Siegfried L Krauss

Government of Western Australia · Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority

Pollination by non-flying mammals (NFMs) is thought to be associated with cryptic, dull coloured, strongly scented flowers. In Western Australia, various Banksia species exhibit these traits, suggesting adaptation to primary pollination by NFMs, particularly the marsupial honey possum (Tarsipes rostratus). Here, we compare floral visitation rates a...

Soil microbiota are important components of healthy ecosystems. Greater consideration of soil microbiota in the restoration of biodiverse, functional, and resilient ecosystems is required to address the twin global crises of biodiversity decline and climate change. In this review, we discuss available and emerging practical applications of soil mic...

Ecological restoration is a key part of the global solution to help repair damaged ecosystems and moderate climate change. However, there are enormous challenges to contemporary restoration. Solutions that integrate western science and traditional ecological knowledge offer great opportunities to overcome this challenge. Partnerships with Indigenou...

Vertebrate pollination has evolved in many plant lineages, with pollination by birds the most prevalent strategy. However, in Banksia (Proteaceae) many species are visited by a combination of nectarivorous birds, non-flying mammals (NFMs), and insects, though the relative importance of these pollen vectors for reproduction remains poorly understood...

The restoration of diverse self‐sustaining ecosystems requires re‐establishment of functional interactions among species. For plant communities, pollinators are usually essential for pollination, seed set and seed quality. A common assumption in ecological restoration for plants pollinated by animals is one of ‘build it and they will come’, which i...

Introduction Ocean warming combined with extreme climatic events, such as marine heatwaves and flash flooding events, threaten seagrasses globally. How seagrasses cope with these challenges is uncertain, particularly for range-edge populations of species such as Posidonia australis in Shark Bay, Western Australia. Analyzing gene expression while ma...

Ecosystem restoration in post-agricultural landscapes is a critical response to agricultural land abandonment, climate change, and the escalating biodiversity crisis. However, effective restoration of these landscapes can be hampered by land-use legacies that create biotic and abiotic barriers to ecosystem recovery, particularly in ancient Tertiary...

Microbiomics is the science of characterizing microbial community structure, function, and dynamics. It has great potential to advance our understanding of plant–soil–microbe processes and interaction networks which can be applied to improve ecosystem restoration. However, microbiomics may be perceived as complex and the technology is not accessibl...

Post‐mining scenarios present challenges for restoration in a wide range of environments, especially in the context of climate change. The source of seed for restoration has been an issue of intense focus, as seed provenance can impact plant fitness and restoration outcomes. However, post‐mining landscapes require substrate reconstruction prior to...

Historical and contemporary processes drive spatial patterns of genetic diversity. These include climate-driven range shifts and gene flow mediated by biogeographical influences on dispersal. Assessments that integrate these drivers are uncommon, but critical for testing biogeographic hypotheses. Here, we characterize intraspecific genetic diversit...

Known to the Malgana people as ‘Wirriya jalyanu nhurra’ or ‘seagrass mob’, Posidonia australis appears as expansive meadows across the salty waters of Gathaagudu (Shark Bay). Throughout these marine meadows, masses of bright ribbon-like leaves emerge from the sandy seafloor, waving with the ebb and flow of the water. The meadows vary in size, oft...

Polyploidy has the potential to allow organisms to outcompete their diploid progenitor(s) and occupy new environments. Shark Bay, Western Australia, is a World Heritage Area dominated by temperate seagrass meadows including Poseidon's ribbon weed, Posidonia australis. This seagrass is at the northern extent of its natural geographic range and exper...

In post-mining rehabilitation, successful mine closure planning requires specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART) completion criteria, such as returning ecological communities to match a target level of similarity to reference sites. Soil microbiota are fundamentally linked to the restoration of degraded ecosystems, helping...

Ecological restoration is addressing the challenge of biodiversity conservation in landscapes where native vegetation has been extensively cleared. Reestablishing ecological interactions that support self-sustainable populations plays an essential role in restoration efforts. For animal-pollinated plant species, comparing mating system dynamics wit...

The behaviour of pollinators has important consequences for plant mating. Nectar-feeding birds often display behaviour that results in more pollen carryover than insect pollinators, which is predicted to result in frequent outcrossing and high paternal diversity for bird-pollinated plants. We tested this prediction by quantifying mating system para...

Pollinators and the pollination services they provide are critical for seed set and self-sustainability of most flowering plants. Despite this, pollinators are rarely assessed in restored plant communities, where their services are largely assumed to re-establish. Bird–pollinator richness, foraging, and interaction behavior were compared between na...

An understanding of genetic diversity and the population genetic processes that impact future population viability is vital for the management and recovery of declining populations of threatened species. Styphelia longissima (Ericaceae) is a critically endangered shrub, restricted to a single fragmented population near Eneabba, 250 km north of Pert...

