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Shamjana U, Vasu DA, Hembrom PS, Nayak K, Grace T. The role of insect gut microbiota in host fitness, detoxification and nutrient supplementation. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek 2024; 117:71. [PMID: 38668783 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-024-01970-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Insects are incredibly diverse, ubiquitous and have successfully flourished out of the dynamic and often unpredictable nature of evolutionary processes. The resident microbiome has accompanied the physical and biological adaptations that enable their continued survival and proliferation in a wide array of environments. The host insect and microbiome's bidirectional relationship exhibits their capability to influence each other's physiology, behavior and characteristics. Insects are reported to rely directly on the microbial community to break down complex food, adapt to nutrient-deficit environments, protect themselves from natural adversaries and control the expression of social behavior. High-throughput metagenomic approaches have enhanced the potential for determining the abundance, composition, diversity and functional activities of microbial fauna associated with insect hosts, enabling in-depth investigation into insect-microbe interactions. We undertook a review of some of the major advances in the field of metagenomics, focusing on insect-microbe interaction, diversity and composition of resident microbiota, the functional capability of endosymbionts and discussions on different symbiotic relationships. The review aims to be a valuable resource on insect gut symbiotic microbiota by providing a comprehensive understanding of how insect gut symbionts systematically perform a range of functions, viz., insecticide degradation, nutritional support and immune fitness. A thorough understanding of manipulating specific gut symbionts may aid in developing advanced insect-associated research to attain health and design strategies for pest management.
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Affiliation(s)
- U Shamjana
- Department of Genomic Science, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, 671316, India
| | - Deepa Azhchath Vasu
- Department of Genomic Science, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, 671316, India
| | - Preety Sweta Hembrom
- Department of Genomic Science, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, 671316, India
| | - Karunakar Nayak
- Department of Genomic Science, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, 671316, India
| | - Tony Grace
- Department of Genomic Science, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, 671316, India.
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2
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Schrader L, Trautner J, Tebbe CC. Identifying environmental factors affecting the microbial community composition on outdoor structural timber. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2024; 108:254. [PMID: 38446240 PMCID: PMC10917859 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-024-13089-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Timber wood is a building material with many positive properties. However, its susceptibility to microbial degradation is a major challenge for outdoor usage. Although many wood-degrading fungal species are known, knowledge on their prevalence and diversity causing damage to exterior structural timber is still limited. Here, we sampled 46 decaying pieces of wood from outdoor constructions in the area of Hamburg, Germany; extracted their DNA; and investigated their microbial community composition by PCR amplicon sequencing of the fungal ITS2 region and partial bacterial 16S rRNA genes. In order to establish a link between the microbial community structure and environmental factors, we analysed the influence of wood species, its C and N contents, the effect of wood-soil contact, and the importance of its immediate environment (city, forest, meadow, park, respectively). We found that fungal and bacterial community composition colonising exterior timber was similar to fungi commonly found in forest deadwood. Of all basidiomycetous sequences retrieved, some, indicative for Perenniporia meridionalis, Dacrymyces capitatus, and Dacrymyces stillatus, were more frequently associated with severe wood damage. Whilst the most important environmental factor shaping fungal and bacterial community composition was the wood species, the immediate environment was important for fungal species whilst, for the occurrence of bacterial taxa, soil contact had a high impact. No influence was tangible for variation of the C or N content. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that wood colonising fungal and bacterial communities are equally responsive in their composition to wood species, but respond differently to environmental factors. KEY POINTS: • Perenniporia meridionalis and Dacrymyces are frequently associated with wood damage • Fungal community composition on timber is affected by its surrounding environment • Bacterial community composition on structural timber is affected by soil contact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauritz Schrader
- Thünen Institute of Wood Research, Leuschnerstraße 91, 21031, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jochen Trautner
- Thünen Institute of Wood Research, Leuschnerstraße 91, 21031, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christoph C Tebbe
- Thünen Institute of Biodiversity, Bundesallee 65, 38116, Brunswick, Germany.
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3
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Zou JY, Cadotte MW, Bässler C, Brandl R, Baldrian P, Borken W, Stengel E, Luo YH, Müller J, Seibold S. Wood decomposition is increased by insect diversity, selection effects, and interactions between insects and microbes. Ecology 2023; 104:e4184. [PMID: 37787980 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Biodiversity drives ecosystem processes, but its influence on deadwood decomposition is poorly understood. To test the effects of insect diversity on wood decomposition, we conducted a mesocosm experiment manipulating the species richness and functional diversity of beetles. We applied a novel approach using computed tomography scanning to quantify decomposition by insects and recorded fungal and bacterial communities. Decomposition rates increased with both species richness and functional diversity of beetles, but the effects of functional diversity were linked to beetle biomass, and to the presence of one large-bodied species in particular. This suggests that mechanisms behind observed biodiversity effects are the selection effect, which is linked to the occurrence probability of large species, and the complementarity effect, which is driven by functional differentiation among species. Additionally, beetles had significant indirect effects on wood decomposition via bacterial diversity, fungal community composition, and fungal biomass. Our experiment shows that wood decomposition is driven by beetle diversity and its interactions with bacteria and fungi. This highlights that both insect and microbial biodiversity are critical to maintaining ecosystem functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Yun Zou
- School of Life Sciences, Ecosystem Dynamics and Forest Management Research Group, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
- CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Marc W Cadotte
- Biological Sciences, University of Toronto-Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Claus Bässler
- Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
- Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- Ecology of Fungi, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Roland Brandl
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Ecology, Animal Ecology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Petr Baldrian
- Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Werner Borken
- Department of Soil Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Elisa Stengel
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Ya-Huang Luo
- CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Jörg Müller
- Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Seibold
- School of Life Sciences, Ecosystem Dynamics and Forest Management Research Group, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
- Technische Universität Dresden, Forest Zoology, Tharandt, Germany
- Berchtesgaden National Park, Berchtesgaden, Germany
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4
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Pioli S, Clagnan E, Chowdhury AA, Bani A, Borruso L, Ventura M, Tonon G, Brusetti L. Structural and functional microbial diversity in deadwood respond to decomposition dynamics. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:2351-2367. [PMID: 37403552 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the changes in microbial community diversities and functions in natural downed wood at different decay stages in a natural oak forest in the Italian Alps, through metagenomics analysis and in vitro analysis. Alfa diversity of bacterial communities was affected by the decay stage and log characteristics, while beta diversity was mainly driven by log diameter. Fungal and archaeal beta diversities were affected by the size of the sampled wood (log diameter), although, fungi were prominently driven by wood decay stage. The analysis of genes targeting cell wall degradation revealed higher abundances of cellulose and pectin-degrading enzymes in bacteria, while in fungi the enzymes targeting cellulose and hemicellulose were more abundant. The decay class affected the abundance of single enzymes, revealing a shift in complex hydrocarbons degradation pathways along the decay process. Moreover, we found that the genes related to Coenzyme M biosynthesis to be the most abundant especially at early stages of wood decomposition while the overall methanogenesis did not seem to be influenced by the decay stage. Intra- and inter-kingdom interactions between bacteria and fungi revealed complex pattern of community structure in response to decay stage possibly reflecting both direct and indirect interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Pioli
