Phytophthora dieback linked to habitat loss and lower digging activity among quendas in Western Australia
A new study from Murdoch University has found that the introduced plant disease Phytophthora dieback is indirectly hindering quendas in Western Australia's jarrah forests by reducing their habitat quality and consequently decreasing their digging activity. The paper, "Exotic Plant Pathogen Reduces Habitat and Foraging Activities of a Digging Mammal," was published in the journal Austral Ecology.
A new Murdoch University study has linked the plant disease Phytophthora dieback to reduced quenda digging activity in Western Australia's jarrah forests. The research, published in Austral Ecology, found that dieback-infested areas had 46% less shrub cover, 45% fewer grasstrees, and 40% more bare ground compared to healthy forests.
Quendas, which prefer dense shrubby vegetation for shelter and nesting, showed a 33% decrease in digging activity in infested areas. While food resources like truffle-like fungi showed inconclusive results, the loss of shrubs and grasstrees may be causing quendas to spend less time in dieback-degraded areas due to increased exposure to predators.
The study suggests that restoring habitat with dense understory vegetation and grasstrees could help improve quenda habitat use, highlighting the importance of supporting these ecosystem engineers in dieback-affected forests.
Written by urgent.news from Phys.org's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
