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Winter 2008
Inside…
Article 1
Southern Brown Bandicoot
Angela Steffensen
Article 2
Fungi - An introduction
Wolfgang Klein
Southern Brown Bandicoot
(Isoodon obesulus)
Bandicoots are a nationally endangered,
protected species found around Australia.
The two varieties most commonly found
in Victoria are the Southern Brown Bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus) and the Eastern
Barred Bandicoot (Perameles gunnii).
However, the Eastern Barred Bandicoot is
now extinct in South Australia and is
‘critically endangered’ in Victoria.
Description
Southern Brown Bandicoots are medium
sized marsupials, about the same size as
small rabbits, with a long, pointed snout,
small eyes, rounded ears, a compact body
and sparsely furred short, short thin tail
approximately half of the body length.
Their forelegs are shorter than their hind
legs and they have curved claws used for
digging for food. Their body is covered
with coarse brown fur, with a softer
creamy-white underbelly. Males are generally larger than the females.
They were initially thought to be nocturnal, however bandicoots may be seen in
late afternoon or even during the day,
particularly where cover is abundant.
Habitat, location and behaviour
Bandicoots can be found in forests and in
some suburban areas, living in tussocklike grass and feeding in lawn-type areas.
By day, a bandicoot will rest in a sheltered
spot, lined with grasses and leaves, on the
surface of the ground, foraging at night.
Conical holes in your lawn mean bandicoots have been looking for food. Solitary
animals, with males being very territorial,
bandicoots only come together for mating and feeding. Even young ones do not
associate with their mothers for long,
once weaned. Sometimes a few individuals can be seen feeding in close proximity
to one another.
They are most significantly threatened by
habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation. Much of its remaining habitat is primarily in patches too small to be able to
support large populations of bandicoots.
These patches are also degraded by introduced weeds, grazing and trampling by
stock, altered fire regimes, introduced
plant diseases, selective clearance of understory vegetation and the construction
of tracks and roads.
Benefits of Bandicoots in the Garden
Bandicoots are omnivorous, with a diet
that includes some native fruits, berries
and fungus, but basically are dependant
on protein. They consume surface and
soil dwelling invertebrates - earthworms,
earwigs, cockroaches, crickets, grasshoppers, spiders, adult beetles, beetle larvae
and pupae, moths, ants and termites.
They usually dig for food but are opportunistic feeders and will also eat small
mammals such as mice.
National Tree Day
27 July 2008
Tree plantings will be held at
four Knox reserves this year as
follows:
•
Blind Creek Billabong
Ferntree Gully
•
Lakewood Reserve
Knoxfield
•
Mansons Reserve
Wantirna
•
Rowville Lakes
Rowville
For planting times and further
details, visit Council’s website
www.knox.vic.gov.au
Southern Brown Bandicoot
(Isoodon obesulus)
(….cont’d from Page 1)
For information on
Environmental
weeds refer to:
“Environmental
Weeds in Knox”
or visit
www.knox.vic.gov.au
Other useful sites are:
www.weeds.crc.org.au
www.weedwarriors.net.au
www.csiro.au/science/
InvasivePlants.html
Bandicoots are known
as the gardeners best
friend. They eat cockroaches and spiders
and relish the black beetle and beetle larvae (known as curl grubs) which cause
die-back in suburban lawns. Brown
patches in the lawn may indicate an infection of these
pests.
Bandicoot activity, indicated by the
appearance of
small conical
holes in the
lawn, should
be a welcome
sign, it means
that bandicoots are at work, eating these
destructive insects before they ruin your
lawn! If you use pesticides, you could also
poison bandicoots, as they ingest some
soil while they are feeding. By digging,
the animals are also aerating your lawn
for free, so in the Spring, your lawn will
grow back with renewed vigour. Bandicoots cause no long term damage and are
beneficial to lawns and gardens. They are
protected and are currently under threat
due to both habitat loss and predation.
If you live in a bandicoot territory and you
have a suitable food source, you will have
bandicoots in your yard. Once the food
source has gone, they will move on.