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano/Bozen, Bolzano/Bozen, Italy
- Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), National Research Council (CNR), Monterotondo Scalo (RM), Italy
| | - Elisa Clagnan
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano/Bozen, Bolzano/Bozen, Italy
| | - Atif Aziz Chowdhury
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano/Bozen, Bolzano/Bozen, Italy
| | - Alessia Bani
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano/Bozen, Bolzano/Bozen, Italy
| | - Luigimaria Borruso
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano/Bozen, Bolzano/Bozen, Italy
| | - Maurizio Ventura
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano/Bozen, Bolzano/Bozen, Italy
| | - Giustino Tonon
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano/Bozen, Bolzano/Bozen, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Brusetti
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano/Bozen, Bolzano/Bozen, Italy
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Mifsud IEJ, Akana PR, Bytnerowicz TA, Davis SR, Menge DNL. Nitrogen fixation in the stag beetle, Ceruchus piceus (Coleoptera: Lucanidae): could insects contribute more to ecosystem nitrogen budgets than previously thought? ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 52:618-626. [PMID: 37417547 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvad053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) is a key nutrient required by all living organisms for growth and development, but is a limiting resource for many organisms. Organisms that feed on material with low N content, such as wood, might be particularly prone to N limitation. In this study, we investigated the degree to which the xylophagous larvae of the stag beetle Ceruchus piceus (Weber) use associations with N-fixing bacteria to acquire N. We paired acetylene reduction assays by cavity ring-down absorption spectroscopy (ARACAS) with 15N2 incubations to characterize rates of N fixation within C. piceus. Not only did we detect significant N fixation activity within C. piceus larvae, but we calculated a rate that was substantially higher than most previous reports for N fixation in insects. While taking these measurements, we discovered that N fixation within C. piceus can decline rapidly in a lab setting. Consequently, our results demonstrate that previous studies, which commonly keep insects in the lab for long periods of time prior to and during measurement, may have systematically under-reported rates of N fixation in insects. This suggests that within-insect N fixation may contribute more to insect nutrition and ecosystem-scale N budgets than previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isobel E J Mifsud
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Palani R Akana
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Thomas A Bytnerowicz
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Steven R Davis
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Duncan N L Menge
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
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6
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Six DL, Biedermann PHW. Fidelity or love the one you're with? Biotic complexity and tradeoffs can drive strategy and specificity in beetle-fungus by-product mutualisms. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10345. [PMID: 37492462 PMCID: PMC10363798 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
By-product mutualisms are ubiquitous yet seldom considered in models of mutualism. Most models represent conditional mutualisms that shift between mutualism and antagonism in response to shifts in costs and benefits resulting from changes in environmental quality. However, in by-product mutualisms, benefits arise as a part of normal life processes that may be costly to produce but incur little-to-no additional costs in response to the interaction. Without costs associated with the interaction, they do not have antagonistic alternate states. Here, we present a conceptual model that differs from traditional conditional models in three ways: (1) partners exchange by-product benefits, (2) interactions do not have alternate antagonistic states, and (3) tradeoffs are allowed among factors that influence environmental quality (rather than all factors that contribute to environmental quality being combined into a single gradient ranging from high to low). We applied this model to bark and ambrosia beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae), a diverse group that associates with fungi and that has repeatedly developed two distinct pathways to by-product mutualism. We used independent axes for each major factor influencing environmental quality in these systems, including those that exhibit tradeoffs (tree defense and nutritional quality). For these symbioses, tradeoffs in these two factors are key to which mutualism pathway is taken.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana L. Six
- Department of Ecosystem and Conservation ScienceUniversity of MontanaMissoulaMontanaUSA
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7
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Schebeck M, Schopf A, Ragland GJ, Stauffer C, Biedermann PHW. Evolutionary ecology of the bark beetles Ips typographus and Pityogenes chalcographus. BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2023; 113:1-10. [PMID: 36239260 DOI: 10.1017/s0007485321000353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Ips typographus (L.) and Pityogenes chalcographus (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are two common bark beetle species on Norway spruce in Eurasia. Multiple biotic and abiotic factors affect the life cycles of these two beetles, shaping their ecology and evolution. In this article, we provide a comprehensive and comparative summary of selected life-history traits. We highlight similarities and differences in biotic factors, like host range, interspecific competition, host colonization, reproductive behaviour and fungal symbioses. Moreover, we focus on the species' responses to abiotic factors and compare their temperature-dependent development and flight behaviour, cold adaptations and diapause strategies. Differences in biotic and abiotic traits might be the result of recent, species-specific evolutionary histories, particularly during the Pleistocene, with differences in glacial survival and postglacial recolonization. Finally, we discuss future research directions to understand ecological and evolutionary pathways of the two bark beetle species, for both basic research and applied forest management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Schebeck
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, BOKU, Vienna, Austria
| | - Axel Schopf
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, BOKU, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gregory J Ragland
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado - Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Christian Stauffer
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, BOKU, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter H W Biedermann
- Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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8
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Diehl JMC, Keller A, Biedermann PHW. Comparing the succession of microbial communities throughout development in field and laboratory nests of the ambrosia beetle Xyleborinus saxesenii. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1151208. [PMID: 37152720 PMCID: PMC10159272 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1151208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Some fungus-farming ambrosia beetles rely on multiple nutritional cultivars (Ascomycota: Ophiostomatales and/or yeasts) that seem to change in relative abundance over time. The succession of these fungi could benefit beetle hosts by optimal consumption of the substrate and extended longevity of the nest. However, abundances of fungal cultivars and other symbionts are poorly known and their culture-independent quantification over development has been studied in only a single species. Here, for the first time, we compared the diversity and succession of both fungal and bacterial communities of fungus gardens in the fruit-tree pinhole borer, Xyleborinus saxesenii, from field and laboratory nests over time. By amplicon sequencing of probed fungus gardens of both nest types at three development phases we showed an extreme reduction of diversity in both bacterial and fungal symbionts in laboratory nests. Furthermore, we observed a general transition from nutritional to non-beneficial fungal symbionts during beetle development. While one known nutritional mutualist, Raffaelea canadensis, was occurring more or less stable over time, the second mutualist R. sulphurea was dominating young nests and decreased in abundance at the expense of other secondary fungi. The quicker the succession proceeded, the slower offspring beetles developed, suggesting a negative role of these secondary symbionts. Finally, we found signs of transgenerational costs of late dispersal for daughters, possibly as early dispersers transmitted and started their own nests with less of the non-beneficial taxa. Future studies should focus on the functional roles of the few bacterial taxa that were present in both field and laboratory nests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janina M. C. Diehl
