The Friends of
Shenton Bushland
Inc.
How will we find our wild hearts inside this city;
How will we find the deep peace?
A. Stevens
Bushland Activities page (blog)
Bushland Management Strategies
Guided walks:
Natural Control Systems (with Gall Rust)
Working with Weevils
Collaborative arrangements (with Cyanobacteria)
Early Encounters
Coming to a sticky end in a sundew
Playing tricks on insects
Part of the food chain
Collaborative Arrangements
The ability of cyanobacteria to provide Nitrogen to their host makes them a very useful symbiotic partner.
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Zamias produce upward-growing root nodules with a special tissue layer that becomes infected with cyanobacteria living in the soil. These bacteria provide the Zamia with Nitrogen. In exchange, the Zamia provides the bacteria with shelter and nutrients. |
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Lichen are formed when certain fungi form an association with cyanobacteria. The bacteria provide nitrogen to the fungus, and the fungus creates a crust to provide protection and nutrients to the bacteria. The most likely place to find lichen in Shenton Bushland is on the bark of a large Banksia tree. |
What is a symbiotic relationship?
A symbiotic relationship involves two or more life-forms working together to improve their chances of survival. Almost all the native plants in Shenton Bushland depend on symbiotic relationships with either fungi or bacteria to be able to grow.
What are cyanobacteria?
Cyanobacteria are tiny organisms (bacteria) that thrive in extreme environments all over the world - in the ice and snow of the north and south poles, in the depths of the oceans, in polluted rivers, and in the stoney deserts of central Australia. The bacteria have a blue/green colour and contain Chlorophyll which allows them to photosynthesise (use sunlight) to provide nitrogen to their host, and to release oxygen into the atmosphere. Life on earth would not have been possible without the oxygen these bacteria have produced over millions of years.