Corticioid fungi from the Kimberley Region,Western Australia

Summary  Corticioid fungi from the Kimberley Region of Western Australia are reviewed. 31 species are reported, of which five, Aleurodiscus kimberleyanus, Athelopsis vesicularis, Dendrothele cornivesiculosa, Hyphoderma tubulicystidium, and Phanerochaete subcrassispora are described as new. Grandinia glauca is given the new combination Grammothele glauca, and Hydnum investiens the new combination Phanerochaete investiens. A further eight species are recorded which have not previously been reported from Australia.     

Slimes in the city: The diversity of myxomycetes from inner-city and semi-urban parks in Sydney,Australia

Natural and agricultural areas are rapidly becoming urbanised, causing changes in habitat structure and diversity. Although the effect of urbanisation on the diversity of terrestrial plants and animals has been well studied, there is a significant gap in our understanding of how urbanisation impacts diversity in protists. Here, we measure the diversity of plasmodial slime moulds (a group of large, macroscopic protists also known as myxomycetes) in inner-city and semi-urban parks. We studied the impact of a range of environmental characteristics (pH, temperature, canopy cover, area of green space and substrate type) on species richness and composition of myxomycetes. We also examined the influence of different degrees of urban development surrounding these parks. Species composition was significantly different between substrate types but not between inner-city and semi-urban parks. Temperature was the only environmental characteristic that affected diversity, having a negative effect on myxomycete presence. Our findings suggest that myxomycete diversity in urban parks is driven by factors at the substrate level, and not by the park's location within the city (inner city or semi-urban).     

Population genetic studies in the Kimberley of Western Australia

More than 800 blood samples from members of 13 tribal groups in the northwest of Australia have been tested for 18 enzyme systems controlled by 21 loci and for haemoglobin. Two novel alleles, PGM2(11) and ACP1F, are each restricted to a single tribal population, suggesting relatively recent mutations. Other alleles conform very broadly with their distributions in other Australian Aboriginal populations. In particular, PGM2(3) maintains its inland distribution whilst PGDE and PEP B6 continue to be restricted to the north of the continent. Comparisons between tribes show the Baada to be distinctive, with high values of PGM1(2), GPT2, CA2(4) and ESD2 as well as having the novel allele ACP1F.     

A new genus of phreatoicidean isopod (Crustacea) from the north Kimberley region, Western Australia

A new genus and species of phreatoicidean isopod, Crenisopus acinifer, has been collected from a freshwater spring in the northern Kimberley region of Western Australia. Empirical cladistic analysis of 10 exemplars of phreatoicidean genera found a single cladogram. The new genus and species assumed a basal position in the Phreatoicidea, placing it within the family Amphisopodidae sensu lata. This family, however, was not monophyletic in the preliminary cladogram, suggesting that the taxonomic structure of the suborder must be revised. The cladogram provided evidence for the monophyly of the Phreatoicidae and its New Zealand clade. The analysis suggested that clades of modern phreatoicideans diverged from one another during the Mesozoic Era after they entered fresh water, but prior to the fragmentation of East Gondwana.     

Rhagada revisited: on the taxonomy of species from the Kimberley and Dampierland,Western Australia (Pulmonata,Camaenidae)

The genus Rhagada is the second most diverse camaenid genus in Australia. We examined anatomical and mitochondrial characters of previously unidentified material from the Kimberley that was earmarked to potentially represent new species in recently published molecular phylogenetic studies. Our comparisons revealed that specimens from Gibbings Island (‘R. sp. Gibbings’) were morphologically and genetically most similar to Rhagada cygna from the Dampier Peninsula. Hence, ‘R. sp. Gibbings’ is considered to be identical to R. cygna. In addition, we found that R. cygna as so delimited is not clearly distinguished from the second species on the Dampier Peninsula, Rhagada bulgana. Both species differ rather subtly in anatomical and mitochondrial characters, indicating their close relationships and potentially incomplete evolutionary differentiation. Furthermore, we describe two new species based on comparative morphology and mitochondrial sequences: Rhagada worora n. sp. from the Prince Regent Reserve in the Kimberley and Rhagada karajarri n. sp. from Dampierland. The present study confirms that species in Rhagada are best identified by means of both morphological and molecular data.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:556E1866-6F9E-4CC0-8ACF-CD56E929501F     

