Imminent Extinction of Australian Myrtaceae by Fungal Disease
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Boris Laffineur; Jarrah Wills; Roderick J. Fensham; Geoff S. Pegg; Robert O. Makinson; Angus J. Carnegie
- Source
- Trends in ecologyevolution. 35(7)
- Subject
- 0106 biological sciences
0303 health sciences
Extinction
biology
Extinct in the wild
Ecology
Myrtaceae
Australia
biology.organism_classification
010603 evolutionary biology
01 natural sciences
Plant disease
030308 mycology & parasitology
03 medical and health sciences
Fungal disease
Mycoses
Threatened species
Rhodomyrtus psidioides
Humans
Ecosystem
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Plant Diseases
- Language
- ISSN
- 1872-8383
Myrtle rust is a fungal disease that has spread rapidly across the globe, arriving in Australia in 2010. The tree species Rhodomyrtus psidioides is nearly extinct in the wild as a result of the disease, leading to potential disruption of ecosystem function. Many other Myrtaceae may also be threatened and unprecedented impacts of the disease are predicted.