The largest trees in Australia

Williams, Jessica L.; Lindenmayer, David B.; Mifsud, Brett M.

doi:10.1111/aec.13292

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…These regions are characterized by a humid environment, with some parts of the region experiencing average annual precipitation levels approaching 2000 mm. Mountain Ash forests are dominated by monotypic stands of overstorey Mountain Ash trees, which can reach 90–100 m in height and are among the world's tallest flowering plants (Williams et al., 2023).…”

Section: Background – Ecology Of Mountain Ash Forests In Victioriamentioning

confidence: 99%

What did it used to look like? A case study from tall, wet mainland Mountain Ash forests prior to British invasion

Lindenmayer,

Taylor,

Bowd

et al. 2024

Austral Ecology

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There has been extensive commentary about historical First Nations' land management in Australia, including in tall, wet forests, and therefore their condition at the time of the British invasion in 1788. Popular texts have interpreted records kept by early British invaders to argue that extensive areas of tall, wet forest were kept open through frequent burning by the First Peoples. However, these interpretations conflict with historical and ecological evidence, which is rarely acknowledged in public discourse. Here, we present evidence about what Victorian Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forests were like at the time of the British invasion. We show that at the time of the British invasion, most areas of mainland Mountain Ash forests were likely to have been naturally dense and wet, with: (1) overstorey trees spaced relatively widely; and (2) an understorey consisting of a cool temperate rainforest mesic layer. Ecological and physiological evidence suggests that Mountain Ash forests evolved under conditions where high‐severity wildfire was comparatively rare, leading to patterns of landscape‐level cover dominated by relatively mature forests. This is broadly consistent with reports from the First Peoples, early historical accounts, paintings, and photographs. These forests were not open or park‐like, as may have been the case in some other Australian vegetation types. However, these forests were not wilderness, but places of significance to the First Peoples. Understanding forest structure at the time of the British invasion is critically important in establishing historical reference conditions for guiding appropriate restoration programmes, especially the reinstatement of traditional ecological knowledge, after long periods of post‐British invasion disturbance and degradation. Notably, the dense, wet understorey that characterizes Mountain Ash forests should be recognized as an inherent and entirely natural part of the ecological dynamics of this ecosystem, with approaches to thin, burn, or remove it highly likely to be counterproductive and have a range of detrimental environmental effects.

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Section: Background – Ecology Of Mountain Ash Forests In Victioriamentioning

confidence: 99%

What did it used to look like? A case study from tall, wet mainland Mountain Ash forests prior to British invasion

Lindenmayer,

Taylor,

Bowd

et al. 2024

Austral Ecology

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“…Among these forests, the E. regnans tree known as “Centurion” (Figure 1), is currently a pre-eminent candidate for the world’s tallest known flowering plant [10]. Captivating researchers and enthusiasts alike, it has been measured at 99.6 m by an aerial laser scanning LIDAR forest inventory [11] and at 99.8 m by tape drop techniques [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A diploid chromosome-level genome ofEucalyptus regnans: unveiling haplotype variance in structure and genes within one of the world’s tallest trees

Ferguson,

Bar-Ness,

Borevitz

et al. 2024

Preprint

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BackgroundEucalyptus regnans(Mountain Ash) is an Australian native giant tree species which form forests that are among the highest known carbon-dense biomasses in the world. To enhance genomic studies in this ecologically important species, we assembled a high-quality, mostly telomere-to-telomere complete, chromosome-level, haplotype-resolved reference genome. We sampled a single tree, the Centurion, which is currently a contender for the world’s tallest flowering plant.ResultsUsing long-read sequencing data (PacBio HiFi, Oxford Nanopore ultra-long reads) and chromosome conformation capture data (Hi-C), we assembled the most contiguous and completeEucalyptusreference genome to date. For each haplotype, we observed contig N50s exceeding 36 Mbp, scaffold N50s exceeding 43 Mbp, and genome BUSCO completeness exceeding 99%. The assembled genome revealed extensive structural variations between the two haplotypes, consisting mostly of insertions, deletions, duplications and translocations. Analysis of gene content revealed haplotype-specific genes, which were enriched in functional categories related to transcription, energy production and conservation. Additionally, many genes reside within structurally rearranged regions, particularly duplications, suggesting that haplotype-specific variation may contribute to environmental adaptation in the species.ConclusionsOur study provides a foundation for future research intoE. regnansenvironmental adaptation, and the high-quality genome will be a powerful resource for conservation of carbon-dense giant tree forests.

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