A method for the enumeration of myxomycetes in soils and its application to a wide range of soils

Abstract A standardised most-probable-number technique for estimating the number of myxomycete plasmodium-forming units (PFUs) in soils has been developed and tested experimentally. Application of the method to a local soil showed that the uppermost layers contained the most PFUs. Its application to 44 surface soils from various parts of the world detected myxomycetes in 36, of which 4 were desert soils. In general, highest numbers of PFUs (up to 9000·g⁻¹ soil) were recorded in grassland and agricultural soils. The nature of the PFUs has not been definitely resolved but they are probably myxamoebae, myxoflagellates and microcysts.     

Archaeobotany of Aboriginal plant foods during the Holocene at Riwi,south central Kimberley,Western Australia

Vegetation History and Archaeobotany - Riwi, a limestone cave located in the south central Kimberley, northwest Western Australia, has one of the most accurately dated archaeological sequences in...     

Oxygen and differentiation inDictyostelium discoideum

We showed previously that ifDictyostelium discoideum cells are sucked up into a small glass capillary with air at one end and plugged with mineral oil at the other, a sharp band of fast moving cells with prestalk characteristics formed within a minute at the air end of the cell mass. We now demonstrate that oxygen inside the capillary is responsible for the initiation and positioning of the sharp division line between prestalk-like and prespore-like cells, and that the length of the prestalk zone is regulated by the oxygen concentration. Our results are compared to a quantitative theory, showing good agreement with the experiments. We also discuss the relevance of these observations to the differentiation of prestalk and prespore zones in normal slugs and the origins of polarity in this organism.     

Dry-season Mosquito Breeding Associated with Irrigation in the Northeast Kimberley Region of Western Australia: Potential Impact on Mosquito-borne Disease Transmission

Recent Ross River virus activity prior to the onset of the wet season in the Kimberley region of Western Australia points to an increased dry season mosquito-borne disease risk at Kununurra, compared to other Kimberley towns. This study describes a preliminary investigation into the role of the Ord River Irrigation Area at Kununurra in mosquito production during the dry season. Specifically, the study sought to determine whether the irrigation area has provided the opportunity for year-round breeding of arbovirus vector mosquitoes. A 10-day adult and larval mosquito sampling survey, in August 2003, revealed that mosquito breeding was occurring during the driest month of the year at Kununurra, supporting the hypothesis that mosquitoes can breed year-round. Importantly, significantly larger numbers and percentage of adult Culex annulirostris, an important disease vector in Australia, were collected within the irrigation area (44.6% of total catch) compared to nearby reference (nonirrigated) breeding sites (9.8%) (mean difference 76.2 per trap per night; 95% CI 38.6, 113.7; P <0.001). Larval Cx. annulirostris were also collected at several sites within the irrigation area, whereas none were collected at reference sites. These results indicate that mosquito breeding associated with anthropogenic environmental changes may be responsible for an increased health risk at the end of the dry season. Mosquito management needs to be given a high priority to ensure this potential health risk is not further exacerbated. Several control strategies to reduce breeding of disease vector mosquitoes are identified, primarily focusing on modification of breeding habitats and alteration of irrigation protocols.     

Genetic structure of Melanotaenia australis at local and regional scales in the east Kimberley, Western Australia

The Kimberley region of Western Australia possesses a poorly studied freshwater fish fauna with high endemism in an aquatic landscape subject to monsoonal floods and dry season isolation. In the first population genetic study of freshwater fish in this region, the authors tested the effects of geographic barriers on genetic structure at multiple spatial scales in east Kimberley populations of the western rainbowfish, Melanotaenia australis , the most widespread and abundant species in the region. Based on allozyme comparisons, hierarchical analysis of F _ST revealed increasing genetic subdivision with spatial scale. Minimal genetic structure within creeklines demonstrated that wet season dispersal, rather than dry season isolation, determines genetic structure at small scales. At the scale of sub-catchments, a pattern of isolation by distance along creeklines was evident. Genetic subdivision between adjacent river systems was greater between rivers separated by a plateau than by lowlands. This implies greater connectivity of populations in lowland areas and may explain the greater similarity of the east Kimberly freshwater fish fauna with lowlands to the east than with the more rugged regions to the west. Similarly, greater connectivity between lowland populations may account for the on-average larger distribution of lowland Melanotaeniids.     

