Reintroduced bilbies did not yet redraw the soil fungal map

After roughly three years, an Australian restoration site found no detectable soil fungal shift despite fungal DNA in bilby scats.

Wild Lands Ecological Intelligence Editor
Wild Lands Institute · 1 November 2026

Evidence: Peer-reviewed
Geography: Wild Deserts arid restoration, New South Wales, Australia
System: Dryland rewilding, mammal soil engineering and fungal communities

WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS

Soil eDNA surveys inside and outside a restored reserve did not find differences in fungal richness or composition after native digging mammals returned. Bilby scats contained fungal taxa present in the environment.

WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ

Restoration activity, molecular traces and recovery of microbial ecosystem function are different outcomes; monitoring timescale matters.

CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY

Limited field sites and only 25 scats constrain power. Fungal DNA does not show viable spore dispersal, and a three-year null does not rule out later effects.

SOURCE

Austral Ecology — Hogan et al. (14 Oct 2026)
View original evidence ↗