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Amor MD, Barmos S, Cameron H, Hartnett C, Hodgens N, Jamieson LT, May TW, McMullan-Fisher S, Robinson A, Rutter NJ. On the trail of a critically endangered fungus: A world-first application of wildlife detection dogs to fungal conservation. iScience 2024; 27:109729. [PMID: 38799073 PMCID: PMC11123565 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Plant and animal conservation have benefited from the assistance of wildlife detection dogs (WDDs) since 1890, but their application to fungal conservation has not been trialed. In a world-first, we tested the effectiveness of WDDs and human surveyors when searching for experimentally outplanted fungi in natural habitat. We focused on a critically endangered fungus from Australia, Hypocreopsis amplectens, and showed that a WDD outperformed a human surveyor: our WDD detected a greater proportion of targets, had a faster time to first discovery, and had fewer false negatives. Our study highlights the tremendous potential for WDDs to enhance fungal conservation by demonstrating their utility in one of the most challenging fungal systems: a rare species with low population densities and low volatility. Our findings suggest that the application of WDDs to fungal conservation should enhance continuing efforts to document and conserve an understudied kingdom that is threatened by habitat loss and climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D. Amor
- Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
- Department of Aquatic Zoology, Western Australian Museum, Welshpool, WA 6106, Australia
| | - Shari Barmos
- Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Hayley Cameron
- Centre for Geometric Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | | | | | | | - Tom W. May
- Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
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Vabuolė E, Juzėnas S, Kutorga E. Habitat Diversity, Environmental Conditions, and Distribution of Endangered Fungus Sarcosoma globosum (Ascomycota) in Lithuania. J Fungi (Basel) 2024; 10:263. [PMID: 38667934 PMCID: PMC11051098 DOI: 10.3390/jof10040263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Sarcosoma globosum (Pezizales, Ascomycota) is a rare and endangered fungus, and it is believed to be extinct in most central European countries. Known records of S. globosum in Lithuania reveal that it is situated on the south-western edge of a shrinking geographical distribution range in Europe. An assessment of the species' current habitat conditions and threats could enhance and provide new knowledge and guidelines to facilitate the efficient conservation of this threatened fungus and its habitats. The main aim of this study was to analyse the habitats and environmental conditions of S. globosum in Lithuania. We examined the diversity of habitats, various soil and tree stand characteristics, forest management activities, and natural disturbances in all 28 known fungus localities. S. globosum habitats in Lithuania are restricted to coniferous forests with the presence of Picea abies; the species was observed in boreo-nemoral bilberry western spruce taiga (the European Nature Information System habitat type T3F14), continental tall-herb western spruce taiga (T3F44), and native fir, spruce, larch, and cedar plantations (T3N1). An analysis of forest stand age structures in Lithuanian S. globosum localities revealed a rather large proportion of young Norway spruce stands of cultural origin (25.6% of study plots were assigned to age classes from 21 to 50 years); nevertheless, the majority of fungus growth sites were situated in older forests. Various natural and anthropogenic disturbances that threaten S. globosum habitats were assessed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eglė Vabuolė
- Department of Botany and Genetics, Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio Ave. 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania; (S.J.); (E.K.)
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Fryar S, Catcheside D. Freshwater ascomycetes from southern Australia : Melanascomaceae fam. nov., Melanascoma panesporagen. et. sp. nov., and Pleurotheciumbruniussp. nov. Fungal Syst Evol 2023; 11:85-93. [PMID: 38532935 PMCID: PMC10964405 DOI: 10.3114/fuse.2023.11.07] [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: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
During a survey of freshwater fungi in temperate southern Australia, two new taxa were found, Melanascoma panespora and Pleurothecium brunius. Morphological and molecular data place Melanascoma panespora in the Diaporthomycetidae representing a new genus. Melanascoma, along with Proliferophorum and Paraproliferophorum, form a new lineage and the family Melanascomaceae is introduced. Phylogenetic analyses using ITS, 28S, and 18S nrRNA gene sequences,, along with morphological examination revealed Pleurothecium brunius to be a new species of Pleurothecium, sister to P. aquaticum. Citation: Fryar SC, Catcheside DEA (2023). Freshwater ascomycetes from southern Australia: Melanascomaceae fam. nov., Melanascoma panespora gen. et. sp. nov., and Pleurothecium brunius sp. nov. Fungal Systematics and Evolution 11: 85-93. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2023.11.07.