- Chair of Forest Entomology and Protection, Institute of Forestry, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- Insect-Fungus Interactions Research Group, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- *Correspondence: Janina M. C. Diehl,
| | - Alexander Keller
- Faculty of Biology, Cellular and Organismic Networks, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Peter H. W. Biedermann
- Chair of Forest Entomology and Protection, Institute of Forestry, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- Peter H. W. Biedermann,
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Drag L, Burner RC, Stephan JG, Birkemoe T, Doerfler I, Gossner MM, Magdon P, Ovaskainen O, Potterf M, Schall P, Snäll T, Sverdrup‐Thygeson A, Weisser W, Müller J. High-resolution 3D forest structure explains ecomorphological trait variation in assemblages of saproxylic beetles. Funct Ecol 2023; 37:150-161. [PMID: 37064507 PMCID: PMC10092804 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Climate, topography and the 3D structure of forests are major drivers affecting local species communities. However, little is known about how the specific functional traits of saproxylic (wood-living) beetles, involved in the recycling of wood, might be affected by those environmental characteristics.Here, we combine ecological and morphological traits available for saproxylic beetles and airborne laser scanning (ALS) data in Bayesian trait-based joint species distribution models to study how traits drive the distributions of more than 230 species in temperate forests of Europe.We found that elevation (as a proxy for temperature and precipitation) and the proportion of conifers played important roles in species occurrences while variables related to habitat heterogeneity and forest complexity were less relevant. Furthermore, we showed that local communities were shaped by environmental variation primarily through their ecological traits whereas morphological traits were involved only marginally. As predicted, ecological traits influenced species' responses to forest structure, and to other environmental variation, with canopy niche, wood decay niche and host preference as the most important ecological traits. Conversely, no links between morphological traits and environmental characteristics were observed. Both models, however, revealed strong phylogenetic signal in species' response to environmental characteristics.These findings imply that alterations of climate and tree species composition have the potential to alter saproxylic beetle communities in temperate forests. Additionally, ecological traits help explain species' responses to environmental characteristics and thus should prove useful in predicting their responses to future change. It remains challenging, however, to link simple morphological traits to species' complex ecological niches. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Drag
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, BiocenterUniversity of WürzburgRauhenebrachGermany
- Institute of EntomologyBiology Centre of the Czech Academy of SciencesCeske BudejoviceCzech Republic
| | - Ryan C. Burner
- U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences CenterLa CrosseWisconsinUSA
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource ManagementNorwegian University of Life SciencesÅsNorway
| | - Jörg G. Stephan
- SLU Swedish Species Information CentreSwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsalaSweden
| | - Tone Birkemoe
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource ManagementNorwegian University of Life SciencesÅsNorway
| | - Inken Doerfler
- Institute of Biology and Environmental Science, Vegetation Science & Nature ConservationUniversity of OldenburgOldenburgGermany
| | - Martin M. Gossner
- Forest EntomologySwiss Federal Research Institute WSLBirmensdorfSwitzerland
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH ZurichInstitute of Terrestrial EcosystemsZurichSwitzerland
| | - Paul Magdon
- Forest Inventory and Remote SensingUniversity of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Otso Ovaskainen
- Department of Biological and Environmental ScienceUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research ProgrammeUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity DynamicsNorwegian University of Science and TechnologyTrondheimNorway
| | - Mária Potterf
- Department of Biological and Environmental ScienceUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
| | - Peter Schall
- Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate ZonesUniversity of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Tord Snäll
- SLU Swedish Species Information CentreSwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsalaSweden
| | - Anne Sverdrup‐Thygeson
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource ManagementNorwegian University of Life SciencesÅsNorway
| | - Wolfgang Weisser
- Department of Ecology and Ecosystem managementTechnische Universität MünchenFreising‐WeihenstephanGermany
| | - Jörg Müller
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, BiocenterUniversity of WürzburgRauhenebrachGermany
- Bavarian Forest National ParkGrafenauGermany
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10
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Diehl JMC, Kowallik V, Keller A, Biedermann PHW. First experimental evidence for active farming in ambrosia beetles and strong heredity of garden microbiomes. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221458. [PMID: 36321493 PMCID: PMC9627711 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungal cultivation is a defining feature for advanced agriculture in fungus-farming ants and termites. In a third supposedly fungus-farming group, wood-colonizing ambrosia beetles, an experimental proof for the effectiveness of beetle activity for selective promotion of their food fungi over others is lacking and farming has only been assumed based on observations of social and hygienic behaviours. Here, we experimentally removed mothers and their offspring from young nests of the fruit-tree pinhole borer, Xyleborinus saxesenii. By amplicon sequencing of bacterial and fungal communities of nests with and without beetles we could show that beetles are indeed able to actively shift symbiont communities. Although being consumed, the Raffaelea food fungi were more abundant when beetles were present while a weed fungus (Chaetomium sp.) as well as overall bacterial diversity were reduced in comparison to nests without beetles. Core symbiont communities were generally of low diversity and there were strong signs for vertical transmission not only for the cultivars, but also for secondary symbionts. Our findings verify the existence of active farming, even though the exact mechanisms underlying the selective promotion and/or suppression of symbionts need further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janina M. C. Diehl
- Chair of Forest Entomology and Protection, Institute of Forestry, University of Freiburg, Fohrenbühl 27, 79252 Stegen-Wittental, Germany
| | - Vienna Kowallik
- Chair of Forest Entomology and Protection, Institute of Forestry, University of Freiburg, Fohrenbühl 27, 79252 Stegen-Wittental, Germany
| | - Alexander Keller
- Cellular and Organismic Networks, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Grosshaderner Strasse 2-4, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Peter H. W. Biedermann
- Chair of Forest Entomology and Protection, Institute of Forestry, University of Freiburg, Fohrenbühl 27, 79252 Stegen-Wittental, Germany
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11
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Seibold S, Müller J, Allner S, Willner M, Baldrian P, Ulyshen MD, Brandl R, Bässler C, Hagge J, Mitesser O. Quantifying wood decomposition by insects and fungi using computed tomography scanning and machine learning. Sci Rep 2022; 12:16150. [PMID: 36168033 PMCID: PMC9515192 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20377-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Wood decomposition is a central process contributing to global carbon and nutrient cycling. Quantifying the role of the major biotic agents of wood decomposition, i.e. insects and fungi, is thus important for a better understanding of this process. Methods to quantify wood decomposition, such as dry mass loss, suffer from several shortcomings, such as destructive sampling or subsampling. We developed and tested a new approach based on computed tomography (CT) scanning and semi-automatic image analysis of logs from a field experiment with manipulated beetle communities. We quantified the volume of beetle tunnels in wood and bark and the relative wood volume showing signs of fungal decay and compared both measures to classic approaches. The volume of beetle tunnels was correlated with dry mass loss and clearly reflected the differences between beetle functional groups. Fungal decay was identified with high accuracy and strongly correlated with ergosterol content. Our data show that this is a powerful approach to quantify wood decomposition by insects and fungi. In contrast to other methods, it is non-destructive, covers entire deadwood objects and provides spatially explicit information opening a wide range of research options. For the development of general models, we urge researchers to publish training data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Seibold
- Ecosystem Dynamics and Forest Management Group, Technical University of Munich, 85354, Freising, Germany. .,Berchtesgaden National Park, Doktorberg 6, 83471, Berchtesgaden, Germany. .,Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Technical University of Munich, 85354, Freising, Germany.
