Landcare Research - Manaaki Whenua

Landcare-Research -Manaaki Whenua

Distribution and ecology of New Zealand´s fungi

The origins of New Zealand’s fungi are diverse; a few appear to be ancient, whereas many have arrived in geologically more recent times following trans-oceanic dispersal. About one-third of the fungi recorded from New Zealand are likely to have been introduced since human settlement.

The distribution  of fungi within New Zealand, and the factors driving that distribution, remain  poorly understood. This lack of understanding limits our knowledge of the  impacts that environmental change have on fungal diversity, and on the rarity  and threat status of our fungi.

Research projects:

  • Host specialisation as a driver of fungal distribution
    • fungi in Podocarp  forests
    • fungi in Nothofagus forests
  • Impact of environmental disturbance on fungal diversity
    • impact of disease
    • impact of past logging
  • Fungal diversity in restoration sites
  • Invasion of native ecosystems by exotic fungi and movement  of native fungi into agricultural ecosystems
    • invasive exotic fungi
    • ‘invasive’  native fungi
  • Impact of assembly history on  fungal community diversity.
    • Dickie IA, Fukami T, Wilkie JP, Allen RB, Buchanan PK 2012.  Do assembly history effects attenuate from species to ecosystem properties? A  field test with wood-inhabiting fungi. Ecology Letters 15: 133-141.
    • Fukami T, Dickie IA, Wilkie JP, Paulus BC, Park D, Roberts A, Buchanan  PK, Allen RB 2010. Assembly history dictates ecosystem functioning: evidence  from wood decomposer communities. Ecology Letters 13: 675-684.

Publications

All Publications