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Affiliation(s)
- S.C. Fryar
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, G.P.O. Box 2100, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia
| | - D.E.A. Catcheside
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, G.P.O. Box 2100, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia
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Wainhouse M, Boddy L. Making hollow trees: Inoculating living trees with wood-decay fungi for the conservation of threatened taxa - A guide for conservationists. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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Bazzicalupo A, Gonçalves SC, Hébert R, Jakob S, Justo A, Kernaghan G, Lebeuf R, Malloch B, Thorn RG, Walker AK. Macrofungal conservation in Canada and target species for assessment: a starting point. Facets (Ott) 2022. [DOI: 10.1139/facets-2021-0180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the ecological importance of fungi, we still know little about their diversity in Canada. One of the largest hurdles to implementing fungal conservation initiatives is the lack of fungal distribution data. As anthropogenic impacts accelerate the speed of environmental change, it is imperative that we fill this major information gap, critical for fungal protection. To gain insight on the conservation status of Canadian macrofungi, we took advantage of the large and growing body of fungal biodiversity data from government research ( Wild Species 2020), citizen science, trained independent mycologists, university, and museum biodiversity research. The majority of macrofungi are data deficient; we do not know their geographic distribution or habitat requirements, occurrence, or abundance in Canada. For mushrooms that fruit only a few days of the year and are often difficult to positively identify, there is a lot of work to overcome the uncertainty of distinguishing under-sampling from rarity. Our work stresses the importance of building a strong network of professional and amateur mycologists to develop resources, disseminate information to make educated decisions, and advance conservation actions. We found that several fungi can be prioritized; we present a short list for consideration for formal conservation assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Bazzicalupo
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Susana C. Gonçalves
- Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Rémi Hébert
- Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Government of Canada, Gatineau, QC K1A 0H3, Canada
| | - Sigrid Jakob
- New York Mycological Society, New York, NY 11215, USA
| | - Alfredo Justo
- New Brunswick Museum, Saint John, NB E2K 1E5, Canada
| | - Gavin Kernaghan
- Department of Biology, Mount St. Vincent University, Halifax, NS B3M 2J6, Canada
| | - Renée Lebeuf
- Cercle des Mycologues de Lanaudière et de la Mauricie, L’Assomption, QC J5W 1G6, Canada
| | - Bruce Malloch
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - R. Greg Thorn
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Allison K. Walker
- Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada
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Lofgren LA, Stajich JE. Fungal biodiversity and conservation mycology in light of new technology, big data, and changing attitudes. Curr Biol 2021; 31:R1312-R1325. [PMID: 34637742 PMCID: PMC8516061 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Fungi have successfully established themselves across seemingly every possible niche, substrate, and biome. They are fundamental to biogeochemical cycling, interspecies interactions, food production, and drug bioprocessing, as well as playing less heroic roles as difficult to treat human infections and devastating plant pathogens. Despite community efforts to estimate and catalog fungal diversity, we have only named and described a minute fraction of the fungal world. The identification, characterization, and conservation of fungal diversity is paramount to preserving fungal bioresources, and to understanding and predicting ecosystem cycling and the evolution and epidemiology of fungal disease. Although species and ecosystem conservation are necessarily the foundation of preserving this diversity, there is value in expanding our definition of conservation to include the protection of biological collections, ecological metadata, genetic and genomic data, and the methods and code used for our analyses. These definitions of conservation are interdependent. For example, we need metadata on host specificity and biogeography to understand rarity and set priorities for conservation. To aid in these efforts, we need to draw expertise from diverse fields to tie traditional taxonomic knowledge to data obtained from modern -omics-based approaches, and support the advancement of diverse research perspectives. We also need new tools, including an updated framework for describing and tracking species known only from DNA, and the continued integration of functional predictions to link genetic diversity to functional and ecological diversity. Here, we review the state of fungal diversity research as shaped by recent technological advancements, and how changing viewpoints in taxonomy, -omics, and systematics can be integrated to advance mycological research and preserve fungal biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lotus A Lofgren