| | - Jörg Müller
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Glashüttenstrasse 5, 96181, Rauhenebrach, Germany.,Bavarian Forest National Park, Freyungerstrasse 2, 94481, Grafenau, Germany
| | | | - Marian Willner
- MITOS GmbH, Lichtenbergstrasse 8, 85748, Garching, Germany
| | - Petr Baldrian
- Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 14220, Praha 4, Czech Republic
| | | | - Roland Brandl
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Ecology, Animal Ecology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-Von-Frisch Strasse 8, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Claus Bässler
- Bavarian Forest National Park, Freyungerstrasse 2, 94481, Grafenau, Germany.,Faculty of Biological Sciences, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jonas Hagge
- Forest Nature Conservation, Northwest German Forest Research Institute NW-FVA, 34346, Hann. Münden, Germany.,Forest Nature Conservation, Georg-August-University Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Oliver Mitesser
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Glashüttenstrasse 5, 96181, Rauhenebrach, Germany
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12
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Vazquez-Ortiz K, Pineda-Mendoza RM, González-Escobedo R, Davis TS, Salazar KF, Rivera-Orduña FN, Zúñiga G. Metabarcoding of mycetangia from the Dendroctonus frontalis species complex (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) reveals diverse and functionally redundant fungal assemblages. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:969230. [PMID: 36187976 PMCID: PMC9524821 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.969230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Dendroctonus-bark beetles are associated with microbes that can detoxify terpenes, degrade complex molecules, supplement and recycle nutrients, fix nitrogen, produce semiochemicals, and regulate ecological interactions between microbes. Females of some Dendroctonus species harbor microbes in specialized organs called mycetangia; yet little is known about the microbial diversity contained in these structures. Here, we use metabarcoding to characterize mycetangial fungi from beetle species in the Dendroctonus frontalis complex, and analyze variation in biodiversity of microbial assemblages between beetle species. Overall fungal diversity was represented by 4 phyla, 13 classes, 25 orders, 39 families, and 48 genera, including 33 filamentous fungi, and 15 yeasts. The most abundant genera were Entomocorticium, Candida, Ophiostoma-Sporothrix, Ogataea, Nakazawaea, Yamadazyma, Ceratocystiopsis, Grosmannia-Leptographium, Absidia, and Cyberlindnera. Analysis of α-diversity indicated that fungal assemblages of D. vitei showed the highest richness and diversity, whereas those associated with D. brevicomis and D. barberi had the lowest richness and diversity, respectively. Analysis of β-diversity showed clear differentiation in the assemblages associated with D. adjunctus, D. barberi, and D. brevicomis, but not between closely related species, including D. frontalis and D. mesoamericanus and D. mexicanus and D. vitei. A core mycobiome was not statistically identified; however, the genus Ceratocystiopsis was shared among seven beetle species. Interpretation of a tanglegram suggests evolutionary congruence between fungal assemblages and species of the D. frontalis complex. The presence of different amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) of the same genus in assemblages from species of the D. frontalis complex outlines the complexity of molecular networks, with the most complex assemblages identified from D. vitei, D. mesoamericanus, D. adjunctus, and D. frontalis. Analysis of functional variation of fungal assemblages indicated multiple trophic groupings, symbiotroph/saprotroph guilds represented with the highest frequency (∼31% of identified genera). These findings improve our knowledge about the diversity of mycetangial communities in species of the D. frontalis complex and suggest that minimal apparently specific assemblages are maintained and regulated within mycetangia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina Vazquez-Ortiz
- Laboratorio de Variación Biológica y Evolución, Departamento de Zoología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Rosa María Pineda-Mendoza
- Laboratorio de Variación Biológica y Evolución, Departamento de Zoología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Román González-Escobedo
- Laboratorio de Microbiología, Facultad de Zootecnia y Ecología, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico
| | - Thomas S. Davis
- Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Warner College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Kevin F. Salazar
- Laboratorio de Variación Biológica y Evolución, Departamento de Zoología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Flor N. Rivera-Orduña
- Laboratorio de Ecología Microbiana, Departamento de Microbiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
- *Correspondence: Flor N. Rivera-Orduña,
| | - Gerardo Zúñiga
- Laboratorio de Variación Biológica y Evolución, Departamento de Zoología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
- Gerardo Zúñiga,
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13
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Mycelial Beehives of HIVEOPOLIS: Designing and Building Therapeutic Inner Nest Environments for Honeybees. Biomimetics (Basel) 2022; 7:biomimetics7020075. [PMID: 35735591 PMCID: PMC9220405 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics7020075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The perceptions and definitions of healthy indoor environments have changed significantly throughout architectural history. Today, molecular biology teaches us that microbes play important roles in human health, and that isolation from them puts not only us but also other inhabitants of urban landscapes, at risk. In order to provide an environment that makes honeybees more resilient to environmental changes, we aim for combining the thermal insulation functionality of mycelium materials with bioactive therapeutic properties within beehive constructions. By identifying mycelial fungi’s interactions with nest-related materials, using digital methods to design a hive structure, and engaging in additive manufacturing, we were able to develop a set of methods for designing and fabricating a fully grown hive. We propose two digital methods for modelling 3D scaffolds for micro-super organism co-occupation scenarios: “variable-offset” and “iterative-subtraction”, followed by two inoculation methods for the biofabrication of scaffolded fungal composites. The HIVEOPOLIS project aims to diversify and complexify urban ecological niches to make them more resilient to future game changers such as climate change. The combined functions of mycelium materials have the potential to provide a therapeutic environment for honeybees and, potentially, humans in the future.