The rapid expansion of urban areas worldwide is leading to native habitat loss and ecosystem fragmentation and degradation. Although the study of urbanisation’s impact on biodiversity is gaining increasing interest globally, there is still a disconnect between research recommendations and urbanisation strategies. Expansion of the Perth metropolitan...

The rapid expansion of urban areas worldwide is leading to native habitat loss and ecosystem fragmentation and degradation. Although the study of urbanisation's impact on biodiversity is gaining increasing interest globally, there is still a disconnect between research recommendations and urbanisation strategies. Expansion of the Perth metropolitan...

Ecological genetics can provide a novel contribution to assessing the achievement of restoration objectives. We used paternity assignment to infer realized pollen dispersal within, and pollen immigration into, a restoration population of Hakea nitida, a common near‐coastal shrub or small tree in southwest Australia. We compared mating system parame...

To assess whether wide outcrossing (over 30 km) in the naturally fragmented Banksia ilicifolia R.Br. increases the ecological amplitude of offspring, we performed a comparative greenhouse growth study involving seedlings of three hand-pollinated progeny classes (self, local outcross, wide outcross) and a range of substrates and stress conditions. O...

Reductions in genetic diversity and genetic connectivity have been documented in some predatory bird species in response to anthropogenic habitat fragmentation. The Southern Boobook (Ninox boobook) is the most common and widely-distributed owl in Australia but declines in abundance have been observed across its range. We used polymorphic microsatel...

Plants pollinated by vertebrates are often visited by native and exotic insects foraging for pollen and nectar.We compared flower visitation rates, foraging behaviour, and the contribution to reproduction of nectar-feeding birds and the introduced honeybee Apis mellifera in four populations of the bird-pollinated Anigozanthos manglesii (Haemodorace...

Evaluation of patterns of pollen dispersal, mating systems, population fitness, genetic diversity and differentiation in restoration and remnant plant populations can be useful in determining how well restoration activities have achieved their objectives. We used molecular tools to assess how well restoration objectives have been met for population...

Empirical tests of comparability between restored and natural plant populations can be powerful tools for measuring progress towards restoration objectives, though they are rarely applied to critical metrics like genetic diversity, mating systems, and reproductive output via seed production. Here we compared these ecological and genetic measures fo...

Selection against inbred progeny is a well-documented phenomenon in natural and experimental populations of trees with mixed mating systems. This inbreeding depression can be expressed at multiple life stages, including early seedling development. Eucalyptus caesia, a long-lived tree that is endemic to granite outcrops in south-west Australia, has...

Pollination by nectarivorous birds is predicted to result in different patterns of pollen dispersal and plant mating compared to pollination by insects. We tested the prediction that paternal genetic diversity, outcrossing rate and realised pollen dispersal will be reduced when the primary pollinator group is excluded from bird‐pollinated plants. P...

Historically fragmented and specialised habitats such as granite outcrops are understudied globally unique hotspots of plant evolution. In contrast to predictions based on mainstream population genetics theory, some granite outcrop plants appear to have persisted as very small populations despite prolonged geographic and genetic isolation. Eucalypt...

Acacia cyclops or Ngaamarur, is a common coastal shrub or small tree of the south west of Western Australia and South Australia used for restoration in these landscapes and elsewhere. Knowledge of genetic diversity and mating systems of restoration populations is often lacking but can help inform likely restoration success. We compared genetic dive...

Background and aims: In plants, the spatial and genetic distance between mates can influence reproductive success and offspring fitness. Negative fitness consequences associated with the extremes of inbreeding and outbreeding suggests that there will be an intermediate optimal outcrossing distance (OOD), the scale and drivers of which remain poorl...

Habitat fragmentation affects landscape connectivity, the extent of which is influenced by the movement capacity of the vectors of seed and pollen dispersal for plants. Negative impacts of reduced connectivity can include reduced fecundity, increased inbreeding, genetic erosion and decreased long-term viability. These are issues for not only old (r...

The Australian arid zone (AAZ) has undergone aridification and the formation of vast sandy deserts since the mid-Miocene. Studies on AAZ organisms, particularly animals, have shown patterns of mesic ancestry, persistence in rocky refugia and range expansions in arid lineages. There has been limited molecular investigation of plants in the AAZ, part...

There is a growing realisation that cytotype variation within species complexes plays an important role in plant evolution however, there are relatively few investigations that describe the genetic diversity within and among related cytotypes. In the present study, we analysed patterns of genetic variation in 774 individuals from nine diploid, 14 t...

The pollination biology of Anigozanthos humilis (Haemodoraceae) was studied within a Banksia woodland reserve using a combination of field techniques and genetic analysis. Motion-triggered cameras were deployed on 25 flowering plants to identify visitors to flowers, quantify visitation rates and assess visitor behaviour. Entire A. humilis plants we...

