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Färkkilä SMA, Kiers ET, Jaaniso R, Mäeorg U, Leblanc RM, Treseder KK, Kang Z, Tedersoo L. Fluorescent nanoparticles as tools in ecology and physiology. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:2392-2424. [PMID: 34142416 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Fluorescent nanoparticles (FNPs) have been widely used in chemistry and medicine for decades, but their employment in biology is relatively recent. Past reviews on FNPs have focused on chemical, physical or medical uses, making the extrapolation to biological applications difficult. In biology, FNPs have largely been used for biosensing and molecular tracking. However, concerns over toxicity in early types of FNPs, such as cadmium-containing quantum dots (QDs), may have prevented wide adoption. Recent developments, especially in non-Cd-containing FNPs, have alleviated toxicity problems, facilitating the use of FNPs for addressing ecological, physiological and molecule-level processes in biological research. Standardised protocols from synthesis to application and interdisciplinary approaches are critical for establishing FNPs in the biologists' tool kit. Here, we present an introduction to FNPs, summarise their use in biological applications, and discuss technical issues such as data reliability and biocompatibility. We assess whether biological research can benefit from FNPs and suggest ways in which FNPs can be applied to answer questions in biology. We conclude that FNPs have a great potential for studying various biological processes, especially tracking, sensing and imaging in physiology and ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanni M A Färkkilä
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, 50411, Tartu, Estonia
| | - E Toby Kiers
- Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, NL-1081 HV, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, The Netherlands
| | - Raivo Jaaniso
- Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, W. Ostwaldi Str 1, 50411, Tartu, Tartumaa, Estonia
| | - Uno Mäeorg
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, 50411, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Roger M Leblanc
- Department of Chemistry, Cox Science Center, University of Miami, 1301 Memorial Drive, Coral Gables, FL, 33124, U.S.A
| | - Kathleen K Treseder
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, 3106 Biological Sciences III, Mail Code: 2525, 92697, Irvine, CA, U.S.A
| | - Zhenhui Kang
- Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Leho Tedersoo
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, 50411, Tartu, Estonia
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Whiteside MD, Werner GDA, Caldas VEA, Van't Padje A, Dupin SE, Elbers B, Bakker M, Wyatt GAK, Klein M, Hink MA, Postma M, Vaitla B, Noë R, Shimizu TS, West SA, Kiers ET. Mycorrhizal Fungi Respond to Resource Inequality by Moving Phosphorus from Rich to Poor Patches across Networks. Curr Biol 2019; 29:2043-2050.e8. [PMID: 31178314 PMCID: PMC6584331 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.04.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Revised: 04/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The world's ecosystems are characterized by an unequal distribution of resources [1]. Trade partnerships between organisms of different species-mutualisms-can help individuals cope with such resource inequality [2-4]. Trade allows individuals to exchange commodities they can provide at low cost for resources that are otherwise impossible or more difficult to access [5, 6]. However, as resources become increasingly patchy in time or space, it is unknown how organisms alter their trading strategies [7, 8]. Here, we show how a symbiotic fungus mediates trade with a host root in response to different levels of resource inequality across its network. We developed a quantum-dot-tracking technique to quantify phosphorus-trading strategies of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi simultaneously exposed to rich and poor resource patches. By following fluorescent nanoparticles of different colors across fungal networks, we determined where phosphorus was hoarded, relocated, and transferred to plant hosts. We found that increasing exposure to inequality stimulated trade. Fungi responded to high resource variation by (1) increasing the total amount of phosphorus distributed to host roots, (2) decreasing allocation to storage, and (3) differentially moving resources within the network from rich to poor patches. Using single-particle tracking and high-resolution video, we show how dynamic resource movement may help the fungus capitalize on value differences across the trade network, physically moving resources to areas of high demand to gain better returns. Such translocation strategies can help symbiotic organisms cope with exposure to resource inequality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D Whiteside
- Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 108, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Gijsbert D A Werner
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK; Balliol College, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3BJ, UK
| | - Victor E A Caldas
- Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 108, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands; AMOLF Institute, Science Park 104, 1098 XG Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Anouk Van't Padje
- Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 108, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Simon E Dupin
- Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 108, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Bram Elbers
- Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 108, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Milenka Bakker
- Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 108, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Gregory A K Wyatt
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Malin Klein
- Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 108, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Mark A Hink