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14
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Lunde LF, Jacobsen R, Kauserud H, Boddy L, Nybakken L, Sverdrup-Thygeson A, Birkemoe T. Legacies of invertebrate exclusion and tree secondary metabolites control fungal communities in dead wood. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:3241-3253. [PMID: 35363919 PMCID: PMC9322270 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
During decomposition of organic matter, microbial communities may follow different successional trajectories depending on the initial environment and colonizers. The timing and order of the species arrival (assembly history) can lead to divergent communities through priority effects. We explored how assembly history and resource quality affected fungal communities and decay rate of decomposing wood, 1.5 and 4.5 years after tree felling. Additionally, we investigated the effect of invertebrate exclusion during the first two summers. We measured initial resource quality of bark and wood of aspen (Populus tremula) logs and surveyed the fungal communities by DNA metabarcoding at different times during succession. We found that gradients in fungal community composition were related to resource quality and discuss how this may reflect different fungal life history strategies. As with previous studies, the initial amount of bark tannins was negatively correlated with wood decomposition rate over 4.5 years. The initial fungal community explained variation in community composition after 1.5, but not 4.5 years, of succession. Although the assembly history of initial colonizers may cause alternate trajectories in successional communities, our results indicate that the communities may converge with the arrival of secondary colonizers. We also identified a strong legacy of invertebrate exclusion on fungal communities, even after 4.5 years of succession, thereby adding crucial knowledge on the importance of invertebrates in affecting fungal community development. By measuring and manipulating aspects of assembly history and resource quality that have rarely been studied, we expand our understanding of the complexity of fungal community dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Fagerli Lunde
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, 1432, Ås, Norway
| | - Rannveig Jacobsen
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, 1432, Ås, Norway.,Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), 0855, Oslo, Norway
| | - Håvard Kauserud
- University of Oslo, Section for Genetics and Evolutionary Biology (EVOGENE), 0316, Oslo, Norway
| | - Lynne Boddy
- Cardiff University, School of Biosciences, Cardiff, UK
| | - Line Nybakken
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, 1432, Ås, Norway
| | - Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, 1432, Ås, Norway
| | - Tone Birkemoe
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, 1432, Ås, Norway
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15
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The contribution of insects to global forest deadwood decomposition. Nature 2021; 597:77-81. [PMID: 34471275 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03740-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The amount of carbon stored in deadwood is equivalent to about 8 per cent of the global forest carbon stocks1. The decomposition of deadwood is largely governed by climate2-5 with decomposer groups-such as microorganisms and insects-contributing to variations in the decomposition rates2,6,7. At the global scale, the contribution of insects to the decomposition of deadwood and carbon release remains poorly understood7. Here we present a field experiment of wood decomposition across 55 forest sites and 6 continents. We find that the deadwood decomposition rates increase with temperature, and the strongest temperature effect is found at high precipitation levels. Precipitation affects the decomposition rates negatively at low temperatures and positively at high temperatures. As a net effect-including the direct consumption by insects and indirect effects through interactions with microorganisms-insects accelerate the decomposition in tropical forests (3.9% median mass loss per year). In temperate and boreal forests, we find weak positive and negative effects with a median mass loss of 0.9 per cent and -0.1 per cent per year, respectively. Furthermore, we apply the experimentally derived decomposition function to a global map of deadwood carbon synthesized from empirical and remote-sensing data, obtaining an estimate of 10.9 ± 3.2 petagram of carbon per year released from deadwood globally, with 93 per cent originating from tropical forests. Globally, the net effect of insects may account for 29 per cent of the carbon flux from deadwood, which suggests a functional importance of insects in the decomposition of deadwood and the carbon cycle.
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16
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Schapheer C, Pellens R, Scherson R. Arthropod-Microbiota Integration: Its Importance for Ecosystem Conservation. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:702763. [PMID: 34408733 PMCID: PMC8365148 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.702763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent reports indicate that the health of our planet is getting worse and that genuine transformative changes are pressing. So far, efforts to ameliorate Earth's ecosystem crises have been insufficient, as these often depart from current knowledge of the underlying ecological processes. Nowadays, biodiversity loss and the alterations in biogeochemical cycles are reaching thresholds that put the survival of our species at risk. Biological interactions are fundamental for achieving biological conservation and restoration of ecological processes, especially those that contribute to nutrient cycles. Microorganism are recognized as key players in ecological interactions and nutrient cycling, both free-living and in symbiotic associations with multicellular organisms. This latter assemblage work as a functional ecological unit called "holobiont." Here, we review the emergent ecosystem properties derived from holobionts, with special emphasis on detritivorous terrestrial arthropods and their symbiotic microorganisms. We revisit their relevance in the cycling of recalcitrant organic compounds (e.g., lignin and cellulose). Finally, based on the interconnection between biodiversity and nutrient cycling, we propose that a multicellular organism and its associates constitute an Ecosystem Holobiont (EH). This EH is the functional unit characterized by carrying out key ecosystem processes. We emphasize that in order to meet the challenge to restore the health of our planet it is critical to reduce anthropic pressures that may threaten not only individual entities (known as "bionts") but also the stability of the associations that give rise to EH and their ecological functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constanza Schapheer
- Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Silvoagropecuarias y Veterinarias, Campus Sur Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Laboratorio de Sistemática y Evolución, Departamento de Silvicultura y Conservación de la Naturaleza, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Roseli Pellens
- UMR 7205, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Ecole Pratique de Hautes Etudes, Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité, Sorbonne Université, Université des Antilles, Paris, France
| | - Rosa Scherson
- Laboratorio de Sistemática y Evolución, Departamento de Silvicultura y Conservación de la Naturaleza, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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17
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Moreira EA, Persinoti GF, Menezes LR, Paixão DAA, Alvarez TM, Cairo JPLF, Squina FM, Costa-Leonardo AM, Rodrigues A, Sillam-Dussès D, Arab A. Complementary Contribution of Fungi and Bacteria to Lignocellulose Digestion in the Food Stored by a Neotropical Higher Termite. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.632590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Lignocellulose digestion in termites is achieved through the functional synergy between gut symbionts and host enzymes. However, some species have evolved additional associations with nest microorganisms that collaborate in the decomposition of plant biomass. In a previous study, we determined that plant material packed with feces inside the nests of Cornitermes cumulans (Syntermitinae) harbors a distinct microbial assemblage. These food nodules also showed a high hemicellulolytic activity, possibly acting as an external place for complementary lignocellulose digestion. In this study, we used a combination of ITS sequence analysis, metagenomics, and metatranscriptomics to investigate the presence and differential expression of genes coding for carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZy) in the food nodules and the gut of workers and soldiers. Our results confirm that food nodules express a distinct set of CAZy genes suggesting that stored plant material is initially decomposed by enzymes that target the lignin and complex polysaccharides from fungi and bacteria before the passage through the gut, where it is further targeted by a complementary set of cellulases, xylanases, and esterases produced by the gut microbiota and the termite host. We also showed that the expression of CAZy transcripts associated to endoglucanases and xylanases was higher in the gut of termites than in the food nodules. An additional finding in this study was the presence of fungi in the termite gut that expressed CAZy genes. This study highlights the importance of externalization of digestion by nest microbes and provides new evidence of complementary digestion in the context of higher termite evolution.