Notes on the vegetation of the Bougainville Peninsula,Osborn and Institut Islands,North Kimberley District,Western Australia

The Bougainville Peninsula is formed of basalt capped with mesaform remnants of a bauxitic duricrust. On the plateau so formed there is little soil and the vegetation comprises scattered stunted eucalypts with grasses and hummock grasses or an understorey of Acacia and other shrubs. Locally there are patches of woodland of Eucalyptus nesophila and E. miniata. On the basalt country below the plateau there is deciduous vine thicket in the less accessible parts, a patchy mixture of vine thicket and savanna elsewhere including communities of vine thicket with scattered emergent eucalypts. The Osborn Islands are similar except that the mesaform capping is generally of sandstone. It is concluded that fire is the principal factor regulating the balance between vine thicket and savanna. Up to 40 years ago the area was populated by aborigines and regularly burnt off but this has now ceased so that colonisation by vine thicket is in progress, in spite of the low rainfall of the area.These authors are indebted to the Amax Exploration Company for providing helicopter transport to the localities concerned and for approval to publish this paper: also to the staff of the Western Australian Herbarium, Mr M. I. Brooker, Mr J. Macorochie and Dr V. Semeniuk for the identification of botanical specimens.This author is indebted to the Department of Defence (Navy Office) for permission to join a naval patrol boat. The assistance of Lieutenants J. Wells, R. Gates and the crew of HMAS Attack is gratefully acknowledged. The co-operation of Mr T. P. Farrell (CRA Services) and the Mitchell Plateau Bauxite Company for providing helicopter transport is also appreciated.     

Ecological niche models reveal the importance of climate variability for the biogeography of protosteloid amoebae

Habitat availability and environmental preferences of species are among the most important factors in determining the success of dispersal processes and therefore in shaping the distribution of protists. We explored the differences in fundamental niches and potential distributions of an ecological guild of slime moulds—protosteloid amoebae—in the Iberian Peninsula. A large set of samples collected in a north-east to south-west transect of approximately 1000 km along the peninsula was used to test the hypothesis that, together with the existence of suitable microhabitats, climate conditions may determine the probability of survival of species. Although protosteloid amoebae share similar morphologies and life history strategies, canonical correspondence analyses showed that they have varied ecological optima, and that climate conditions have an important effect in niche differentiation. Maxent environmental niche models provided consistent predictions of the probability of presence of the species based on climate data, and they were used to generate maps of potential distribution in an ‘everything is everywhere'' scenario. The most important climatic factors were, in both analyses, variables that measure changes in conditions throughout the year, confirming that the alternation of fruiting bodies, cysts and amoeboid stages in the life cycles of protosteloid amoebae constitutes an advantage for surviving in a changing environment. Microhabitat affinity seems to be influenced by climatic conditions, which suggests that the micro-environment may vary at a local scale and change together with the external climate at a larger scale.     

The prehistoric use of Chenopodiaceae in Australia: Evidence from Carpenter's Gap shelter 1 in the Kimberley, Australia

The use of Chenopodiaceae and Amaranthaceae has been recorded in a rock shelter site that shows evidence of human occupation from 40,000 B.P. more or less continuously to the present. The plant remains are discussed in the light of ethnographic information for use of these taxa in both Australia and north America. The presence of cheno-ams as environmental indicators of aridity will be discussed.     

湿室培养获得秦岭地区黏菌种类

通过对陕西省秦岭地区采集的基物进行湿室培养,得到5目5科14属26种黏菌,包括16个陕西省新记录种,初步探讨了黏菌的种类与基物类型关系。     

Eubrachythoracid arthrodires from Gogo, Western Australia

Two monotypic genera of coccosteoid eubrachythoracid arthrodires are described from the Upper Devonian Gogo Formation of Western Australia as Compagopiscis gen. nov. and Gogopiscis gen. nov. They are most closely related to Torosteus Gardiner & Miles, also from the Gogo Formation, and all three are placed in the family Plourdosteidae Vezina, 1990; Compagopiscis and Gogopiscis are jointly the sister-group of Torosteus.