High diversity of root associated fungi in both alpine and arctic Dryas octopetala

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Dryas octopetala </it>is a widespread dwarf shrub in alpine and arctic regions that forms ectomycorrhizal (ECM) symbiotic relationships with fungi. In this study we investigated the fungal communities associated with roots of <it>D. octopetala </it>in alpine sites in Norway and in the High Arctic on Svalbard, where we aimed to reveal whether the fungal diversity and species composition varied across the Alpine and Arctic regions. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of nuclear ribosomal DNA was used to identify the fungal communities from bulk root samples obtained from 24 plants.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 137 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were detected (using 97% similarity cut off during sequence clustering) and well-known ECM genera such as <it>Cenococcum</it>, <it>Cortinarius, Hebeloma</it>, <it>Inocybe </it>and <it>Tomentella </it>occurred frequently. There was no decrease in fungal diversity with increasing latitude. The overall spatial heterogeneity was high, but a weak geographical structuring of the composition of OTUs in the root systems was observed. Calculated species accumulation curves did not level off.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study indicates that the diversity of fungi associated with <it>D. octopetala </it>does not decrease in high latitude arctic regions, which contrasts observations made in a wide spectrum of other organism groups. A high degree of patchiness was observed across root systems, but the fungal communities were nevertheless weakly spatially structured. Non-asymptotical species accumulation curves and the occurrence of a high number of singletons indicated that only a small fraction of the fungal diversity was detected.</p

XIX. Nordiske Mykologiske Kongress i Steinkjer 2009

XIX Nordisk mykologisk kongress ble arrangert i Steinkjer fra 1. til 6. september 2009. Til sammen 75 deltakere fra 10 land var samlet. Steinkjer og Nord-Trøndelag ble valgt blant annet på grunn av stor variasjon i sopprike habitater, og at området er møtested for flere soppgeografiske elementer med for eksempel nordlige utposter for sørlige og sørøstlige arter. Både gran- og furudominerte kalkbarskoger, boreal regnskog, rike alm-hassellier og gammel barskog med mye død ved var prioriterte habitater. Særlig var kalkbarskoger på Snåsa-kalken i Steinkjer og Snåsa vurdert som spesielt interessante i forkant av kongressen. The XIX Nordic Mycological Congress was arranged in Steinkjer 1st to 6th September 2009, with 75 participants from 10 countries. Steinkjer and the surrounding municipalities in Nord- Trøndelag County, Central Norway, were chosen because of the great variation in habitats and many different myco-geographical elements represented in the area. Moreover some northernmost localities for southern or south-eastern species were found. Calcareous coniferous forests with Norway spruce or Scotch pine, boreal rain forests, rich steep forests dominated by elm and hazel and old growth coniferous forests with much dead wood were our first choice as excursion localities. Of special interest were the coniferous forests on the “Snåsa limestones” in the municipalities of Steinkjer and Snåsa.Stiftelsen Clara Lachmanns Fond, Sverige og Universitetet i Oslo, Biologisk institutt og Naturhistorisk museu

Open-source data reveal how collections?based fungal diversity is sensitive to global change

Premise of the Study: Fungal diversity (richness) trends at large scales are in urgent need of investigation, especially through novel situations that combine long-term observational with environmental and remotely sensed open-source data. Methods: We modeled fungal richness, with collections-based records of saprotrophic (decaying) and ectomycorrhizal (plant mutualistic) fungi, using an array of environmental variables across geographical gradients from northern to central Europe. Temporal differences in covariables granted insight into the impacts of the shorter- versus longer-term environment on fungal richness. Results: Fungal richness varied significantly across different land-use types, with highest richness in forests and lowest in urban areas. Latitudinal trends supported a unimodal pattern in diversity across Europe. Temperature, both annual mean and range, was positively correlated with richness, indicating the importance of seasonality in increasing richness amounts. Precipitation seasonality notably affected saprotrophic fungal diversity (a unimodal relationship), as did daily precipitation of the collection day (negatively correlated). Ectomycorrhizal fungal richness differed from that of saprotrophs by being positively associated with tree species richness. Discussion: Our results demonstrate that fungal richness is strongly correlated with land use and climate conditions, especially concerning seasonality, and that ongoing global change processes will affect fungal richness patterns at large scales.</p

European mushroom assemblages are darker in cold climates

Abstract: Thermal melanism theory states that dark-colored ectotherm organisms are at an advantage at low temperature due to increased warming. This theory is generally supported for ectotherm animals, however, the function of colors in the fungal kingdom is largely unknown. Here, we test whether the color lightness of mushroom assemblages is related to climate using a dataset of 3.2 million observations of 3,054 species across Europe. Consistent with the thermal melanism theory, mushroom assemblages are significantly darker in areas with cold climates. We further show differences in color phenotype between fungal lifestyles and a lifestyle differentiated response to seasonality. These results indicate a more complex ecological role of mushroom colors and suggest functions beyond thermal adaption. Because fungi play a crucial role in terrestrial carbon and nutrient cycles, understanding the links between the thermal environment, functional coloration and species’ geographical distributions will be critical in predicting ecosystem responses to global warming