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California-Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
| | - Jason E Stajich
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California-Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
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Wang W, Sun J, Zhong Z, Xiao L, Wang Y, Wang H. Relating macrofungal diversity and forest characteristics in boreal forests in China: Conservation effects, inter-forest-type variations, and association decoupling. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:13268-13282. [PMID: 34646468 PMCID: PMC8495802 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
QUESTION How conservation and forest type affect macrofungal compositional diversity is not well understood. Even less is known about macrofungal associations with plants, soils, and geoclimatic conditions. LOCATION Southern edge of boreal forest distribution in China, named as Huzhong Nature Reserve. METHODS We surveyed a total of 72 plots for recording macrofungi, plants, and topography in 2015 and measured soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and bulk density. Effects of conservation and forest types on macrofungi and plants were compared, and their associations were decoupled by structural equation modeling (SEM) and redundancy ordination (RDA). RESULTS Conservation and forest type largely shaped macrofungal diversity. Most of the macrofungal traits declined with the conservation intensities or peaked at the middle conservation region. Similarly, 91% of macrofungal traits declined or peaked in the middle succession stage of birch-larch forests. Forest conservation resulted in the observation of sparse, larch-dominant, larger tree forests. Moreover, the soil outside the Reserve had more water, higher fertility, and lower bulk density, showing miscellaneous wood forest preference. There is a complex association between conservation site characteristics, soils, plants, and macrofungi. Variation partitioning showed that soil N was the top-one factor explaining the macrofungal variations (10%). As shown in SEM coefficients, conservation effect to macrofungi (1.1-1.2, p < .05) was like those from soils (1.2-1.6, p < .05), but much larger than the effect from plants (0.01-0.14, p > .10). For all tested macrofungal traits, 89%-97% of their variations were from soils, and 5%-21% were from conservation measures, while plants compensated 1%-10% of these effects. Our survey found a total of 207 macrofungal species, and 65 of them are new updates in this Reserve, indicating data shortage for the macrofungi list here. CONCLUSION Our findings provide new data for the joint conservation of macrofungi and plant communities, highlighting the crucial importance of soil matrix for macrofungal conservation in boreal forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjie Wang
- Urban Forests and Wetlands groupNortheast Institute of Geography and AgroecologyChinese Academy of ScienceChangchunChina
- Key Laboratory of Forest Plant EcologyMinistry of EducationNortheast Forestry UniversityHarbinChina
| | - Jingxue Sun
- Key Laboratory of Forest Plant EcologyMinistry of EducationNortheast Forestry UniversityHarbinChina
| | - Zhaoliang Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Forest Plant EcologyMinistry of EducationNortheast Forestry UniversityHarbinChina
| | - Lu Xiao
- Urban Forests and Wetlands groupNortheast Institute of Geography and AgroecologyChinese Academy of ScienceChangchunChina
| | - Yuanyuan Wang
- Urban Forests and Wetlands groupNortheast Institute of Geography and AgroecologyChinese Academy of ScienceChangchunChina
| | - Huimei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Plant EcologyMinistry of EducationNortheast Forestry UniversityHarbinChina
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8
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Colletotrichum species and complexes: geographic distribution, host range and conservation status. FUNGAL DIVERS 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s13225-021-00491-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Nic Lughadha E, Bachman SP, Leão TCC, Forest F, Halley JM, Moat J, Acedo C, Bacon KL, Brewer RFA, Gâteblé G, Gonçalves SC, Govaerts R, Hollingsworth PM, Krisai‐Greilhuber I, Lirio EJ, Moore PGP, Negrão R, Onana JM, Rajaovelona LR, Razanajatovo H, Reich PB, Richards SL, Rivers MC, Cooper A, Iganci J, Lewis GP, Smidt EC, Antonelli A, Mueller GM, Walker BE. Extinction risk and threats to plants and fungi. PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET 2020; 2:389-408. [PMID: 0 DOI: 10.1002/ppp3.10146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Steven P. Bachman
