The role of abiotic soil properties in bell miner associated dieback of eucalypt forests in eastern Australia

Anthony Manea*, Andrew G. McLeish, Jaco J. Le Roux, Anthony A. Chariton, Michelle R. Leishman

*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

Bell miner associated dieback (BMAD) is a prevalent type of eucalypt dieback along the eastern seaboard of Australia that is caused by repeated psyllid outbreaks, which are due to over-abundant bell miner birds excluding insectivorous birds. Despite strong evidence for this causal model, we have a limited understanding of how abiotic soil properties influence the interactions within the model. To address this knowledge gap, we compared the abiotic soil properties of Eucalyptus saligna forest stands affected and not affected by BMAD in New South Wales (NSW). We then tested whether the differences in the abiotic soil properties altered soil mycorrhizal fungal communities, bell miner bird nesting habitat availability via understorey thickening by Lantana camara (growth) and factors that may influence eucalypt-psyllid interactions including E. saligna feed quantity (tree size and leaf growth rate), feed quality (leaf nutrient content) and chemical defences (terpene emissions). We found that BMAD-affected stands had higher soil available phosphorus than stands not affected by BMAD, which was most likely due to topography. This higher soil available phosphorus was associated with greater L. camara growth and E. saligna leaf phosphorus content, suggesting it may be important in bell miner bird nesting habitat availability and the quality of feed available to psyllids. In contrast, the feed quantity and chemical defences of E. saligna were not related to soil available phosphorus. Our findings show that soil available phosphorus may play an important role in BMAD in eucalypt forests. Therefore, we can use remote sensing generated fine-scale soil nutrient maps to identify eucalypt stands that are vulnerable to BMAD and focus preventative management actions in these areas.

Original languageEnglish
Article number122323
Pages (from-to)1-9
Number of pages9
JournalForest Ecology and Management
Volume572
Early online date4 Oct 2024
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 4 Oct 2024

Bibliographical note

Copyright the Author(s) 2024. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

Keywords

  • Eucalyptus saligna
  • Forest dieback
  • Lantana camara
  • Mycorrhizal fungi
  • Psyllid
  • Soil nutrients

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