Kauri dieback
| Kauri dieback | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
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| Species: | P. agathidicida
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| Binomial name | |
| Phytophthora agathidicida B.S. Weir, Beever, Pennycook & Bellgard[1]
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• Phytophthora 'taxon Agathis' | |
Kauri dieback is an incurable, fatal disease caused by the oomycete Phytophthora agathidicida which affects the New Zealand kauri tree (Agathis australis). It was first discovered on Great Barrier Island in the 1970s but has since spread to the mainland. The microorganism seems to have existed in New Zealand for centuries, possibly predating human arrival, and has only recently become a danger to kauri.[2] The disease is soil-borne and spread in infected mud tracked from tree to tree, mostly by people; 71% of the infected trees in the Waitakere Ranges are within 50 metres of a public walkway.[3]
Prevention
To combat the disease, boot-cleaning stations have been set up, but their effectiveness is debatable.[3] The Kauri Dieback Programme, a collaboration between the Ministry of Primary Industries, the Department of Conservation, Auckland Council, and the Regional Councils of Northland, Waikato, and Bay of Plenty, was set up in 2009 to determine the spread of the disease, create prevention strategies, and research possible cures.[4] On 2nd December 2017 the local iwi Te Kawerau ā Maki placed a rāhui (traditional prohibition) over the kauri forest that covers large areas of the Waitakere Ranges to try to slow kauri dieback's spread.[5][6]
Etymology
The genus name Phytophthora comes from the Greek φυτό-(phyto), meaning : "plant" - plus the Greek φθορά (phthora), meaning "decay, ruin, perish". The species name agathadicida means "kauri killer", from the kauri genus Agathis and the Latin suffix -cide (from the verb cadere, to kill), similar the words "homicide" and "genocide". Until its formal description in 2015 it was known as Phytophthora 'taxon Agathis' (abbreviated PTA).[1]
References
- ^ a b Weir, Bevan S.; Paderes, Elsa P.; Anand, Nitish; Uchida, Janice Y.; Pennycook, Shaun R.; Bellgard, Stanley E.; Beever, Ross E. (2015). "A taxonomic revision of Phytophthora Clade 5 including two new species, Phytophthora agathidicida and P. cocois". Phytotaxa. 205 (1): 21–38. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.205.1.2. ISSN 1179-3163.
- ^ Morton, Jamie (17 December 2017). "Kauri-killer may have been here for centuries". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ a b White, Rebekah (January–February 2018). "The Last of the Giants". New Zealand Geographic (149).
- ^ "Working Together". Kauri Dieback Programme. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "Forest and Bird 'disappointed' ranges remain open". RNZ. 5 December 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "WAITAKERE RAHUI | Te Kawerau a Maki". tekawerau.iwi.nz. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
External links
- Official Kauri Dieback Programme website