{"id":4881,"date":"2022-10-09T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-09T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=4881"},"modified":"2022-09-30T08:18:07","modified_gmt":"2022-09-30T08:18:07","slug":"lets-show-a-bit-of-love-for-the-lillipilly-this-humble-plant-forms-the-worlds-largest-genus-of-trees-and-should-be-an-australian-icon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/lets-show-a-bit-of-love-for-the-lillipilly-this-humble-plant-forms-the-worlds-largest-genus-of-trees-and-should-be-an-australian-icon\/","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s show a bit of love for the lillipilly. This humble plant forms the world\u2019s largest genus of trees \u2013 and should be an Australian icon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n \n
\n \n Shutterstock <\/span><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\nDarren Crayn<\/a>, James Cook University<\/a><\/em> and Stuart Worboys<\/a>, James Cook University<\/a><\/em><\/span>\n\n

You\u2019re probably familiar with the sight of a lillipilly bush. This hardy Australian staple \u2013 a glossy evergreen bearing powder-puff flowers and clusters of bright berries \u2013 features in many a garden hedge. <\/p>\n\n

But you may not know this humble native has spread across the globe in waves of emigration, adaptation and evolution. Almost 1,200 species of lillipilly are now found in rainforests across the tropics and subtropics of Africa, Asia and the Pacific. <\/p>\n\n

Our research<\/a> helped reconstruct the evolutionary history of lillipillies in unprecedented detail. We show how lillipillies evolved in Australia and now form the largest genus of trees in the world. <\/p>\n\n

Lillipillies are one of Australia\u2019s great gifts to the natural world. But the story of these homegrown heroes may be taking a grim turn.<\/p>\n\n

\n \"bright\n
\n Show off: the lillipilly is a glossy evergreen bearing clusters of bright berries.<\/span>\n Shutterstock<\/span><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n

A plant on the move<\/h2>\n\n

Lillipillies began their international adventures about 17 million years ago. At that time, the Australian continent (which together with New Guinea is known as the Sahul Shelf) was colliding with Southeast Asia (known as the Sunda Shelf) following its breakup with Antarctica. This breakup was the final dramatic act of the fragmentation of Gondwana. <\/p>\n\n

The collision provided opportunity for biotic exchange between the northern and southern hemispheres. Many plants and animals moved south to the Sahul Shelf and prospered in the new lands. Lillipillies are one of the few lineages that moved in the other direction.<\/p>\n\n

Along with our songbirds<\/a>, lillipillies stand as a rare example of an Australian group that set out from these shores and achieved major evolutionary success abroad. <\/p>\n\n

\n \"buttefly\n
\n Lillipillies are a magnet for pollinators.<\/span>\n Shutterstock<\/span><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n

Lillipillies light up our lives when they flower and fruit. Their showy white, cream or red flowers are followed by succulent red or purple berries. They\u2019re a magnet for pollinators, helping fill our gardens with the songs of insects and birds. <\/p>\n\n

The riberry, Syzygium luehmannii<\/em>, is one of the most commonly grown and stunning garden species. It produces heavy crops of delicious fruit rich in antioxidants<\/a> and prized by chefs. <\/p>\n\n

Many species in the genus are used as food and medicine by Indigenous people, and potent antibacterials<\/a> have been identified in the leaves of some species. Cloves, a favourite spice of home bakers, are the dried flower buds of an Indonesian lillipilly \u2013 the aptly named Syzygium aromaticum<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n

About 75 species<\/a> of lillipilly are native to all Australian states and territories except South Australia and Tasmania. <\/p>\n\n

The greatest concentration of species is in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area of northeast Queensland. About 50<\/a> species are found there, half of which occur nowhere else on Earth. <\/p>\n\n

And almost 1,200 species of lillipilly are now found in rainforests across the tropics and subtropics of Africa, Asia and the Pacific, including Australia.<\/p>\n\n

