Connecting the multiple dimensions of global soil fungal diversity

How the multiple facets of soil fungal diversity vary worldwide remains virtually unknown, hindering the management of this essential species-rich group. By sequencing high-resolution DNA markers in over 4000 topsoil samples from natural and human-altered ecosystems across all continents, we illustrate the distributions and drivers of different levels of taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of fungi and their ecological groups. We show the impact of precipitation and temperature interactions on local fungal species richness (alpha diversity) across different climates. Our findings reveal how temperature drives fungal compositional turnover (beta diversity) and phylogenetic diversity, linking them with regional species richness (gamma diversity). We integrate fungi into the principles of global biodiversity distribution and present detailed maps for biodiversity conservation and modeling of global ecological processes

BioDATA - Biodiversity Data for Internationalisation in Higher Education

BioDATA is an international project on developing skills in biodiversity data management and data publishing. Between 2018 and 2021, undergraduate and postgraduate students from Armenia, Belarus, Tajikistan, and Ukraine, have an opportunity to take part in the intensive courses to become certified professionals in biodiversity data management. They will gain practical skills and obtain appropriate knowledge on: international data standards (Darwin Core); data cleaning software, data publishing software such as the Integrated Publishing Toolkit (IPT), and preparation of data papers. Working with databases, creating datasets, managing data for statistical analyses and publishing research papers are essential for the everyday tasks of a modern biologist. At the same time, these skills are rarely taught in higher education. Most of the contemporary professionals in biodiversity have to gain these skills independently, through colleagues, or through supervision. In addition, all the participants familiarize themselves with one of the important international research data infrastructures such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). The project is coordinated by the University of Oslo (Norway) and supported by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). The project is funded by the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (DIKU)

Global patterns in endemicity and vulnerability of soil fungi

Fungi are highly diverse organisms, which provide multiple ecosystem services. However, compared with charismatic animals and plants, the distribution patterns and conservation needs of fungi have been little explored. Here, we examined endemicity patterns, global change vulnerability and conservation priority areas for functional groups of soil fungi based on six global surveys using a high-resolution, long-read metabarcoding approach. We found that the endemicity of all fungi and most functional groups peaks in tropical habitats, including Amazonia, Yucatan, West-Central Africa, Sri Lanka, and New Caledonia, with a negligible island effect compared with plants and animals. We also found that fungi are predominantly vulnerable to drought, heat and land-cover change, particularly in dry tropical regions with high human population density. Fungal conservation areas of highest priority include herbaceous wetlands, tropical forests, and woodlands. We stress that more attention should be focused on the conservation of fungi, especially root symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi in tropical regions as well as unicellular early-diverging groups and macrofungi in general. Given the low overlap between the endemicity of fungi and macroorganisms, but high conservation needs in both groups, detailed analyses on distribution and conservation requirements are warranted for other microorganisms and soil organisms

Global patterns in endemicity and vulnerability of soil fungi

Fungi are highly diverse organisms, which provide multiple ecosystem services. However, compared with charismatic animals and plants, the distribution patterns and conservation needs of fungi have been little explored. Here, we examined endemicity patterns, global change vulnerability and conservation priority areas for functional groups of soil fungi based on six global surveys using a high-resolution, long-read metabarcoding approach. We found that the endemicity of all fungi and most functional groups peaks in tropical habitats, including Amazonia, Yucatan, West-Central Africa, Sri Lanka, and New Caledonia, with a negligible island effect compared with plants and animals. We also found that fungi are predominantly vulnerable to drought, heat and land-cover change, particularly in dry tropical regions with high human population density. Fungal conservation areas of highest priority include herbaceous wetlands, tropical forests, and woodlands. We stress that more attention should be focused on the conservation of fungi, especially root symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi in tropical regions as well as unicellular early-diverging groups and macrofungi in general. Given the low overlap between the endemicity of fungi and macroorganisms, but high conservation needs in both groups, detailed analyses on distribution and conservation requirements are warranted for other microorganisms and soil organisms

Connecting the multiple dimensions of global soil fungal diversity

How the multiple facets of soil fungal diversity vary worldwide remains virtually unknown, hindering the management of this essential species-rich group. By sequencing high-resolution DNA markers in over 4000 topsoil samples from natural and human-altered ecosystems across all continents, we illustrate the distributions and drivers of different levels of taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of fungi and their ecological groups. We show the impact of precipitation and temperature interactions on local fungal species richness (alpha diversity) across different climates. Our findings reveal how temperature drives fungal compositional turnover (beta diversity) and phylogenetic diversity, linking them with regional species richness (gamma diversity). We integrate fungi into the principles of global biodiversity distribution and present detailed maps for biodiversity conservation and modeling of global ecological processes