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18
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Meyer S, Rusterholz H, Baur B. Saproxylic insects and fungi in deciduous forests along a rural-urban gradient. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:1634-1652. [PMID: 33613995 PMCID: PMC7882972 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Urbanization is increasing worldwide and is regarded a major threat to biodiversity in forests. As consequences of intensive human use, the vegetation structure of naturally growing urban forests and their amount of deadwood can be reduced. Deadwood is an essential resource for various saproxylic insects and fungi. We assessed the effects of urbanization and forest characteristics on saproxylic insects and fungi. We exposed standardized bundles consisting of each three freshly cut beech and oak branches in 25 forests along a rural-urban gradient in Basel (Switzerland). After an exposure of 8 months, we extracted the saproxylic insects for 10 months using an emergence trap for each bundle. We used drilling chips from each branch to determine fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs). In all, 193,534 insect individuals emerged from the experimental bundles. Our study showed that the abundance of total saproxylic insects, bark beetles, longhorn beetles, total flies, moths, and ichneumonid wasps decreased with increasing degree of urbanization, but not their species richness. However, the taxonomic composition of all insect groups combined was altered by wood moisture of branches and that of saproxylic beetles was influenced by the degree of urbanization. Unexpectedly, forest size and local forest characteristics had a minor effect on saproxylic insects. ITS (internal transcribed spacer of rDNA) analysis with fungal specific primers revealed a total of 97 fungal OTUs on the bundles. The number of total fungal OTUs decreased with increasing degree of urbanization and was affected by the volume of naturally occurring fine woody debris. The composition of fungal OTUs was altered by the degree of urbanization and pH of the branch wood. As a consequence of the altered compositions of saproxylics, the association between total saproxylic insects and fungi changed along the rural-urban gradient. Our study shows that urbanization can negatively impact saproxylic insects and fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandro Meyer
- Department of Environmental SciencesSection of Conservation BiologyUniversity of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Hans‐Peter Rusterholz
- Department of Environmental SciencesSection of Conservation BiologyUniversity of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Bruno Baur
- Department of Environmental SciencesSection of Conservation BiologyUniversity of BaselBaselSwitzerland
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19
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Runnel K, Miettinen O, Lõhmus A. Polypore fungi as a flagship group to indicate changes in biodiversity - a test case from Estonia. IMA Fungus 2021; 12:2. [PMID: 33461627 PMCID: PMC7812660 DOI: 10.1186/s43008-020-00050-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Polyporous fungi, a morphologically delineated group of Agaricomycetes (Basidiomycota), are considered well studied in Europe and used as model group in ecological studies and for conservation. Such broad interest, including widespread sampling and DNA based taxonomic revisions, is rapidly transforming our basic understanding of polypore diversity and natural history. We integrated over 40,000 historical and modern records of polypores in Estonia (hemiboreal Europe), revealing 227 species, and including Polyporus submelanopus and P. ulleungus as novelties for Europe. Taxonomic and conservation problems were distinguished for 13 unresolved subgroups. The estimated species pool exceeds 260 species in Estonia, including at least 20 likely undescribed species (here documented as distinct DNA lineages related to accepted species in, e.g., Ceriporia, Coltricia, Physisporinus, Sidera and Sistotrema). Four broad ecological patterns are described: (1) polypore assemblage organization in natural forests follows major soil and tree-composition gradients; (2) landscape-scale polypore diversity homogenizes due to draining of peatland forests and reduction of nemoral broad-leaved trees (wooded meadows and parks buffer the latter); (3) species having parasitic or brown-rot life-strategies are more substrate-specific; and (4) assemblage differences among woody substrates reveal habitat management priorities. Our update reveals extensive overlap of polypore biota throughout North Europe. We estimate that in Estonia, the biota experienced ca. 3-5% species turnover during the twentieth century, but exotic species remain rare and have not attained key functions in natural ecosystems. We encourage new regional syntheses on long studied fungal groups to obtain landscape-scale understanding of species pools, and for elaborating fungal indicators for biodiversity assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kadri Runnel
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise 46, 51005, Tartu, Estonia.
| | - Otto Miettinen
- Botanical Unit (Mycology), Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Unioninkatu 44, 00170, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Asko Lõhmus
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise 46, 51005, Tartu, Estonia
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20
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Lehenberger M, Benkert M, Biedermann PHW. Ethanol-Enriched Substrate Facilitates Ambrosia Beetle Fungi, but Inhibits Their Pathogens and Fungal Symbionts of Bark Beetles. Front Microbiol 2021; 11:590111. [PMID: 33519728 PMCID: PMC7838545 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.590111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Bark beetles (sensu lato) colonize woody tissues like phloem or xylem and are associated with a broad range of micro-organisms. Specific fungi in the ascomycete orders Hypocreales, Microascales and Ophistomatales as well as the basidiomycete Russulales have been found to be of high importance for successful tree colonization and reproduction in many species. While fungal mutualisms are facultative for most phloem-colonizing bark beetles (sensu stricto), xylem-colonizing ambrosia beetles are long known to obligatorily depend on mutualistic fungi for nutrition of adults and larvae. Recently, a defensive role of fungal mutualists for their ambrosia beetle hosts was revealed: Few tested mutualists outcompeted other beetle-antagonistic fungi by their ability to produce, detoxify and metabolize ethanol, which is naturally occurring in stressed and/or dying trees that many ambrosia beetle species preferentially colonize. Here, we aim to test (i) how widespread beneficial effects of ethanol are among the independently evolved lineages of ambrosia beetle fungal mutualists and (ii) whether it is also present in common fungal symbionts of two bark beetle species (Ips typographus, Dendroctonus ponderosae) and some general fungal antagonists of bark and ambrosia beetle species. The majority of mutualistic ambrosia beetle fungi tested benefited (or at least were not harmed) by the presence of ethanol in terms of growth parameters (e.g., biomass), whereas fungal antagonists were inhibited. This confirms the competitive advantage of nutritional mutualists in the beetle’s preferred, ethanol-containing host material. Even though most bark beetle fungi are found in the same phylogenetic lineages and ancestral to the ambrosia beetle (sensu stricto) fungi, most of them were highly negatively affected by ethanol and only a nutritional mutualist of Dendroctonus ponderosae benefited, however. This suggests that ethanol tolerance is a derived trait in nutritional fungal mutualists, particularly in ambrosia beetles that show cooperative farming of their fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Lehenberger
- Research Group Insect-Fungus Symbiosis, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Markus Benkert
- Research Group Insect-Fungus Symbiosis, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Peter H W Biedermann
- Research Group Insect-Fungus Symbiosis, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.,Chair of Forest Entomology and Protection, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
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21
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Vindstad OPL, Birkemoe T, Ims RA, Sverdrup-Thygeson A. Environmental conditions alter successional trajectories on an ephemeral resource: a field experiment with beetles in dead wood. Oecologia 2020; 194:205-219. [PMID: 33026525 PMCID: PMC7561563 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04750-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Successional processes can be observed for many organisms and resources, but most studies of succession have focused on plants. A general framework has been proposed, advocating that successional patterns in species turnover are predominantly driven by competition, dispersal or abiotic limitation, and that the patterning of species accumulation over time gives clues to which process is most influential in a given system. We applied this framework to succession in communities of wood-living beetles, utilizing ephemeral resources in the form of 60 experimentally created dead aspen high stumps. High stumps were created at sun-exposed sites (high ambient temperature; favourable abiotic conditions) and shaded sites (low ambient temperature; abiotically limiting conditions). The sites were intermixed, ensuring similar dispersal opportunities. Beetle species richness and abundance were monitored with flight interception traps over four consecutive years. Consistent with predictions from the tested framework, several beetle functional groups accumulated species more slowly at the unfavourable shaded sites than at the favourable exposed sites. Species richness at the exposed sites increased rapidly to a plateau, consistent with a limiting effect of competition on community development. Similar results were obtained for beetle abundance and community structure. Part of the variance in beetle community structure was jointly explained by habitat and fungal community composition, suggesting that differences in the composition and developmental rate of fungal communities in the two habitats contributed to the observed patterns. Targeted experimental studies are now required to decisively establish what processes underlie the contrasting successional trajectories in the two environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ole Petter Laksforsmo Vindstad
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, Framstredet 39, 9037, Tromsø, Norway.
