MYCOGEOGRAPHY OF FUSARIUM - CLIMATIC ANALYSIS OF THE DISTRIBUTION WITHIN AUSTRALIA OF FUSARIUM SPECIES IN SECTION GIBBOSUM

The climate analysis and prediction system BIOCLIM proved useful for c ollating distribution records, defining climate profiles for known dis tributions and predicting potential distributions within Australia of Fusarium spp. from soil. The potential range of F. acuminatum ssp. acu minatum was southern and eastern Australia, with its distribution limi ted by high temperatures. Fusarium acuminatum ssp. armeniacum was pred icted to occur only in a limited higher rainfall, temperate area in so uth-eastern Australia, but climate may be only a secondary factor in d etermining its distribution. The potential range of F. compactum was m ost of mainland Australia except the southern coastal fringe and south -east highlands from which it was excluded by low temperatures. No sig nificant climatic limits to the distribution of F. equiseti were found and its potential range was the whole of Australia. Fusarium longipes had a potential range in the higher rainfall areas of the tropics and subtropics, and it was excluded from other areas by low summer rainfa ll or low temperatures in the wet season. Fusarium scirpi had a potent ial range over most of temperate and arid Australia, but was excluded from areas that were too cold, where winter rainfall was more than twi ce the summer rainfall, and from the hot summer rainfall areas of the tropics.