Assemblages of myxomycetes on subantarctic Macquarie Island and tropical Christmas Island

A comparative study of myxomycete assemblages on subantarctic Macquarie Island and tropical Christmas Island reveals stark differences despite their similar sizes. Only nine species are shared between the two locations, highlighting distinct biogeographical patterns driven by extreme environmental contrasts. Surveys conducted in 1995 (Macquarie) and 2017 (Christmas) identified 85 species in total, including three new to science—two from Macquarie Island and one from Christmas Island. The research underscores the unique ecological niches occupied by myxomycetes in these isolated environments, with subantarctic conditions fostering a far less diverse but equally significant assemblage compared to tropical counterparts.

STEPHENSON, S. L. (2020). Assemblages of myxomycetes on subantarctic Macquarie Island and tropical Christmas Island. Phytotaxa, 464(1). https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.464.1.3