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Elements and Performance Criteria
Performance Evidence
An individual demonstrating competency must satisfy all of the elements and performance criteria in this unit.
There must be evidence that the individual has performed the following:conducted field identification of a minimum of ten wood decay fungi to generic levelconducted field identification of a minimum of ten non-pathogenic fungi to generic levelanalysed the lifecycle, biology, ecology and effects of a minimum of ten saprophytic wood decay fungi species on treesanalysed the lifecycle, biology, ecology and effects of a minimum of ten pathogenic wood decay fungi species on treescollected, cultured, analysed and identified a minimum of five wood decay fungi to generic level.There must also be evidence that the individual has:researched the role of microorganisms in the health of trees and forestsresearched the role and contribution of wood decay fungi to forest and tree health, and responsesexamined the taxonomy and evolutionary relationships of corticoid and polypore wood decay fungiinvestigated the role of fungal species on various hostsanalysed lifecycle, biology, ecology and effects of wood decay fungi speciesexamined relationships of fungal species with tree defects and failures analysed biosecurity implications of pathogenic fungal species reviewed state and federal biosecurity plans and procedures observed and evaluated signs and symptoms of fungi causing decay in treesmaintained a record of the following for each mycological specimen:location, size, and condition of wood decay fungipresence of mycoparasitessize, condition and extent of hollows and cavities documented details of environmental characteristics of fungal affected treesdetermined methods of dissemination and infection of adjacent trees and vegetationsampled wood decay fungi and mycoparasites from trees for in-vitro culture and identificationselected, checked and fitted personal protective equipment and contamination prevention clothing decanted and prepared standard laboratory chemicals and materialsprepared selective mycological culture media to grow and isolate field samples prepared field samples of fungi for culturing on mediaexcised fungal specimens and applied to mediamaintained cultures and repeated excise procedures to isolate clean specimensprepared and maintained cultured samples for further testingupdated records and securely stored evidence according to chain of evidence protocolsprepared microscope slides of isolated cultures examined and identified cultured fungal samples to generic levelrecorded digital images of identified fungiperformed laboratory assay tests to evaluate fungal characteristicsdocumented experimental assay test resultsdeveloped and maintained a mycology culture collection and submitted to government databases and culture collections according to proceduresprepared a diagnostic report on a suspected emergency plant pest according to state and federal biosecurity procedures.
Knowledge Evidence
An individual must be able to demonstrate the knowledge required to perform the tasks outlined in the elements and performance criteria of this unit. This includes knowledge of:
microbiological organisms and their impact on the health of forests and trees, including:bacteriafungiprotozoaalgaevirusesfungi in the forest environment, including impact on:biodiversitytree nutritionforest healthenvironmental biochemistrypathologytaxonomy and evolutionary relationships of corticoid and polypore wood decay fungi, including:lifecycles, biology and ecologyimportant pathogenic and saprophytic tree wood decaying fungi tree infections of tree components by fungal species and tree failurevisual symptoms of decay and tree decline, including:diebackreduced growth rate and chlorosispresence of basidiocarpsdecayed woundshollows and cavitiesstate and federal biosecurity plans and procedures, including:biosecurity implications of known and threat fungal species Australian Emergency Plant Pest Response Planfield identification of fungi and fungal infections of trees, including:pathogenic funginon-pathogenic fungirecording and describing location, size and condition of wood decay fungipresence of mycoparasitessize, condition and extent of hollows and cavities environmental characteristics and growing conditions of trees affected by fungi, including:site characteristics and site historysoil conditionsclimate and microclimatic variablesproximity of adjacent trees and vegetationmovement of people and vehiclespotential impact on assets, property and landscapetree infection methods and introduction, establishment, spread, and susceptibility of treescollecting and sampling of fungi in the field, including:field sampling techniques of wood decay fungi and mycoparasitesstorage of collected samplesstandard laboratory techniques and safety when preparing, measuring and decanting chemicals and materialsculturing fungi for identification in the laboratory environment, including:species-specific media and growing environment for culturing fungi techniques to prepare and extract field samples for culturingmethods of excising and inoculating media with specimensisolating clean cultures from primary culturespreparation and maintaining clean cultured sampleslaboratory assay tests for fungal species identification, including:deoxyribonucleic (DNA) based assay techniquesgrowth ratetemperature rangepathogenicitymycoparasitismdocumentation of assay test resultslaboratory identification of wood decay fungi, including:procedures and techniques for the preparation of microscope slides of isolated culturesidentification of cultured fungal samplesuse of guides, keys and reference materials for identifying fungidevelopment and maintenance of culture collectionsthe importance and procedures for chain of evidence protocols, including:secure storage of digital and physical evidencestoring and recording field samplesmaintaining accurate records for slides, cultures and DNA samplesdigital imaging techniques and importance in evidence and record keepingmaintaining fungi collections, including:methods of submission to relevant government databases and culture collectionsrecord keeping, reports and documentation requirements, including:state and federal biosecurity proceduresemergency plant pest (EPP) and PLANTPLAN guidelines.