-celled organism in the phylum Amoebozoa. Bark samples were collected on long traverses across Australia, and cultivated in Petri dishes by the moist chamber technique to obtain large assemblages of common species. The results of this survey and previous surveys are consistent with there being four major myxomycete assemblages: Tropical, Northern Arid, Southern Arid and Temperate. Where mapped, these species assemblage regions are consistent with the Australian phytogeographical regions. The myxomycetes differ between arid and non-arid areas; the arid areas have slightly higher productivity per wetting event, with members of the Physarales and Liceales relatively important and the Stemonitidales, Trichiales and Cribrariales less important. When the bark samples are placed in a moist culture there is a myxomycete growth cycle and then the population declines to resting phases. The population increase during a growth phase can be modelled by a linear plot of log(abundance) against species rank, where abundance is total harvested spore volume of a species. The population decline appears to be linear from two weeks after watering, declining to negligible activity 4 weeks after watering.
Additional keywords: biogeography, ecology, ecosystem dynamics.
References
Bar-On YM, Philips R, Milo R (2018) The biomass distribution on Earth. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 115, 6506–6511.| The biomass distribution on Earth.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 29784790PubMed |
Black DR, Stephenson SL, Pearce CA (2004) Myxomycetes associated with the aerial litter microhabitiat in tropical forests of northern Queensland, Australia. Systematics and Geography of Plants 74, 129–132.
BOM Bureau of Meteorology (2017) Average annual rainfall map for Australia. Product code IDCJCM004. Available at http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/climate_averages/rainfall/index.jsp [Verified 22 January 2020].
Burbidge N (1960) The phytogeography of the Australian region. Australian Journal of Botany 8, 75–211.
| The phytogeography of the Australian region.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Butler H, Rogerson A (1996) Growth potential, production efficiency and annual production of marine benthic naked amoebae (gymnamoebae) inhabiting sediments of the Clyde Sea area, Scotland. Aquatic Microbial Ecology 10, 123–129.
| Growth potential, production efficiency and annual production of marine benthic naked amoebae (gymnamoebae) inhabiting sediments of the Clyde Sea area, Scotland.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Cogger HG, Heathwole H (1981) The Australian reptiles: origins, biogeography, distribution patterns and island evolution. In ‘Ecological biogeography of Australia’. (Ed. A Keast) pp. 1303–1373. (Dr W Junk: The Hague, The Netherlands)
Davison EM, Davison PJN, Brims MH (2008) Moist chamber and field collections of myxomycetes from the northern Simpson Desert, Australia. Australasian Mycologist 27, 129–135.
Davison EM, Davison PJN, Barrett MD, Barrett RL, McMullan-Fisher SJM (2017) Additions to the myxomycota of summer rainfall regions of tropical Australia. Nova Hedwigia 104, 47–64.
| Additions to the myxomycota of summer rainfall regions of tropical Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Discover Life (2018) Discoverlife. Available at https://www.discoverlife.org/ [Accessed January 2020].
Ebach MC, Gill AC, Kwan A, Ahyong ST, Murphy DJ, Cassis G (2013) Towards an Australian bioregionalisation atlas: a provisional area taxonomy of Australia’s biogeographical regions. Zootaxa 3619, 315–342.
| Towards an Australian bioregionalisation atlas: a provisional area taxonomy of Australia’s biogeographical regions.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 26131478PubMed |
Ebach MC, Murphy DJ, González-Orozco CE, Miller JT (2015) A revised area taxonomy of phytogeographical regions within the Australian bioregionalisation atlas. Phytotaxa 208, 261–277.
| A revised area taxonomy of phytogeographical regions within the Australian bioregionalisation atlas.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
González-Orozco CE, Ebach MC, Laffan S, Thornhill AH, Knerr NJ, Schmidt-Lebuhn AN, Cargill CC, Clements M, Nagalingum NS, Mishler BD, Miller JT (2014) Quantifying phytogeographical regions of Australia using geospatial turnover in species composition. PLoS One 9, e92558
| Quantifying phytogeographical regions of Australia using geospatial turnover in species composition.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 24658356PubMed |
Ing B (1982) ‘A provisional atlas of British myxomycetes.’ (Biological Records Centre, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology: Huntingdon, UK)
Ing B (1999) ‘The myxomycetes of Britain and Ireland.’ (The Richmond Publishing Co. Ltd: Slough, UK)
Ing B, Spooner BM (1994) Myxomycetes from the Kimberley region, Western Australia. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 116, 71–76.