If you wish to deter bandicoots from an
area in your yard, you could floodlight
that particular area, as they do not like
bright lights. You could also try Dynamic
Lifter or chicken poo, as these products
have a strong ammonia smell which most
animals dislike. A combination of both
bright light and smell appear to have the
greatest effect as bandicoot deterrents.
Breeding
Breeding season is generally from early
winter to summer. Nests are made of
grasses which are pulled or woven together and often located under an overhang or dense thicket. They may also be
found in long grass or low shrubbery in a
protected spot. Females may produce
two to three litters per year, each usually
comprising of two or three young. With
their life span of two to three years,
Southern Brown Bandicoots have a potentially high reproductive output however this appears to be more than offset
by a high juvenile death rate.
Angela Steffensen—Knox City Council
Fungi - An introduction
I find autumn a wonderful relief from the
hot days of summer; the onset of colder
weather, rain, autumnal hues and the appearance of mushrooms. The variety of
fungi growing in gardens and bushland can
be substantial and is an important indication of the health of the ecosystem. The
important and essential role that fungi perform in the environment is often overlooked or not understood—fungi remain a
mysterious, magical if not a colourful curiosity. And of course, some fungi such as
Agaricus sp. (see photo) are source of food
for man and many animals and microorganisms.
Fungi differ from plants because they do
not contain chlorophyll (i.e. the green pigment in plants) and are unable to obtain
nourishment from photosynthesis (i.e. the
process by which the sun’s energy is
trapped by chlorophyll and used to build
up complex materials from carbon and water). Fungi are heterotrophs meaning they
get their nourishment from organic substances.
Fungi are extremely variable in form and
successfully exploit many different habitats
being very versatile in the ways they adapt
to the environment. Fungi normally flourish in moist habitats where nutrient diffusion occurs freely and where membrane
permeability can be maintained. They are
effective scavengers and have developed a
range of adaptive mechanisms for overcoming nutrient and environmental stress.
For many species of fungi, vegetative
growth is a slender thread-like filaments
(i.e. hyphae) that grow to form a web-like
mass (mycelium) spreading over and
through a substrate such as organic material e.g. wood, foliage, faeces, etc. The mycelium of many fungi such as mushrooms
and toadstools grow outward in search of
food. Fungi produce spores to reproduce.
In the southern parts of Australia, the peak
fruiting time for most fungi occurs in autumn—from May to July—if good rainfall
occurs whilst the soils are still warm.
The fruiting part (e.g. mushrooms, toadstools, puffballs, polypores, etc) of fungi are
generally observed growing above the soil
or on trees, logs, etc.; however, some fungi
produce fruiting parts beneath the ground
(i.e. truffles).
Fungi perform a very important role in the
environment by nutrient cycling, particularly since many fungi are saprotrophic (i.e.
live on dead organic matter) and obtain
nutrients by degradation of the organic
matter.
Many fungi interact with plants and affect
their growth in a number of ways. For example, some fungi form symbiotic associations with plants forming specialized roots
known as mycorrhiza. The formation of
mycorrhiza on the roots of plants such as
eucalypts may result in better survival rates,
greater biomass production, improved vigour and general health, and better resistance to attack by pathogenic fungi and
other organisms. Mycorrhizal associations
increase the productivity of plants and generally improve plant health, particularly in
harsh infertile environments. Mycorrhizal
associations greatly increase the area and
volume of soil that a root system can exploit for water and minerals. Fungi receive
water and sugars from the plant in return
from this relationship.
Agaricus sp
Amanita Muscaria
Armillaria sp.
Research shows that many Australian species of plants such as Eucalypts form beneficial associations (mycorrhiza) with one or
more fungi. Mycorrhizal fungi live either in
roots (Endomycorrhiza) or on roots
(Ectomycorrhiza).
An example of a fungus that forms a mycorrhizal association with plants commonly
found in the urban environment is Amanita
muscaria (Fly Agaric) (see photo). Be careful not to eat this fungus because it is poisonous.