As is common in the tropics, species new to science are regularly discovered and named. For example, almost 30 new species<\/a> of lillipilly have been named from New Guinea in the last two years \u2013 and many more are likely awaiting scientific discovery.<\/p>\n\n

But how did lillipillies achieve such international success? Our research team decided to find out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n \"yellow\n
\n The powder-puff flowers of lillipillies light up our lives when they flower.<\/span>\n Shutterstock<\/span><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n

Peering into the past<\/h2>\n\n

The research<\/a>, led by colleagues in Singapore, involved analysing the genomes of hundreds of living species of lillipillies.<\/p>\n\n

Similarities and differences in the structure of genomes can reveal how closely related the species are. Using that knowledge, we can build up a picture of their genealogy – the \u201cfamily tree\u201d that connects ancestral species and their descendants. <\/p>\n\n

These techniques also allow us to estimate the amount of genetic change that has occurred along the branches of the genealogy. And, if we\u2019re lucky enough to have an accurately dated fossil of an ancestral species \u2013 as we do for lillipillies \u2013 we can calculate the rate of genetic change even more accurately.<\/p>\n\n

All this allowed us to peer deeply into the past and reveal the events that set the lillipillies on their global journey.<\/p>\n\n

We already knew lillipillies evolved<\/a> in Australia and emigrated into the rainforests of Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Our research showed this dispersion occurred in at least a dozen distinct waves. <\/p>\n\n

Each emigrant lineage diversified rapidly and successfully in its new environment. This resulted in the nearly 1,200 lillipilly species found worldwide today \u2013 more than any other tree genus. In contrast, their relatives the eucalypts have largely remained only a local success story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n \"dirt\n
\n Australia\u2019s eucalypts haven\u2019t conquered the world as lillipillies have.<\/span>\n Shutterstock<\/span><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n

A sad twist?<\/h2>\n\n

Lillipillies may be one of Australia\u2019s most successful botanical exports, but their future, like that of many rainforest plants globally, is threatened by habitat degradation and climate change.<\/p>\n\n

The Magenta Cherry (Syzygium paniculatum<\/em>), for example, is endangered<\/a> by coastal development in New South Wales. And the Brotherly Love Lillipilly (Syzygium fratris<\/em>), found only on Queensland\u2019s highest mountain, is highly vulnerable<\/a> to climate change.<\/p>\n\n

\n \"yellow\n
\n Myrtle rust \u2013 seen here on lillypilly leaves \u2013 may be the most potent threat of all.<\/span>\n Wikimedia<\/span><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n

But a devastating disease \u2013 myrtle rust – may be the most potent threat of all. It\u2019s caused by an introduced fungal pathogen and kills new foliage, flowers and fruits of plants in the family Myrtaceae, to which lillipillies belong.<\/p>\n\n

Myrtle rust arrived in Australia in 2010 and spread rapidly in the wind and via human activity. Already, it threatens some plant species<\/a> with extinction. Lillipilly species have been damaged by this serious disease, though none are under immediate extinction threat yet. <\/p>\n\n

Lillipillies are an Australian origin story. They\u2019re a major contributor to rainforest biodiversity and important to Indigenous cultures. And they\u2019ve endeared themselves to generations of gardeners and cooks. <\/p>\n\n

Given all this, lillipillies deserve to be recognised \u2013 and protected \u2013 as Aussie icons.\"The<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Darren Crayn<\/a>, Professor and Director, Australian Tropical Herbarium, James Cook University<\/a><\/em> and Stuart Worboys<\/a>, Laboratory and Technical Support Officer, Australian Tropical Herbarium, James Cook University<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Shutterstock Darren Crayn, James Cook University and Stuart Worboys, James Cook University You\u2019re probably familiar with the sight…\n","protected":false},"author":225,"featured_media":4875,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[141,610,474],"class_list":{"0":"post-4881","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nature","8":"tag-australia","9":"tag-lillipilly","10":"tag-the-conversation","11":"cs-entry","12":"cs-video-wrap"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/225"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4881"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4882,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4881\/revisions\/4882"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}