| Myxomycetes from the Kimberley region, Western Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Jordan CC, Brims MH, Speijers EJ, Davison EM (2006) Myxomycetes on the bark of Banksia attenuata and B. menziesii (Proteaceae). Australian Journal of Botany 54, 357–365.
| Myxomycetes on the bark of Banksia attenuata and B. menziesii (Proteaceae).Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kikkawa J, Pearse K (1969) Geographical distribution of land birds in Australia – a numerical analysis. Australian Journal of Zoology 17, 821–840.
| Geographical distribution of land birds in Australia – a numerical analysis.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Knight KJ, Brims MH (2010) Myxomycota census of Western Australia. Nuytsia 20, 283–307.
Linder HP, de Klerk HM, Born J, Burgess ND, Fjeldså J, Rahbek C (2012) The partitioning of Africa: statistically defined biogeographical regions in sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Biogeography 39, 1189–1205.
| The partitioning of Africa: statistically defined biogeographical regions in sub-Saharan Africa.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lloyd S (2014) ‘Where the slime mould creeps, the fascinating world of myxomycetes.’ (Tympanocryptis Press: Birralee, Tas.)
Martiny JBH, Bohannan BJM, Brown JH, Colwell RK, Fuhrman JA, Green JL, Horner-Devine MC, Kane M, Krumins JA, Kuske CR, Morin PJ, Naeem S, Øvreås L, Reysenbach A-L, Smith VH, Staley JT (2006) Microbial biogeography: putting microorganisms on the map. Nature Reviews. Microbiology 4, 102–112.
| Microbial biogeography: putting microorganisms on the map.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
May RM (1976) Patterns in multispecies communities. In ‘Theoretical ecology: principals and applications’. (Ed. RM May), pp. 142–162. (Blackwell Scientific Publications: Oxford)
McHugh R (2009) Field and moist chamber collections of Paraguay myxomycetes. Karstenia 48, 49–56.
| Field and moist chamber collections of Paraguay myxomycetes.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
McHugh R, Stephenson SL, Mitchell DW, Brims MH (2003) New records of Australian myxomycota. New Zealand Journal of Botany 41, 487–500.
| New records of Australian myxomycota.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
McHugh R, Mitchell DW, Brims MH, Stephenson SL (2009) New additions to the myxomycota of Australia. Australasian Mycologist 28, 56–64.
Mitchell DW (1995) The myxomycota of Australia. Nova Hedwigia 60, 269–295.
Morton SR, Stafford Smith DM, Dickman CR, Dunkerley DL, Friedel MH, McAllister RRJ, Reid JRW, Roshier DA, Smith MA, Walsh FJ, Wardle GM, Watson IW, Westoby M (2011) A fresh framework for the ecology of arid Australia. Journal of Arid Environments 75, 313–329.
| A fresh framework for the ecology of arid Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Novozhilov YK, Mitchell DW, Schnittler M (2003) Myxomycete biodiversity of the Cororado Plateau. Mycological Progress 2, 243–258.
| Myxomycete biodiversity of the Cororado Plateau.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Novozhilov YK, Zimlianskaia IV, Schnittler M, Stephenson SL (2006) Myxomycete diversity and ecology in the arid regions of the Lower Volga River Basin (Russia). Fungal Diversity 23, 193–241.