| | - Tone Birkemoe
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O.Box 5003, 1432, Aas, Norway
| | - Rolf Anker Ims
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, Framstredet 39, 9037, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O.Box 5003, 1432, Aas, Norway
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22
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Shayya S, Lackner T. Contribution to the knowledge of the clown beetle fauna of Lebanon, with a key to all species (Coleoptera, Histeridae). Zookeys 2020; 960:79-123. [PMID: 32884399 PMCID: PMC7445194 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.960.50186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The occurrence of histerids in Lebanon has received little specific attention. Hence, an aim to enrich the knowledge of this coleopteran family through a survey across different Lebanese regions in this work. Seventeen species belonging to the genera Atholus Thomson, 1859, Hemisaprinus Kryzhanovskij, 1976, Hister Linnaeus, 1758, Hypocacculus Bickhardt, 1914, Margarinotus Marseul, 1853, Saprinus Erichson, 1834, Tribalus Erichson, 1834, and Xenonychus Wollaston, 1864 were recorded. Specimens were sampled mainly with pitfall traps baited with ephemeral materials like pig dung, decayed fish, and pig carcasses. Several species were collected by sifting soil detritus, sand cascading, and other specialized techniques. Six newly recorded species for the Lebanese fauna are the necrophilous Hister sepulchralis Erichson, 1834, Hemisaprinus subvirescens (Ménétriés, 1832), Saprinus (Saprinus) externus (Fischer von Waldheim, 1823), Saprinus (Saprinus) figuratus Marseul, 1855, and Saprinus (Saprinus) niger (Motschulsky, 1849) all associated with rotting fish and dung, and the psammophilous Xenonychus tridens (Jacquelin du Val, 1853). With the exception of Hister sepulchralis, all these taxa belong to the Saprininae subfamily. A most likely undescribed species of Tribalus (Tribalus) (Tribalinae) has also been collected in detritus at wet places near rivers in Lebanon. Because of the complexity of the genus Tribalus, with possible numerous new species present in the circum-Mediterranean area, the Lebanese species is not described herein, pending a revision of the genus. This study advocates further research aimed at improving taxonomic and ecological knowledge of this coleopteran family in Lebanon. The number of Histeridae species currently known from Lebanon stands at 41; a key to all species including images is included.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salman Shayya
- Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Science and Technology, Beirut, LebanonAmerican University of Science and TechnologyBeirutLebanon
| | - Tomáš Lackner
- Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Münchhausenstraße 21, 81247 Munich, GermanyBavarian State Collection of ZoologyMunichGermany
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23
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Müller J, Ulyshen M, Seibold S, Cadotte M, Chao A, Bässler C, Vogel S, Hagge J, Weiß I, Baldrian P, Tláskal V, Thorn S. Primary determinants of communities in deadwood vary among taxa but are regionally consistent. OIKOS 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.07335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jörg Müller
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Dept of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, Univ. of Würzburg Glashüttenstraße 5 DE‐96181 Rauhenebrach Germany
- Bavarian Forest National Park Grafenau Germany
| | - Mike Ulyshen
- USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station Athens GA USA
| | - Sebastian Seibold
- Dept of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Technical Univ. of Munich Freising Germany
- Berchtesgaden National Park Berchtesgaden Germany
| | - Marc Cadotte
- Dept of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Toronto–Scarborough Toronto ON Canada
| | - Anne Chao
- Inst. of Statistics, National Tsing Hua Univ. Hsin‐Chu Taiwan
| | - Claus Bässler
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Dept of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, Univ. of Würzburg Glashüttenstraße 5 DE‐96181 Rauhenebrach Germany
- Bavarian Forest National Park Grafenau Germany
- Dept of Biodiversity Conservation, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main Germany
| | - Sebastian Vogel
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Dept of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, Univ. of Würzburg Glashüttenstraße 5 DE‐96181 Rauhenebrach Germany
| | - Jonas Hagge
- Forest Nature Conservation, Georg‐August‐Univ. Göttingen Göttingen Germany
| | - Ingmar Weiß
- Bavarian Forest National Park Grafenau Germany
| | - Petr Baldrian
- Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Inst. of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Prague Czech Republic
| | - Vojtěch Tláskal
- Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Inst. of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Prague Czech Republic
| | - Simon Thorn
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Dept of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, Univ. of Würzburg Glashüttenstraße 5 DE‐96181 Rauhenebrach Germany
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24
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Bartnik C, Michalcewicz J, Ledwich D, Ciach M. Mycobiota of Dead Ulmus glabra Wood as Breeding Material for the Endangered Rosalia alpina (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). POLISH JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.3161/15052249pje2020.68.1.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Czesław Bartnik
- Department of Forest Ecosystem Protection, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Kraków, al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Kraków, Poland
| | - Jakub Michalcewicz
- Department of Forest Ecosystem Protection, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Kraków, al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Kraków, Poland
| | - Dominika Ledwich
- Department of Forest Ecosystem Protection, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Kraków, al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Kraków, Poland
| | - Michał Ciach
- Department of Forest Biodiversity, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Kraków, al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Kraków, Poland
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25
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Gómez-Brandón M, Probst M, Siles JA, Peintner U, Bardelli T, Egli M, Insam H, Ascher-Jenull J. Fungal communities and their association with nitrogen-fixing bacteria affect early decomposition of Norway spruce deadwood. Sci Rep 2020; 10:8025. [PMID: 32415174 PMCID: PMC7228967 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64808-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Deadwood decomposition is relevant in nature and wood inhabiting fungi (WIF) are its main decomposers. However, climate influence on WIF community and their interactions with bacteria are poorly understood. Therefore, we set up an in-field mesocosm experiment in the Italian Alps and monitored the effect of slope exposure (north- vs. south-facing slope) on the decomposition of Picea abies wood blocks and their microbiome over two years. Unlike fungal richness and diversity, we observed compositional and functional differences in the WIF communities as a function of exposure. Wood-degrading operational taxonomic units (OTUs) such as Mycena, and mycorrhizal and endophytic OTUs were characteristic of the south-facing slope. On the north-facing one, Mucoromycota, primarily Mucor, were abundant and mixotrophic basidiomycetes with limited lignin-degrading capacities had a higher prevalence compared to the southern slope. The colder, more humid conditions and prolonged snow-coverage at north exposure likely influenced the development of the wood-degrading microbial communities. Networks between WIF and N2-fixing bacteria were composed of higher numbers of interacting microbial units and showed denser connections at the south-facing slope. The association of WIF to N2-fixing Burkholderiales and Rhizobiales could have provided additional competitive advantages, especially for early wood colonization.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Gómez-Brandón
- Grupo de Ecoloxía Animal (GEA), Universidade de Vigo, E-36310, Vigo, Spain.