The high species endemism characteristic of many of the world's terrestrial island systems provides a model for studying evolutionary patterns and processes, yet there has been no synthesis of studies to provide a systematic evaluation of terrestrial island systems in this context. The banded iron formations (BIFs) of south‐western Australia are an...

Movement is fundamental to the ecology and evolutionary dynamics within species. Understanding movement through seed dispersal in the marine environment can be difficult due to the high spatial and temporal variability of ocean currents. We employed a mutually enriching approach of population genetic assignment procedures and dispersal predictions...

Understanding the response of species to past climatic changes and whether particular areas acted as refugia is critical both to our understanding of the distribution of genetic variation, and for the conservation and/or restoration of species. We used phylogeographical analyses of Acacia karina, a Banded Iron Formation (BIF) associated species, to...

• Identification of pollen vectors is a fundamental objective of pollination biology. The foraging and social behavior of these pollinators has profound effects on plant mating, making quantification of their behavior critical for understanding the ecological and evolutionary consequences of different pollinators for the plants they visit. However,...

Selecting the geographic origin (the provenance) of seed is a key decision in restoration. The last decade has seen a vigorous debate on whether to use local or non-local seed. The use of local seed has been the preferred approach as it is expected to maintain local adaptation and avoid deleterious population effects (e.g. maladaptation, outbreedin...

Tetratheca erubescens is a narrowly endemic species including ∼6300 plants restricted to a 2-km² distribution on the south Koolyanobbing Range Banded Ironstone Formation (BIF) in Western Australia. A key objective of the present study was to characterise population genetic variation, and its spatial structuring across the entire distribution of T....

Ricinocarpos brevis (Euphorbiaceae) is a declared rare species currently known from only three Banded Ironstone Formation (BIF) ranges (Perrinvale, Johnston and Windarling Ranges) in the Yilgarn region of Western Australia. The present study assessed the potential impact of proposed mining on genetic diversity within R. brevis. Approximately 30 pla...

Landscape features and life-history traits affect gene flow, migration and drift to impact on spatial genetic structure of species. Understanding this is important for managing genetic diversity of threatened species. This study assessed the spatial genetic structure of the rare riparian Grevillea sp. Cooljarloo (Proteaceae), which is restricted to...

Premise of the study Microsatellite markers were developed for population genetic analysis in the rare shrub Styphelia longissima (Ericaceae). Methods and Results We generated ca. 2.5 million sequence reads using a Personal Genome Machine semiconductor sequencer. Using the QDD pipeline, we designed primers for >12,000 sequences with PCR product le...

Premise of the study Microsatellites were developed for the future assessment of population genetic structure, mating system, and dispersal of the perennial kangaroo paw, Anigozanthos manglesii (Haemodoraceae), and related species. Methods and Results Using a Personal Genome Machine (PGM) semiconductor sequencer, ca. 4.03 million sequence reads we...

Demand for restoration of resilient, self-sustaining, and biodiverse natural ecosystems as a conservation measure is increasing globally; however, restoration efforts frequently fail to meet standards appropriate for this objective. Achieving these standards requires management underpinned by input from diverse scientific disciplines including ecol...

Vegetation structure and plant species diversity of restoration sites are predicted to directly affect pollinator attraction, with potential impacts on gene flow, reproduction, genetic diversity of future generations, and ultimately restoration success. We compared Banksia attenuata R.Br. (Proteaceae) in a low species diversity restoration site and...

Accurate estimation of connectivity among populations is fundamental for determining the drivers of population resilience, genetic diversity, adaptation and speciation. However the separation and quantification of contemporary versus historical connectivity remains a major challenge. This review focuses on marine angiosperms, seagrasses, that are f...

Pollinator behaviour has profound effects on plant mating. Pollinators are predicted to minimise energetic costs during foraging bouts by moving between nearby flowers. However, a review of plant mating system studies reveals a mismatch between behavioural predictions and pollen-mediated gene dispersal in bird-pollinated plants. Paternal diversity...

Intraspecific ploidy variation is an important component of angiosperm biodiversity; however, this variation is rarely considered in conservation programs. This is of particular concern when conservation activities include augmentation, reintroduction or ecological restoration because there are potentially negative consequences when ploidy variants...

Next-generation sequencing is becoming increasingly accessible to researchers asking biosystematic questions, but current best practice in both choosing a specific approach and effectively analysing the resulting data set is still being explored. We present a case study for the use of genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) to resolve relationships in a spe...