Australian soils are generally considered to
be very old and nutrient poor (infertile).
The addition of woodchips as mulch on
garden beds often results in a range of
fungi growing in the garden. A species
that is observed growing in wood mulch is
Hypholoma aurantica . The fungus breaks
down (decays) the wood releasing minerals
into the soil.
Fungi are also important food source for
our native animals e.g. Wallabies, potoroos, bandicoots and wombats. Some bird
species and microorganisms e.g. Springtails, mites, snails and slugs also feed on
fungi. Nothing in “nature” is wasted—
everything is food for something else.
Armillaria sp.
Armillaria sp.
Gymnopilus junonius
Fungi—An introduction
Sustainable City
Strategy
Open for public comment
24th July visit:
www.knox.vic.gov.au
The Field Naturalist
Club of Victoria
is hosting a Biodiversity
Symposium on Sunday 14th
September 2008..
For more details contact
Mary Gibson on 9251 7466
….continued from Page 3
Not all fungal interactions with plants are
beneficial. Some fungi cause disease in
plants; some fungi weaken and kill plants.
According to the Department of Sustainability and Environment 2003, four species
of Armillaria species have been found in
Victoria.
clumps (colonies) around the base of trees
or stumps, or on roots. Another similar
looking fungus which attacks the sapwood
of dead nd living trees but rarely kills trees
is Gymnopilus junonius. Gymnopilus junonius can be confused with Armillaria
luteobubalina. (See photos of Armillaria
and Gymnopilus) The distinguishing features between these two fungi are that
Gymnopilus junonius has mustard yellow
spores whereas Armillaria luteobubalina
has white spores.
Armillaria luteobubalina is a primary pathogen of the roots of healthy trees and can
kill healthy trees, whereas the other three
species of Armillaria are considered to be
secondary pathogens that attack trees
weakened by drought and other causes.
Armillaria does not infest the soil and requires a woody food base such as tree
roots stumps or a piece of infected wood in
woodchips from which to infect healthy
and/or stressed trees.
Fungi are a fascinating kingdom to study.
I hope this very brief foray into the subject
of fungi may spark further interest
amongst the readers of the Peregrine Post.
An excellent book dealing with Australian
Fungi (from which I have borrowed heavily) is Bruce Fuhrer’s 2005 A field guide to
Australian Fungi Bloomings Books ISBN 1876473-51-7.
The fruiting body of Armillaria
luteobubalina is a toadstool which forms
STOP PRESS!
HAVE YOUR SAY!
Congratulations to everybody! Gardens for
Wildlife have over 180 participants extending habitat for our local wildlife. Now we
can make a difference across the State.
Importantly the valuable ecological services
we take for granted are also under threat:
clean air and water, pollination and pest
control.
The Victorian Government has released a
Long-term solutions are being called for:
plan for public comment – our comment.
− At least a 10-fold increase in funding
This “Green Paper” is a draft of Land and
levels if we are to help protect and reBiodiversity at a Time of Climate Change
store habitat.
white paper - the basis of how Victoria man- − Plans to restore native habitat and creages its natural environment for the next 30
ate large-scale wildlife corridors to help
years.
species cope with climate change.
Large-scale vegetation clearing combined
with threats like weeds and feral animals
have resulted in 44% of Victoria’s native
plants being extinct or threatened and 30%
of native animals extinct or threatened with
extinction. Add the increasing pressures of
climate change, which are expected to force
many species out of their current habitat
range, and it’s easy to see why Victoria’s
natural environment is in urgent need of
repair.
Make a submission now! 5 minutes of
your time could make a world of difference: a different world – it’s easy - for an
online submission form and for more information visit
www.victorianaturally,org.au, email
[email protected], or DSE ph. 136 186.
Contact & Contribution Details
If you would prefer to receive this publication by email or download it
from the web or for more information on any of the articles contact
Nadine Gaskell on 92988579 or email
[email protected]
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