European mushroom assemblages are darker in cold climates

Abstract: Thermal melanism theory states that dark-colored ectotherm organisms are at an advantage at low temperature due to increased warming. This theory is generally supported for ectotherm animals, however, the function of colors in the fungal kingdom is largely unknown. Here, we test whether the color lightness of mushroom assemblages is related to climate using a dataset of 3.2 million observations of 3,054 species across Europe. Consistent with the thermal melanism theory, mushroom assemblages are significantly darker in areas with cold climates. We further show differences in color phenotype between fungal lifestyles and a lifestyle differentiated response to seasonality. These results indicate a more complex ecological role of mushroom colors and suggest functions beyond thermal adaption. Because fungi play a crucial role in terrestrial carbon and nutrient cycles, understanding the links between the thermal environment, functional coloration and species’ geographical distributions will be critical in predicting ecosystem responses to global warming

Links between genetic groups, indole alkaloid profiles and ecology within the grass-parasitic claviceps purpurea species complex

The grass parasitic fungus Claviceps purpurea sensu lato produces sclerotia with toxic indole alkaloids. It constitutes several genetic groups with divergent habitat preferences that recently were delimited into separate proposed species. We aimed to 1) analyze genetic variation of C. purpurea sensu lato in Norway, 2) characterize the associated indole alkaloid profiles, and 3) explore relationships between genetics, alkaloid chemistry and ecology. Approximately 600 sclerotia from 14 different grass species were subjected to various analyses including DNA sequencing and HPLC-MS. Molecular results, supported by chemical and ecological data, revealed one new genetic group (G4) in addition to two of the three known; G1 (C. purpurea sensu stricto) and G2 (C. humidiphila). G3 (C. spartinae) was not found. G4, which was apparently con-specific with the recently described C. arundinis sp. nov, was predominantly found in very wet habitats on Molinia caerulea and infrequently in saline habitats on Leymus arenarius. Its indole-diterpene profile resembled G2, while its ergot alkaloid profile differed from G2 in high amounts of ergosedmam. In contrast to G1, indole-diterpenes were consistently present in G2 and G4. Our study supports and complements the newly proposed species delimitation of the C. purpurea complex, but challenges some species characteristics including host spectrum, habitat preferences and sclerotial floating ability

Substrate affinities of wood decay fungi are foremost structured by wood properties not climate

Wood decomposing fungi differ in their substrate affinities, but to what extent factors like wood properties influence host specialization, compared to climate, is largely unknown. In this study, we analysed British field observations of 61 common wood decay species associated with 41 tree and shrub genera. While white rot fungi ranged from low-to high-substrate affinity, brown rot fungi were exclusively mid-to high-affinity. White rot fungi associated with dead fallen wood demonstrated the least substrate affinity. The composition of wood decomposer fungi was mostly structured by substrate properties, sorted between angiosperms and conifers. Any relationships with temporal and regional climate variability were of far less significance, but did predict community-based and substrate-usage host shifts, especially for fungi on fallen deadwood. Our results demonstrate that substrate shifts by wood-decay fungi will depend primarily upon their degree of affinity to, and the distribution of, related woody genera, followed less at regional levels by climate impacts

XIX. Nordiske Mykologiske Kongress i Steinkjer 2009

XIX Nordisk mykologisk kongress ble arrangert i Steinkjer fra 1. til 6. september 2009. Til sammen 75 deltakere fra 10 land var samlet. Steinkjer og Nord-Trøndelag ble valgt blant annet på grunn av stor variasjon i sopprike habitater, og at området er møtested for flere soppgeografiske elementer med for eksempel nordlige utposter for sørlige og sørøstlige arter. Både gran- og furudominerte kalkbarskoger, boreal regnskog, rike alm-hassellier og gammel barskog med mye død ved var prioriterte habitater. Særlig var kalkbarskoger på Snåsa-kalken i Steinkjer og Snåsa vurdert som spesielt interessante i forkant av kongressen. The XIX Nordic Mycological Congress was arranged in Steinkjer 1st to 6th September 2009, with 75 participants from 10 countries. Steinkjer and the surrounding municipalities in Nord- Trøndelag County, Central Norway, were chosen because of the great variation in habitats and many different myco-geographical elements represented in the area. Moreover some northernmost localities for southern or south-eastern species were found. Calcareous coniferous forests with Norway spruce or Scotch pine, boreal rain forests, rich steep forests dominated by elm and hazel and old growth coniferous forests with much dead wood were our first choice as excursion localities. Of special interest were the coniferous forests on the “Snåsa limestones” in the municipalities of Steinkjer and Snåsa.Stiftelsen Clara Lachmanns Fond, Sverige og Universitetet i Oslo, Biologisk institutt og Naturhistorisk museu