Grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV; species Grablovirus vitis , genus Grablovirus , family Geminiviridae ) poses a significant threat to viticulture worldwide, impacting grapevine health and wine quality. Here, we report the first detection and tracing of GRBV in Australia and provide a summary of a subsequent survey to determine the extent of GRBV distribution in Western Australia. Additionally, the study introduces a tiled amp...

Xylella fastidiosa is a devastating plant pathogenic bacteria known for its broad host range, in contrast to the related species Xylella taiwanensis , which is only known to cause disease in Asian pears. Despite the potential threats they pose to Australian agriculture, diagnostic assays capable of detecting both Xylella species are scarce. Bridging this critical gap, this study presents the development of the X- ComEC qPCR as...

Surveys of key cucurbit production regions in New South Wales, Australia were undertaken to catalogue the diversity of viral pathogens affecting field grown cropping systems. Analysis of the collected isolates confirmed a detection of watermelon crinkle leaf associated virus-1 (WCLaV-1) in watermelon constituting the first report of WCLaV-1 in Australia. A mixed infection of WCLaV-1 and watermelon mosaic virus (WMV) was also d...

The west Antarctic Peninsula is an important breeding and foraging location for marine predators that consume Antarctic Krill ( Euphasia superba ). It is also an important focus for the commercial fishery for Antarctic krill, managed by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). Aiming to minimise ecosystem risks from fishing, whilst enabling a sustainable fishery, CCAMLR has recently en...

Knowledge of life on the Southern Ocean seafloor has substantially grown since the beginning of this century with increasing ship-based surveys and regular monitoring sites, new technologies and greatly enhanced data sharing. However, seafloor habitats and their communities exhibit high spatial variability and heterogeneity that challenges the way in which we assess the state of the Southern Ocean benthos on larger scales. The...

Globally, collapse of ecosystems—potentially irreversible change to ecosystem structure, composition and function—imperils biodiversity, human health and well‐being. We examine the current state and recent trajectories of 19 ecosystems, spanning 58° of latitude across 7.7 M km 2 , from Australia's coral reefs to terrestrial Antarctica. Pressures from global climate change and regional human impacts, occurring as chronic ‘press...

The manuscript assesses the current and expected future global drivers of Southern Ocean (SO) ecosystems. Atmospheric ozone depletion over the Antarctic since the 1970s, has been a key driver, resulting in springtime cooling of the stratosphere and intensification of the polar vortex, increasing the frequency of positive phases of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM). This increases warm air-flow over the East Pacific sector (Weste...

Current atmospheric CO 2 levels are about 400 μmol mol −1 and are predicted to rise to 650 μmol mol −1 later this century. Although the positive and negative impacts of CO 2 on plants are well documented, little is known about interactions with pests and diseases. If disease severity increases under future environmental conditions, then it becomes imperative to understand the impacts of pathogens on crop production in order to...

Antarctic and Southern Ocean ( ASO ) marine ecosystems have been changing for at least the last 30 years, including in response to increasing ocean temperatures and changes in the extent and seasonality of sea ice; the magnitude and direction of these changes differ between regions around Antarctica that could see populations of the same species changing differently in different regions. This article reviews current and expect...