Novozhilov YK, Rollins AW, Schnittler M (2017) Ecology and distribution of myxomycetes. In ‘Myxomycetes: biology, systematics, biogeography and ecology’. (Eds SL Stephenson, C Rojas), pp. 253–297. (Academic Press: London)
Pando F, Lado C (1990) A survey of the corticolous myxomycetes in peninsular Spain and Balearic Islands. Nova Hedwigia 50, 127–137.
| A survey of the corticolous myxomycetes in peninsular Spain and Balearic Islands.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Poulain M, Meyer M, Bozonnet J (2011) ‘Les myxomycÈtes.’ (Fédération mycologique et botanique Dauphiné-Savoie: Sevrier, 2 volumes)
Rosing WC, Mitchell DW, Stephenson SL (2007) Corticolous myxomycetes from Victoria. Australasian Mycologist 26, 9–15.
Rueda A, Rodríguez MÀ, Hawkins BA (2010) Towards a biogeographic regionalization of the European biota. Journal of Biogeography 37, 2067–2076.
| Towards a biogeographic regionalization of the European biota.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Schnittler M (2001) Ecology of myxomycetes of a winter-cold desert in western Kazakhstan. Mycologia 93, 653–669.
| Ecology of myxomycetes of a winter-cold desert in western Kazakhstan.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Schnittler M, Dagamac NHA, Novozhilov YK (2017) Biogeographical patterns in myxomycetes. In ‘Myxomycetes: biology, systematics, biogeography and ecology’. (Eds SL Stephenson, C Rojas) pp. 299–331 (Academic Press: London)
Stephenson SL, Rojas C (2017) ‘Myxomycetes: biology, systematics, biogeography and ecology.’ (Academic Press: London)
Stephenson SL, Shadwick JDL (2009) Nivicolous myxomycetes from alpine areas of south-eastern Australia. Australian Journal of Botany 57, 116–122.
| Nivicolous myxomycetes from alpine areas of south-eastern Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Stephenson SL, Stempen H (1994). ‘Myxomycetes, a handbook of slime moulds.’ (Timber Press: Portland, OR, USA)
Stephenson SL, Fiore-Donno AM, Schnittler M (2011) Myxomycetes in soil. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 43, 2237–2242.
| Myxomycetes in soil.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Tate R (1889) On the influence of physiological changes in the distribution of life in Australia. Report of the first Meeting of the Australian Association for the Advancement of Science. pp. 312–326, (Australian Association for the Advancement of Science: Sydney, Australia).
Stephenson SL, Novozhilov YuK, Wellman P (2018) A new species of Cribraria (Myxomycetes) from Australia. Новости систематики низших растений (Novosti sistematiki nizshikh rastenii) 52, 379–385.
| A new species of Cribraria (Myxomycetes) from Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Wellman P (2015) Myxomycetes (slime moulds) of arid and semi-arid areas of northwest New South Wales, Australia. Cunninghamia 15, 153–162.
Wellman P (2016) Distinctive corticolous myxomycete assemblages of tropical, temperate and arid regions of Australia. Cunninghamia 16, 101–114.
Wellman P (2017) Temperate-climate myxomycetes in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere. Cunninghamia 17, 1–13.
Whitney KD (1980) The myxomycete genus Echinostelium. Mycologia 72, 950–987.
| The myxomycete genus Echinostelium.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Wrigley de Basanta D (1998) Myxomycetes from the bark of the evergreen oak Quercus ilex. Anales del Jardin Botanico de Madrid 56, 3–14.
| Myxomycetes from the bark of the evergreen oak Quercus ilex.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Wrigley de Basanta D, Estrada-Torres A (2017) Techniques for recording and isolating myxomycetes. In ‘Myxomycetes: biology, systematics, biogeography and ecology’. (Eds SL Stephenson, C Rojas) pp. 333–363. (Academic Press: London)
Wrigley de Basanta D, Stephenson SL, Lado C, Estrada-Torres A, Nieves-Rivera AM (2008) Lianas as a microhabitat for myxomycetes in tropical forests. Fungal Diversity 28, 109–125.
Zubkov MV, Sleigh MA (1999) Growth of amoebae and flagellates on bacteria deposited on filters. Microbial Ecology 37, 107–115.
| Growth of amoebae and flagellates on bacteria deposited on filters.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 9929399PubMed |