- Section of Molecular Cytology and van Leeuwenhoek Centre for Advanced Microscopy, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Marten Postma
- Section of Molecular Cytology and van Leeuwenhoek Centre for Advanced Microscopy, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Bapu Vaitla
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ronald Noë
- Faculté Psychologie, Université de Strasbourg, 12 Rue Goethe, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Thomas S Shimizu
- AMOLF Institute, Science Park 104, 1098 XG Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Stuart A West
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - E Toby Kiers
- Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 108, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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Lohberger A, Spangenberg JE, Ventura Y, Bindschedler S, Verrecchia EP, Bshary R, Junier P. Effect of Organic Carbon and Nitrogen on the Interactions of Morchella spp. and Bacteria Dispersing on Their Mycelium. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:124. [PMID: 30881350 PMCID: PMC6405442 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study we investigated how the source of organic carbon (Corg) and nitrogen (Norg) affects the interactions between fungi of the genus Morchella and bacteria dispersing along their hyphae (fungal highways; FH). We demonstrated that bacteria using FH increase the hydrolysis of an organic nitrogen source that only the fungus can degrade. Using purified fungal exudates, we found that this increased hydrolysis was due to bacteria enhancing the activity of proteolytic enzymes produced by the fungus. The same effect was shown for various fungal and bacterial strains. The effect of this enhanced proteolytic activity on bacterial and fungal biomass production varied accordingly to the source of Corg and Norg provided. An increase in biomass for both partners 5 days post-inoculation was only attained with a Norg source that the bacterium could not degrade and when additional Corg was present in the medium. In contrast, all other combinations yielded a decrease on biomass production in the co-cultures compared to individual growth. The coupled cycling of Corg and Norg is rarely considered when investigating the role of microbial activity on soil functioning. Our results show that cycling of these two elements can be related through cross-chemical reactions in independent, albeit interacting microbes. In this way, the composition of organic material could greatly alter nutrient turnover due to its effect on the outcome of interactions between fungi and bacteria that disperse on their mycelia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Lohberger
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Laboratory of Biogeosciences, Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jorge E. Spangenberg
- Stable Isotope and Organic Geochemistry Laboratories, Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Yolanda Ventura
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Saskia Bindschedler
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Eric P. Verrecchia
- Laboratory of Biogeosciences, Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Redouan Bshary
- Laboratory of Eco-ethology, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Pilar Junier
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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Maltz MR, Treseder KK, McGuire KL. Links between plant and fungal diversity in habitat fragments of coastal shrubland. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0184991. [PMID: 28926606 PMCID: PMC5604993 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Habitat fragmentation is widespread across ecosystems, detrimentally affecting biodiversity. Although most habitat fragmentation studies have been conducted on macroscopic organisms, microbial communities and fungal processes may also be threatened by fragmentation. This study investigated whether fragmentation, and the effects of fragmentation on plants, altered fungal diversity and function within a fragmented shrubland in southern California. Using fluorimetric techniques, we assayed enzymes from plant litter collected from fragments of varying sizes to investigate enzymatic responses to fragmentation. To isolate the effects of plant richness from those of fragment size on fungi, we deployed litter bags containing different levels of plant litter diversity into the largest fragment and incubated in the field for one year. Following field incubation, we determined litter mass loss and conducted molecular analyses of fungal communities. We found that leaf-litter enzyme activity declined in smaller habitat fragments with less diverse vegetation. Moreover, we detected greater litter mass loss in litter bags containing more diverse plant litter. Additionally, bags with greater plant litter diversity harbored greater numbers of fungal taxa. These findings suggest that both plant litter resources and fungal function may be affected by habitat fragmentation’s constraints on plants, possibly because plant species differ chemically, and may thus decompose at different rates. Diverse plant assemblages may produce a greater variety of litter resources and provide more ecological niche space, which may support greater numbers of fungal taxa. Thus, reduced plant diversity may constrain both fungal taxa richness and decomposition in fragmented coastal shrublands. Altogether, our findings provide evidence that even fungi may be affected by human-driven habitat fragmentation via direct effects of fragmentation on plants. Our findings underscore the importance of restoring diverse vegetation communities within larger coastal sage scrub fragments and suggest that this may be an effective way to improve the functional capacity of degraded sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mia R. Maltz
- Center for Conservation Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Kathleen K. Treseder
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Krista L. McGuire
- Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
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