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Elliott, Todd
- PublicationThe fungal rat race: mycophagy among rodent communities in eastern AustraliaContext. Rodents in many parts of the world perform an important ecosystem function as dispersers of mycorrhizal fungal spores. These fungi are vital to nutrient uptake in plant communities, but many of the fungal taxa that form these associations have fruiting bodies that are reliant on animals for their spore dispersal. Aims. Numerous studies have focused on the ecological importance of Australian marsupials (especially members of the Potoroidae) for the dispersal of these ecologically important fungi. We chose to focus this study on the role of murid rodents in the dispersal of these fungi in eastern Australia. Methods. To compare fungal taxa in murid diets, we trapped rodents in three regions of eastern Australia; our study sites spanned over 2000 km from temperate eucalypt forests to tropical eucalypt and tropical rainforest habitats. We performed microanalysis on all scats to determine whether fungi were consumed and which taxa were being eaten. Statistical analysis was conducted to investigate trends in levels of mycophagy among species and habitats. Key results. We examined 10 rodent species, and all were shown to ingest mycorrhizal fungi to varying degrees. The diversity, abundance and specific fungal taxa consumed varied depending on the site and forest type. In drier forests dominated by Eucalyptus spp., the fungal taxa consumed and dispersed were primarily ectomycorrhizal; in wetter rainforest habitats, the fungal diversity consumed was far lower and included primarily vesicular arbuscular fungi. We provide the first evidence of mycophagy by grassland melomys (Melomys burtoni) and Cape York melomys (Melomys capensis). Conclusions. Our findings highlight the importance of rodents as dispersers of mycorrhizal fungi across a variety of habitats from temperate to tropical forests of eastern Australia. Implications. This study increases the existing knowledge of rodent diets and habitat requirements. It also provides a new angle for mammal conservation efforts, given the vital nature of the ecosystem service provided by these small and frequently overlooked mammals.
- PublicationReptilian Mycophagy: A global review of mutually beneficial associations between reptiles and macrofungiMacrofungi are an important food source for many mammals, birds and arthropods; in return, these animals disperse numerous species of fungi through their scats. Many of the fungi that are important as food also perform key functions in the ecosystem through nutrient cycling. Research on associations between reptiles and fungi has primarily focused on pathology and has mostly overlooked mutually beneficial relationships between these two groups of organisms and the positive impacts of their associations on overall ecosystem health. There is a substantial body of disparate research showing the importance of turtles as seed dispersers, but we provide the first study evaluating the ecological implications of turtles and other reptiles as macrofungi spore dispersers. These associations have been less thoroughly studied than those between mammals and fungi, yet we show that they have similar ecological importance. In this review, we present the most comprehensive summary to date of reptile species reported to eat fungi (42 reptile species in 7 families) and outline the potential importance of reptiles as spore dispersers for fungi that play a positive role in ecosystem dynamics. We also show that oversights in the methodology of past dietary studies may have led to false representation of the role of fungi in reptile diets, and we make recommendations for future dietary studies involving reptiles.
- PublicationEcological Implications of Primary and Secondary Dispersal of Fungi by Vertebrates
Fungal consumption (mycophagy) by vertebrates has been reported for numerous species, but until this thesis, there has been no global synthesis of the topic. Through a combination of novel research and comprehensive literature reviews, I investigated the ecological implications of vertebrate mycophagy for fungal spore dispersers, fungal ecology, plant ecology, animal food choice and animal behaviour. This thesis demonstrates that vertebrate mycophagy directly impacts most terrestrial ecosystems and is especially relevant to many plants, animals and fungi. I have taken three different methodological approaches in this thesis.
First, I systematically reviewed mycophagy among all terrestrial vertebrate taxa. This extensive global literature review yielded three chapters (and manuscripts): one on mammals, another on reptiles and a third on birds (Chapters 2, 6 and 7, respectively). These reviews of approximately 1,500 references in more than five languages report mycophagy among nearly 600 mammals, reptiles and birds. (Despite an exhaustive search, I could find no evidence of amphibian mycophagy.) These reviews lay the groundwork for and are integral parts of my thesis.
Second, I directly studied vertebrate mycophagy through observations and/or faecal and stomach analyses (Chapter 3, 4, 5 and 8). I collected empirical dietary data through microanalysis of animal scats acquired by live-trapping animals or by examining stomach contents of preserved museum collections. I obtained observational feeding data by watching wild animals directly, or by deploying motion-activated camera traps that recorded the behaviours of mycophagists. These studies provided new dietary data for vertebrates and showcased the previously overlooked ecological services that they provide.
Third, I used a modelling approach to determine the dispersal potential of primary and secondary mycophagy (Chapter 5 and Supplementary Material). By using a combination of passage rate data and movement patterns gathered from animals fitted with GPS tracking devices, I was able to show that some animals have the potential to disperse mycorrhizal fungal spores more than 10 km from the point of ingestion (Chapter 5). This is the first application of modelling to mycophagy research and the first direct investigation of secondary spore dispersal.
This thesis presents novel concepts about mycophagy and an in-depth study of the ecological importance of associations between vertebrates and fungi around the world.