Genus Aconitum (Ranunculaceae) in the Ukrainian Carpathians and adjacent territories

The dataset represents a comprehensive collection of occurrence records concerning the genus Aconitum (Ranunculaceae) in the Ukrainian Carpathians and adjacent territories. It is based primarily on the results of critical revision of the main herbarium collections of the Carpathian region (i.e. LW, LWS, LWKS, KRA, KRAM, CHER, KW, UU and KWHU). Besides this, the dataset contains the data parsed (and taxonomically revised) from the published materials and other available sources (e.g. Karel Domin's Card Index).In total, 2,280 occurrence records of the genus Aconitum representatives distributed in the Ukrainian Carpathians were published

Genus Aconitum (Ranunculaceae) in the Ukrainian Carpathians and adjacent territories

The dataset represents a comprehensive collection of occurrence records concerning the genus Aconitum (Ranunculaceae) in the Ukrainian Carpathians and adjacent territories. It is based primarily on the results of critical revision of the main herbarium collections of the Carpathian region (i.e. LW, LWS, LWKS, KRA, KRAM, CHER, KW, UU and KWHU). Besides this, the dataset contains the data parsed (and taxonomically revised) from the published materials and other available sources (e.g. Karel Domin's Card Index).In total, 2,280 occurrence records of the genus Aconitum representatives distributed in the Ukrainian Carpathians were published

Reference-based checklist of gilled Agaricales (Basidiomycota, Fungi) from Ukraine

Agaricales is the largest order within the class Agaricomycetes (Basidiomycota, Fungi). Most genera have a gilled (lamellate) basidiomata, though gasteroid, secotioid and cyphelloid fruit bodies also occur in several families and genera. Although gilled Agaricales (usually called "agarics") are the most investigated part of the Fungi, the last summary of their diversity in Ukraine was published back in 1996 and needs to be updated. Only several families have undergone an in-depth review over the last 30 years. Most of the data on species occurrences distributed throughout Ukraine are only partially digitised, under-represented on the Web and published primarily in Ukrainian sources.Here, we provide the list of the 1201 scientific names of gilled Agaricales (species and infraspecific taxon ranks) ever reported from the territory of Ukraine, based on the more than 300 sources published from 1900 to 2021, as well as digitised collection specimens from three mycological collections. For each taxon mentioned in the checklist, we provide references to either known collection specimens or published sources, where researchers can find more information about the records – 8797 records in total

Reference-based checklist of gilled Agaricales (Basidiomycota, Fungi) from Ukraine

Agaricales is the largest order within the class Agaricomycetes (Basidiomycota, Fungi). Most genera have a gilled (lamellate) basidiomata, though gasteroid, secotioid and cyphelloid fruit bodies also occur in several families and genera. Although gilled Agaricales (usually called "agarics") are the most investigated part of the Fungi, the last summary of their diversity in Ukraine was published back in 1996 and needs to be updated. Only several families have undergone an in-depth review over the last 30 years. Most of the data on species occurrences distributed throughout Ukraine are only partially digitised, under-represented on the Web and published primarily in Ukrainian sources.Here, we provide the list of the 1201 scientific names of gilled Agaricales (species and infraspecific taxon ranks) ever reported from the territory of Ukraine, based on the more than 300 sources published from 1900 to 2021, as well as digitised collection specimens from three mycological collections. For each taxon mentioned in the checklist, we provide references to either known collection specimens or published sources, where researchers can find more information about the records – 8797 records in total

Biogeography of Fungal Communities Associated with Pinus sylvestris L. and Picea abies (L.) H. Karst. along the Latitudinal Gradient in Europe

We assessed the diversity and composition of fungal communities in different functional tissues and the rhizosphere soil of Pinus sylvestris and Picea abies stands along the latitudinal gradient of these tree species distributions in Europe to model possible changes in fungal communities imposed by climate change. For each tree species, living needles, shoots, roots, and the rhizosphere soil were sampled and subjected to high-throughput sequencing. Results showed that the latitude and the host tree species had a limited effect on the diversity and composition of fungal communities, which were largely explained by the environmental variables of each site and the substrate they colonize. The mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation had a strong effect on root fungal communities, isothermality on needle fungal communities, mean temperature of the warmest quarter and precipitation of the driest month on shoot fungal communities, and precipitation seasonality on soil fungal communities. Fungal communities of both tree species are predicted to shift to habitats with a lower annual temperature amplitude and with increasing precipitation during the driest month, but the suitability of these habitats as compared to the present conditions is predicted to decrease in the future