Dalziell Emma L, Funnekotter Bryn, Barrett Matthew D, Martino Alyssa M, Shade Amanda, Stray Matthew, Merritt David J
School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions, Kings Park Science, Kings Park, Australia.
Biopreserv Biobank. 2025 Feb;23(1):11-22. doi: 10.1089/bio.2024.0098. Epub 2024 Nov 26.
Myrtle rust is a plant disease caused through infection by the fungus and was first detected in Australia in 2010. The disease has spread through New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Tasmania. In this short timeframe, myrtle rust has had a devastating impact on many native species in the family Myrtaceae, including several rainforest species that are now at risk of extinction. In 2022, myrtle rust was first detected in the northern part of Western Australia (WA)-the largest state in Australia. WA is home to 2000 Myrtaceae taxa ( 60% of Australia's Myrtaceae diversity), many of which form the dominant component of the vegetation across several ecosystems (e.g., etc.). While modelling suggests that the environmental conditions in WA's north are less conducive to myrtle rust in comparison to the wet, temperate rainforests of the east coast, WA's temperate, Myrtaceae-rich south coast may be climatically suitable. Coupled with the sheer abundance of Myrtaceae species in WA, their high degree of endemism, high proportion of threatened species, and little available information on their susceptibility to myrtle rust, a pre-emptive strategy to conserve germplasm of at-risk species is warranted. This paper highlights the role of germplasm conservation in responding to biosecurity threats such as myrtle rust. With early intervention critical to sourcing healthy and genetically diverse germplasm, we present a prioritized list of genera and species of Myrtaceae in WA to inform strategic, coordinated, and timely conservation actions, along with case studies to illustrate the complementary approaches of seed banking, cryobiotechnology, and tissue culture necessary to conserve germplasm of WA's myrtaceous flora.
桃金娘锈病是一种由真菌感染引起的植物病害，于2010年在澳大利亚首次被发现。这种病害已经蔓延到新南威尔士州、维多利亚州、昆士兰州、北领地和塔斯马尼亚州。在如此短的时间内，桃金娘锈病对桃金娘科的许多本土物种造成了毁灭性影响，包括一些现在面临灭绝风险的雨林物种。2022年，桃金娘锈病首次在澳大利亚最大的州——西澳大利亚州（WA）的北部被发现。西澳大利亚州有2000个桃金娘科分类群（占澳大利亚桃金娘科多样性的60%），其中许多是几个生态系统中植被的主要组成部分（例如等等）。虽然模型表明，与东海岸潮湿的温带雨林相比，西澳大利亚州北部的环境条件不利于桃金娘锈病的发生，但西澳大利亚州温带、桃金娘科丰富的南部海岸在气候上可能适宜。再加上西澳大利亚州桃金娘科物种数量众多、特有程度高、受威胁物种比例高，以及关于它们对桃金娘锈病易感性的可用信息很少，因此有必要采取先发制人的策略来保护濒危物种的种质。本文强调了种质保护在应对桃金娘锈病等生物安全威胁方面的作用。由于早期干预对于获取健康且基因多样的种质至关重要，我们列出了西澳大利亚州桃金娘科属和种的优先清单，以为战略、协调和及时的保护行动提供参考，同时通过案例研究来说明种子库、低温生物技术和组织培养等互补方法对于保护西澳大利亚州桃金娘科植物种质的必要性。