- PublicationHypogeous fungus foray in AustraliaAs part of an effort started in the 1980's by Dr. Jim Trappe to survey the truffle diversity of Australia, we held the first annual Barrington Tops Hypogeous Fungus Foray June 28th to July 1st. About 20 enthusiastic truffle collectors from New South Wales and Queensland joined us at beautiful Wangat Lodge just outside of Barrington Tops National Park (Fig. 1). Barrington Tops National Park is a World Heritage-listed site.
- PublicationDiets of mammalian carnivores in the deserts of north-eastern South Australia(Academic Press, 2021-05)
; ; - PublicationMyxomycetes associated with Australian vertebrate dung(Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, 2023-03)
; Little is known about species of myxomycetes associated with vertebrate dung in Australia. In the present study, dung samples of 15 species of mammals (eight marsupials, three native rodents and four domestic or feral eutherians) and a large flightless bird (the southern cassowary, Casuarius casuarius) were collected and processed in 84 moist chamber cultures. Fifty-two percent of these cultures yielded evidence (fruiting bodies and/or plasmodia) of myxomycetes. Eleven species belonging to seven genera were recorded. Licea tenera was the most common species in the study (recorded from 12 moist chamber cultures) and is also a new record for the continent. Perichaena depressa, Didymium difforme and Cribraria violacea were the only other species appearing in at least three cultures. Samples of dung collected from small mammals did not yield any myxomycetes.
- PublicationA search for the desert rat-kangaroo or ngudlukanta (Caloprymnus campestris) in north-eastern South Australia(CSIRO Publishing, 2022)
; ; - Publication150 years of mammal extinction and invasion at Koonchera Dune in the Lake Eyre Basin of South AustraliaKoonchera Dune is a prominent sand ridge fringed by a complex of ephemeral swamps and open plains on the edge of Sturt Stony Desert, northeastern South Australia. In 1931 mammalogist Hedley Herbert Finlayson rediscovered the desert rat-kangaroo or ngudlukanta (Caloprymnus campestris) here, and also captured lesser bilby or yallara (Macrotis leucura), bilby (Macrotis lagotis), and plains mouse (Pseudomys australis). This was the last time any of these mammals were recorded at Koonchera; ngudlukanta and yallara are globally extinct, the bilby is extinct on mainland South Australia, and the plains mouse is listed as vulnerable throughout its diminishing range. Prior to these and other recent extinctions totalling a minimum six species, we estimate that Koonchera supported at least 24 native mammals. In 2018 and 2019 we surveyed mammals here, detecting 11 native mammals including three rare or threatened species: fawn hopping mouse (Notomys cervinus), dusky hopping mouse (N. fuscus), and long-haired rat (Rattus villosissimus). We also detected seven introduced species, including feral cat (Felis catus), fox (Vulpes vulpes), European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), and feral pig (Sus scrofa). Physically, Koonchera and the Lake Eyre Basin region is much the same as Finlayson would have found it in 1931, but our work shows a proliferation of feral and introduced species and a decline of native mammals, especially medium-sized Critical Weight Range (CWR) species. If Koonchera and the surrounding landscape is to hold on to its remaining native mammal diversity, coordinated management of threats, principal of which is predation by cats and foxes, and impacts on vegetation and soil from a host of introduced herbivores, is required.
- PublicationA global review of the ecological significance of symbiotic associations between birds and fungi(Springer Netherlands, 2019-09-17)
; ; ; Symbiotic associations between mammals and fungi have been well documented and are widely regarded as vital to ecosystem functions around the world. Symbioses between birds and fungi are also ecologically vital but have been far less thoroughly studied. This manuscript is the first to review a wide range of symbiotic associations between birds and fungi. We compile the largest list to date of bird species reported to eat fungi (54 bird species in 27 families) and follow up with a discussion of these symbioses and suggestions for how future studies can determine the prevalence of associations between birds and fungi. We review the importance of fungi for cavity-excavating birds and show that at least 30 bird species in three families form varying levels of associations with fungi for cavity excavation. We also review the use of fungal rhizomorphs in nest construction and show that 176 bird species in 37 families use fungal material in their nests. All of these interactions have wide-reaching ecosystem implications, particularly in regard to fungal dispersal and biogeography, plant health, ecosystem function, bird nutrition/fitness and bird behaviour. - PublicationModelling mycorrhizal fungi dispersal by the mycophagous swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor)(John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2020-12)
; ; ; Despite the importance of mammal-fungal interactions, tools to estimate the mammal-assisted dispersal distances of fungi are lacking. Many mammals actively consume fungal fruiting bodies, the spores of which remain viable after passage through their digestive tract. Many of these fungi form symbiotic relationships with trees and provide an array of other key ecosystem functions. We present a flexible, general model to predict the distance a mycophagous mammal would disperse fungal spores. We modeled the probability of spore dispersal by combining animal movement data from GPS telemetry with data on spore gut-retention time. We test this model using an exemplar generalist mycophagist, the swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor). We show that swamp wallabies disperse fungal spores hundreds of meters - and occasionally up to 1,265 m - from the point of consumption, distances that are ecologically significant for many mycorrhizal fungi. In addition to highlighting the ecological importance of swamp wallabies as dispersers of mycorrhizal fungi in eastern Australia, our simple modeling approach provides a novel and effective way of empirically describing spore dispersal by a mycophagous animal. This approach is applicable to the study of other animal-fungi interactions in other ecosystems.
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