- Conservation Science Department Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond UK
| | | | - Félix Forest
- Analytical Methods Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond UK
| | - John M. Halley
- Laboratory of Ecology Department of Biological Applications & Technology University of Ioannina Ioannina Greece
| | - Justin Moat
- Bioinformatics and Spatial Analysis Department Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond UK
| | - Carmen Acedo
- Department of Biodiversity and Environment Management Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences Campus of Vegazana University of León León Spain
| | - Karen L. Bacon
- Botany & Plant Sciences School of Natural Sciences National University of Ireland Galway Ireland
| | - Ryan F. A. Brewer
- Conservation Science Department Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond UK
| | - Gildas Gâteblé
- Equipe ARBOREAL Institut Agronomique néo‐Calédonien Mont‐Dore New Caledonia
| | - Susana C. Gonçalves
- Centre for Functional Ecology Department of Life Sciences University of Coimbra Coimbra Portugal
| | - Rafaël Govaerts
- Bioinformatics and Spatial Analysis Department Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond UK
| | | | - Irmgard Krisai‐Greilhuber
- Mycology Research Group Division of Systematic and Evolutionary Biology Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Elton J. Lirio
- Departamento de Botânica Instituto de Biociências Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo Brazil
| | | | - Raquel Negrão
- Conservation Science Department Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond UK
| | - Jean Michel Onana
- Systematics, Biodiversity and Conservation of Plants Faculty of Science University of Yaoundé I & National Herbarium of Cameroon Yaoundé Cameroon
| | - Landy R. Rajaovelona
- Conservation Science Department Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond UK
- Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre Antananarivo Madagascar
| | - Henintsoa Razanajatovo
- Conservation Science Department Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond UK
- Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre Antananarivo Madagascar
| | - Peter B. Reich
- Department of Forest Resources University of Minnesota St. Paul MN USA
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment Western Sydney University Penrith NSW Australia
| | | | | | - Amanda Cooper
- Bioinformatics and Spatial Analysis Department Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond UK
- Department of Biological Sciences Royal HollowayUniversity of London Egham UK
| | - João Iganci
- Instituto de Biologia Departamento de Botânica Universidade Federal de Pelotas Pelotas Brazil
- Instituto de Biociências Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Botânica Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Porto Alegre Brazil
| | - Gwilym P. Lewis
- Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond UK
| | - Eric C. Smidt
- Departamento de Botânica Universidade Federal do Paraná Curitiba Brazil
| | - Alexandre Antonelli
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond UK
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
| | - Gregory M. Mueller
- Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action Chicago Botanic Garden Chicago IL USA
| | - Barnaby E. Walker
- Conservation Science Department Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond UK
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Piepenbring M, Maciá-Vicente JG, Codjia JEI, Glatthorn C, Kirk P, Meswaet Y, Minter D, Olou BA, Reschke K, Schmidt M, Yorou NS. Mapping mycological ignorance - checklists and diversity patterns of fungi known for West Africa. IMA Fungus 2020; 11:13. [PMID: 32699745 PMCID: PMC7341642 DOI: 10.1186/s43008-020-00034-y] [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] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Scientific information about biodiversity distribution is indispensable for nature conservation and sustainable management of natural resources. For several groups of animals and plants, such data are available, but for fungi, especially in tropical regions like West Africa, they are mostly missing. Here, information for West African countries about species diversity of fungi and fungus-like organisms (other organisms traditionally studied by mycologists) is compiled from literature and analysed in its historical context for the first time. More than 16,000 records of fungi representing 4843 species and infraspecific taxa were found in 860 publications relating to West Africa. Records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) database (2395 