Sample information for sequencing and analyses. (XLS)

Intra-population distances across 10 populations for parameter h. (A) merged and (B) unmerged data sets. (TIF)

Intra-population distances across 10 populations for parameter mr. (A) merged and (B) unmerged data sets. (TIF)

Details of GBS Library Prepartion. (XLS)

RAxML trees for the unmerged data set. Trees are shown across three clustering thresholds (0.82, 0.91, 0.97) and three minimum taxon coverage levels (25%, 50%, 75%). Support values from 100 bootstrap replicates are only shown for branches with <100% support. Scale bar units are branch lengths from RAxML. Two selected trees are boxed (solid for the...

Intra-population genetic distances for samples from T. basedowii population "Andado" across PyRAD parameter values. (A) merged, and (B) unmerged data sets. Parameters are c: clustering threshold; d: minimum depth for a statistical base call; h: maximum number of shared heterozygous positions; mr: minimum read depth for a dereplicate; n: maximum num...

SNAPP trees and cloudograms for the PyRAD-selected unlinked SNPs and two assemblies. (A) 0.88/0.91 (merged/unmerged) clustering threshold, (B) 0.88/0.82 clustering threshold. Node values are posterior probabilities. Scale bars are coalescent units. (TIF)

SNAPP trees and cloudograms for the biased unlinked SNPs and two assemblies. (A) 0.88/0.91 (merged/unmerged) clustering threshold, (B) 0.88/0.82 clustering threshold. Node values are posterior probabilities. Scale bars are coalescent units. (TIF)

SVDquartets trees for the biased unlinked SNPs and two assemblies. (A) 0.88/0.91 (merged/unmerged) clustering threshold, (B) 0.88/0.82 clustering threshold. Species trees (left) and lineage trees (right). Support from 100 bootstrap replicates are shown for branches with support >75%. Branch lengths do not reflect divergence. (TIF)

Intra-population distances across 10 populations for parameter c. (A) merged and (B) unmerged data sets. (TIF)

Intra-population distances across 10 populations for parameter pl. (A) merged and (B) unmerged data sets. (TIF)

SVDquartets trees for the PyRAD-selected unlinked SNPs and two assemblies. (A) 0.88/0.91 (merged/unmerged) clustering threshold, (B) 0.88/0.82 clustering threshold. Species trees (left) and lineage trees (right). Support from 100 bootstrap replicates are shown for branches with support >75%. Branch lengths do not reflect divergence. (TIF)

Select scripts used in this study. (ZIP)

RAxML trees for the merged data set. Trees are shown across three clustering thresholds (0.82, 0.88, 0.97) and three minimum taxon coverage levels (25%, 50%, 75%). Support values from 100 bootstrap replicates are only shown for branches with <100% support. Scale bar units are branch lengths from RAxML. Two selected trees are boxed (solid for the se...

Recovered loci/SNPs and error rates for the PyRAD parameter optimisation. Merged data are designated with circles, unmerged with triangles. The replicate of T. basedowii is designated with hollow points, the replicate of T. "shova" with solid points. Parameters are c: clustering threshold; d: minimum depth for a statistical base call; h: maximum nu...

Intra-population distances across 10 populations for parameter d. (A) merged and (B) unmerged data sets. (TIF)

Intra-population distances across 10 populations for parameter n. (A) merged and (B) unmerged data sets. (TIF)

Restoring ecosystem services, such as pollination, is critical to ensuring the successful maintenance of plant reproduction. This study is one of the first to assess ecological and genetic connectivity between remnant and restored ecosystems, within a highly fragmented Global Biodiversity Hotspot. Pollinator observations and genetic data were colle...

Aim To investigate the relationships between species attributes and genetic parameters in Australian plant species and to determine the associations in relation to predictions from population theory and previous global analyses. Location Continent of Australia. Methods We assembled a dataset of all known population genetic analyses of Australian...

Optimal foraging behaviour by nectavores is expected to result in a leptokurtic pollen dispersal distribution and predominantly near-neighbour mating. However, complex social interactions among nectarivorous birds may result in different mating patterns to those typically observed in insect-pollinated plants. Mating system, realised pollen dispersa...

Aim To examine the population genetic structure in Posidonia australis mead- ows, a marine foundation species capable of long distance dispersal (LDD), and the role of historical versus contemporary processes in shaping post Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) re-colonization. Location Southeastern Australia including the Bass Strait Islands. Methods We gen...

The vast Australian arid zone formed over the last 15 million years, and gradual aridification as well as more extreme Pliocene and Pleistocene climate shifts have impacted the evolution of its biota. Understanding the evolutionary history of groups of organisms or regional biotas such as the Australian arid biota requires clear delimitation of the...

Premise of the study: Microsatellite markers were developed for the rare Tetratheca erubescens (Elaeocarpaceae) to assess genetic diversity and spatial structuring. Methods and results: We generated ca. 2.7 million sequence reads using a Personal Genome Machine (PGM) semiconductor sequencer. Using the QDD pipeline, we designed primers for >12,00...