Airborne DNA reveals predictable spatial and seasonal dynamics of fungi

Fungi are among the most diverse and ecologically important kingdoms in life. However, the distributional ranges of fungi remain largely unknown as do the ecological mechanisms that shape their distributions. To provide an integrated view of the spatial and seasonal dynamics of fungi, we implemented a globally distributed standardized aerial sampling of fungal spores. The vast majority of operational taxonomic units were detected within only one climatic zone, and the spatiotemporal patterns of species richness and community composition were mostly explained by annual mean air temperature. Tropical regions hosted the highest fungal diversity except for lichenized, ericoid mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi, which reached their peak diversity in temperate regions. The sensitivity in climatic responses was associated with phylogenetic relatedness, suggesting that large-scale distributions of some fungal groups are partially constrained by their ancestral niche. There was a strong phylogenetic signal in seasonal sensitivity, suggesting that some groups of fungi have retained their ancestral trait of sporulating for only a short period. Overall, our results show that the hyperdiverse kingdom of fungi follows globally highly predictable spatial and temporal dynamics, with seasonality in both species richness and community composition increasing with latitude. Our study reports patterns resembling those described for other major groups of organisms, thus making a major contribution to the long-standing debate on whether organisms with a microbial lifestyle follow the global biodiversity paradigms known for macroorganisms

Madagascar : pour une meilleure adaptation de la riziculture "atriatry" aux changements climatiques; le cas de Marovoay

Version anglaise disponible dans la Bibliothèque numérique du CRDI : Madagascar : adaptive options for growing atriatry rice in the context of climate change : the case of Marovoa

Madagascar : adapting to cyclones in Madagascar's Analanjirofo region

French version available in IDRC Digital Library: Madagascar : les stratégies d'adaptation aux cyclones dans la région d'Analanjirofo, MadagascarThis bulletin showcases some adaptive solutions developed by farmers of the Analanjirofo region along with the support needed to improve their capacity to adapt to cyclone intensification. Traditional clove crops are under threat. Following cyclone events, clove trees planted on wind-exposed slopes remain leafless and unproductive for years. Participating farmers studied pepper, vanilla and coffee as substitute crops more resistant to cyclones. These have an agile support structure that can regenerate in less than a year after the passage of a storm. To ensure food security and help farmers cope with economic shifts, two varieties of short-cycle rice were also piloted in farmers’ fields

Madagascar : adaptive options for growing atriatry rice in the context of climate change : the case of Marovoay

French version available in IDRC Digital Library: Madagascar : pour une meilleure adaptation de la riziculture "atriatry" aux changements climatiques; le cas de MarovoayThe bulletin focuses on the Plain of Marovoay, encompassing 15,400 hectares of rice fields. Irrigation depends on hillside dams which are emptying faster due to shorter rainy seasons. The Climate Change Adaptation in Africa (CCAA) project “Vulnerability and Adaptation of Agricultural Systems in Madagascar” facilitated reflection among a group of farmers and the municipalities of Ankazomborona and Marovoay, to help them better adapt their rice growing to climate risks. This brief summarizes ideas that emerged from the group regarding adaptation measures taken during the project and the support needed to accompany their longer-term adaptation strategy

Madagascar : les stratégies d'adaptation aux cyclones dans la région d'Analanjirofo, Madagascar

Version anglaise disponible dans la Bibliothèque numérique du CRDI : Madagascar : adapting to cyclones in Madagascar's Analanjirofo regio

Global Spore Sampling Project: A global, standardized dataset of airborne fungal DNA

Novel methods for sampling and characterizing biodiversity hold great promise for re-evaluating patterns of life across the planet. The sampling of airborne spores with a cyclone sampler, and the sequencing of their DNA, have been suggested as an efficient and well-calibrated tool for surveying fungal diversity across various environments. Here we present data originating from the Global Spore Sampling Project, comprising 2,768 samples collected during two years at 47 outdoor locations across the world. Each sample represents fungal DNA extracted from 24 m3 of air. We applied a conservative bioinformatics pipeline that filtered out sequences that did not show strong evidence of representing a fungal species. The pipeline yielded 27,954 species-level operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Each OTU is accompanied by a probabilistic taxonomic classification, validated through comparison with expert evaluations. To examine the potential of the data for ecological analyses, we partitioned the variation in species distributions into spatial and seasonal components, showing a strong effect of the annual mean temperature on community composition