species), and that of the former International Mycological Institute fungal reference collection (IMI) (2526 species) were also considered. The compilation based on literature is more comprehensive than the GBIF and IMI data, although they include 914 and 679 species names, respectively, which are not present in the checklist based on literature. According to data available in literature, knowledge on fungal richness ranges from 19 species (Guinea Bissau) to 1595 (Sierra Leone). In estimating existing species diversity, richness estimators and the Hawksworth 6:1 fungus to plant species ratio were used. Based on the Hawksworth ratio, known fungal diversity in West Africa represents 11.4% of the expected diversity. For six West African countries, however, known fungal species diversity is less than 2%. Incomplete knowledge of fungal diversity is also evident by species accumulation curves not reaching saturation, by 45.3% of the fungal species in the checklist being cited only once for West Africa, and by 66.5% of the fungal species in the checklist reported only for a single country. The documentation of different systematic groups of fungi is very heterogeneous because historically investigations have been sporadic. Recent opportunistic sampling activities in Benin showed that it is not difficult to find specimens representing new country records. Investigation of fungi in West Africa started just over two centuries ago and it is still in an early pioneer phase. To promote proper exploration, the present checklist is provided as a tool to facilitate fungal identification in this region and to aid conceptualisation and justification of future research projects. Documentation of fungal diversity is urgently needed because natural habitats are being lost on a large scale through altered land use and climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meike Piepenbring
- Department of Mycology, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Biologicum, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jose G Maciá-Vicente
- Department of Mycology, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Biologicum, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jean Evans I Codjia
- Research Unit Tropical Mycology and Plant-Soil Fungi Interactions, Faculty of Agronomy, University of Parakou, BP 123 Parakou, Benin.,Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201 China
| | - Carola Glatthorn
- Department of Mycology, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Biologicum, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Paul Kirk
- Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, Richmond, Surrey UK
| | - Yalemwork Meswaet
- Department of Mycology, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Biologicum, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - David Minter
- CABI International, Bakeham Lane, Egham, Surrey TW20 9TY UK
| | - Boris Armel Olou
- Research Unit Tropical Mycology and Plant-Soil Fungi Interactions, Faculty of Agronomy, University of Parakou, BP 123 Parakou, Benin.,Department of Ecology, University of Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Str. 40, Kassel, Germany
| | - Kai Reschke
- Department of Mycology, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Biologicum, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Marco Schmidt
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Palmengarten der Stadt Frankfurt am Main, Siesmayerstr. 61, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Nourou Soulemane Yorou
- Research Unit Tropical Mycology and Plant-Soil Fungi Interactions, Faculty of Agronomy, University of Parakou, BP 123 Parakou, Benin
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Moose RA, Schigel D, Kirby LJ, Shumskaya M. Dead wood fungi in North America: an insight into research and conservation potential. NATURE CONSERVATION 2019. [DOI: 10.3897/natureconservation.32.30875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Saproxylic fungi act as keystone species in forest ecosystems because they colonise and decompose dead wood, facilitating colonisation by later species. Here, we review the importance of intact forest ecosystems to dead wood fungi, as well as trends in their diversity research and challenges in conservation. Saproxylic communities are sensitive to transition from virgin forests to managed ecosystems, since the latter often results in reduced tree diversity and the removal of their natural habitat dead wood. The impact of dead wood management can be quite significant since many saproxylic fungi are host-specific. The significance of citizen science and educational programmes for saproxylic mycology is discussed with the emphasis on the North American region. We intend to raise the awareness of the role that dead wood fungi play in forest health in order to support development of corresponding conservational programmes.
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