- Department of Microbiology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstraβe 25, A-6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - Maraike Probst
- Department of Microbiology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstraβe 25, A-6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - José A Siles
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Ursula Peintner
- Department of Microbiology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstraβe 25, A-6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Tommaso Bardelli
- Department of Microbiology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstraβe 25, A-6020, Innsbruck, Austria
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agrarie, Alimentari, Ambientali e Forestali (DAGRI), University of Florence, Piazzale delle Cascine 18, I-50144, Florence, Italy
- Council for Research and Experimentation in Agriculture (CREA-ZA), Via A. Lombardo 11, I-26900, Lodi, Italy
| | - Markus Egli
- Department of Geography, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstraße 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Heribert Insam
- Department of Microbiology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstraβe 25, A-6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Judith Ascher-Jenull
- Department of Microbiology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstraβe 25, A-6020, Innsbruck, Austria
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26
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Abstract
The evolution of a mutualism requires reciprocal interactions whereby one species provides a service that the other species cannot perform or performs less efficiently. Services exchanged in insect-fungus mutualisms include nutrition, protection, and dispersal. In ectosymbioses, which are the focus of this review, fungi can be consumed by insects or can degrade plant polymers or defensive compounds, thereby making a substrate available to insects. They can also protect against environmental factors and produce compounds antagonistic to microbial competitors. Insects disperse fungi and can also provide fungal growth substrates and protection. Insect-fungus mutualisms can transition from facultative to obligate, whereby each partner is no longer viable on its own. Obligate dependency has (a) resulted in the evolution of morphological adaptations in insects and fungi, (b) driven the evolution of social behaviors in some groups of insects, and (c) led to the loss of sexuality in some fungal mutualists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter H W Biedermann
- Research Group Insect-Fungus Symbiosis, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany;
| | - Fernando E Vega
- Sustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, Maryland 20705, USA;
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27
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Wetherbee R, Birkemoe T, Skarpaas O, Sverdrup‐Thygeson A. Hollow oaks and beetle functional diversity: Significance of surroundings extends beyond taxonomy. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:819-831. [PMID: 32015846 PMCID: PMC6988526 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Veteran hollow oaks (Quercus spp.) are keystone structures hosting high insect diversity but are declining in numbers due to intensification of land use and the abandonment of traditional management. The loss of this vital habitat is resulting in a reduction of biodiversity, and this likely has consequences for ecosystem functioning, especially if functional diversity is reduced. A considerable amount of research has been done on predictors of beetle taxonomic diversity in veteran oaks, but predictors of functional diversity have remained largely unexplored. The aim of this study was to establish whether the features and surroundings of veteran oaks are related to functional diversity within three functional groups of beetles (decomposers, predators, and flower visitors) and determine whether species richness and functional diversity within the groups are dependent on the same predictors. Sampling was carried out intermittently between 2004 and 2011 on 61 veteran oaks in Southern Norway. Of the 876 beetle species that were collected, 359 were determined to be decomposers, 284 were predators, and 85 were flower visitors. Species richness and functional diversity in all groups were consistently higher in traps mounted on veteran oaks in forests than in open landscapes. However, additional predictors differed between groups, and for species richness and functional diversity. Decomposer species richness responded to tree vitality, while functional diversity responded to habitat connectivity, predator species richness responded to regrowth of shrubs while functional diversity responded to tree circumference, and flower visitor richness and functional diversity did not respond to any additional predictors. Previous studies have found that the features and surroundings of veteran oaks are important for conservation of taxonomic diversity, and the results from this study indicate that they are also important for functional diversity within multiple functional groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross Wetherbee
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource ManagementNorwegian University of Life SciencesAasNorway
| | - Tone Birkemoe
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource ManagementNorwegian University of Life SciencesAasNorway
| | - Olav Skarpaas
- Natural History MuseumUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA)OsloNorway
| | - Anne Sverdrup‐Thygeson
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource ManagementNorwegian University of Life SciencesAasNorway
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28
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Peris D, Rust J. Cretaceous beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) in amber: the palaeoecology of this most diverse group of insects. Zool J Linn Soc 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Beetles, the most successful group of invertebrates on Earth, have a worldwide distribution and an outstanding fossil record. In addition, they are well known as inclusions in fossil resin. In historical studies of fossil material, specimens were often named and described without placing the taxa in an ecological context. However, the research philosophy for fossil beetles has changed over the past few years. In this article, we summarize the palaeoecological interpretations of fossil beetles from Cretaceous ambers, which includes species from 69 families, most of which were described during the last 3 years. By analysing current habits of those families, we argue that saproxylicity was the most common feeding strategy for these fossil beetles. More specifically, fungivorous species appear to dominate. In contrast, we find only anecdotal evidence for the presence of wood-boring groups, and it is thus necessary to identify alternative abiotic or biotic processes that are responsible for the copious resin production at this time. Finally, the recent description of some beetles as gymnosperm pollinators during the Cretaceous lends more weight to the importance of amber studies in addressing the role of beetles in the evolution of pollination strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Peris
- Institut für Geowissenschaften und Meteorologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jes Rust
- Institut für Geowissenschaften und Meteorologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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