Shane Tobe

Impacts of Phytophthora cinnamomi on quenda and fungal communities.

Phytophthora cinnamomi (Pc) is a soil-borne plant pathogen that has resulted in plant species losses in woody ecosystems around the world. Pc is suggested to alter fauna habitat, which could potentially result in cascading impacts, but these topics are underexplored. A principal aim of my research was to investigate Pc impacts in native jarrah forest, where the quenda (Isoodon fusciventer), a bandicoot species endemic to southwest Western Australia, forages for fungi(e.g., truffles), earthworms, and tubers by digging soil. I predicted that Pc would reduce habitat for quenda and result in a shift in fungal communities across my study sites in the Shire of Mundaring, Western Australia. Pc infestations had almost half as much shrub cover and densities of habitable grasstrees compared with adjacent non-infested areas of jarrah forest. Densities of quenda foraging pits were 35% less in Pc-infested forest, although truffle densities were unchanged. I measured densities by size classes of the canopy-dominant trees, jarrah and marri. These data suggested low recruitment success in Pc-infested forest. In contrast, densities of mature trees were not affected by Pc, possibly because of competitive release (i.e., fewer tree saplings, grasstrees and shrubs). I then used DNA metabarcoding to examine how fungi are affected by Pc. I found shifts in assemblages, with ectomycorrhizal fungi and ericoid mycorrhizal fungi negatively impacted by Pc. Finally, I monitored quenda movements with GPS trackers. While I tracked few quendas overall, fewer quendas were trapped in Pc-infested forest and tracked quendas spent more time in non-infested forest and gardens than in Pc-infested forest. Pc has had cascading effects on the jarrah forest ecosystem by altering quenda habitat and reducing hosts for mycorrhizal fungi. Pc can remain in soil for decades or longer. Planting shrubby, mycorrhizal native plants that are Pc resistant may help to mitigate these impacts.

This unit provides a broad introduction to forensic science and emphasises the multidisciplinary nature of forensics. The scientific disciplines that may be applied to solving crime are introduced and explored using case studies and examples. Forensic science professionals present guest lectures to provide students with a ‘real world’ perspective. The unit material is presented in lectures/workshops and weekly reading and supported by simple laboratory sessions.

Lectures are provided by experts from a range of real life forensic, or related, laboratories and organisations.

Provides advanced theoretical and practical training in DNA-profiling techniques relevant to  forensic science. Includes mitochondrial DNA analysis, its applicability to identifying disaster  victims, and the application of DNA-marker technologies to wildlife forensics and degraded and  ancient DNA analysis. The use of short tandem repeats (DNA-profiling) for individual  identification, quantitative PCR and mitochondrial DNA sequencing, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and Y-chromosome analysis in identifying perpetrators of crime is explored in the  content of actual forensic cases.