Adaptation of the Spore Discharge Mechanism in the Basidiomycota

Stolze-Rybczynski, Jessica L.; Cui, Yunluan; Stevens, M. Henry H.; Davis, Diana J.; Fischer, Mark W. F.; Money, Nicholas P.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0004163

Cited by 52 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…It is generally accepted that spore deposition is driven by meteorological conditions. In theory, the initial phase of spore dispersal of some basidiomycete mushroom-forming species involves the discharge of basidiospores from the gill by a mechanism promoted by a droplet, also known as a Buller's drop (26), which is normally stimulated by the secretion of mannitol and other sugars (27). Then, convective airflows promoted by the pileus enhance the vertical movement of these spores, which may then reach dispersive winds (28).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mushroom Emergence Detected by Combining Spore Trapping with Molecular Techniques

Castaño

Oliva

Aragón

et al. 2017

Appl Environ Microbiol

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Obtaining reliable and representative mushroom production data requires time-consuming sampling schemes. In this paper, we assessed a simple methodology to detect mushroom emergence by trapping the fungal spores of the fruiting body community in plots where mushroom production was determined weekly. We compared the performance of filter paper traps with that of funnel traps and combined these spore trapping methods with species-specific quantitative real-time PCR and Illumina MiSeq to determine the spore abundance. Significantly more MiSeq proportional reads were generated for both ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungal species using filter traps than were obtained using funnel traps. The spores of 37 fungal species that produced fruiting bodies in the study plots were identified. Spore community composition changed considerably over time due to the emergence of ephemeral fruiting bodies and rapid spore deposition (lasting from 1 to 2 weeks), which occurred in the absence of rainfall events. For many species, the emergence of epigeous fruiting bodies was followed by a peak in the relative abundance of their airborne spores. There were significant positive relationships between fruiting body yields and spore abundance in time for five of seven fungal species. There was no relationship between fruiting body yields and their spore abundance at plot level, indicating that some of the spores captured in each plot were arriving from the surrounding areas. Differences in fungal detection capacity by spore trapping may indicate different dispersal ability between fungal species. Further research can help to identify the spore rain patterns for most common fungal species.IMPORTANCE Mushroom monitoring represents a serious challenge in economic and logistical terms because sampling approaches demand extensive field work at both the spatial and temporal scales. In addition, the identification of fungal taxa depends on the expertise of experienced fungal taxonomists. Similarly, the study of fungal dispersal has been constrained by technological limitations, especially because the morphological identification of spores is a challenging and time-consuming task. Here, we demonstrate that spores from ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungal species can be identified using simple spore traps together with either MiSeq fungus-specific amplicon sequencing or species-specific quantitative real-time PCR. In addition, the proposed methodology can be used to characterize the airborne fungal community and to detect mushroom emergence in forest ecosystems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mushroom Emergence Detected by Combining Spore Trapping with Molecular Techniques

Castaño

Oliva

Aragón

et al. 2017

Appl Environ Microbiol

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“…The powered phase requires feats of engineering both in the mechanism of ejection (8)(9)(10) and in the spacing and orientation of the gills or pores (11,12). However, spore size is the only attribute whose influence on the passive phase of dispersal has been studied (13).…”

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confidence: 99%

Mushrooms use convectively created airflows to disperse their spores

Dressaire

Yamada

Song

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Thousands of basidiomycete fungal species rely on mushroom spores to spread across landscapes. It has long been thought that spores depend on favorable winds for dispersal-that active control of spore dispersal by the parent fungus is limited to an impulse delivered to the spores to carry them clear of the gill surface. Here we show that evaporative cooling of the air surrounding the pileus creates convective airflows capable of carrying spores at speeds of centimeters per second. Convective cells can transport spores from gaps that may be only 1 cm high and lift spores 10 cm or more into the air. This work reveals how mushrooms tolerate and even benefit from crowding and explains their high water needs.ooted in a host organism or patch of habitat such as a dead log, tens of thousands of species of filamentous fungi rely on spores shed from mushrooms and passively carried by the wind to disperse to new hosts or habitat patches. A single basidiomycete mushroom is capable of releasing over 1 billion spores per day (1), but it is thought that the probability of any single spore establishing a new individual is very small (2, 3). Nevertheless in the sister phylum of the basidiomycete fungi, the Ascomycota, fungi face similarly low likelihoods of dispersing successfully, but spore ejection apparatuses are highly optimized to maximize spore range (4-6), suggestive of strong selection for adaptations that increase the potential for spore dispersal.Spores disperse from basidiomycete mushrooms in two phases (7): a powered phase, in which an initial impulse delivered to the spore by a surface tension catapult carries it clear of the gill or pore surface, followed by a passive phase in which the spore drops below the pileus and is carried away by whatever winds are present in the surrounding environment. The powered phase requires feats of engineering both in the mechanism of ejection (8-10) and in the spacing and orientation of the gills or pores (11,12). However, spore size is the only attribute whose influence on the passive phase of dispersal has been studied (13). Spores are typically less than 10 μm in size, so can be borne aloft by an upward wind of only 1 cm/s (11). Buller claimed that such wind speeds are usually attained beneath fruiting bodies in nature (11): Indeed, peak upward wind velocities under grass canopies are of order 0

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“…Spore size can depend on environmental variables (Parmasto and Parmasto 1992;Williams 1959); however, spore size and shape have recently been shown to be one of the most conservative characters of fungi. Changes in spore architecture have adaptive significance as they control the distance that the spores are shot through air (Stolze-Rybczynski et al 2009). We therefore consider spore size and shape as an important and constant taxonomical character.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tomentella alpina and other tomentelloid taxa fruiting in a glacier valley

Peintner

Dämmrich²

2011

Mycol Progress

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Tomentella is a genus of resupinate basidiomycetes usually fruiting on rotten wood. Ecological studies based on molecular methods have reported many Tomentella species as mycobionts of alpine ectomycorrhizal plants, thus highlighting their importance for plant establishment and development under extreme conditions. For the first time, we report fruiting of eight tomentelloid species in an alpine site, and describe Tomentella alpina as a new species. In the rDNA ITS phylogeny, Tomentella alpina forms a distinct clade in the T. stuposa complex, from which it can be clearly separated based on spore size and shape. Closely related taxa are briefly described, and synonymy of Tomentella fungicola with T. stuposa is rejected. Tomentella alpina was found to be one of the most important mycorrhizal partners of Kobresia myosuroides, Bistorta vivipara and Salix herbacea at this alpine site. The mutualistic association with plants is a very successful life strategy for Tomentella spp. growing in primary successional habitats, where the lack of organic matter is generally a growth-limiting factor.

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Adaptation of the Spore Discharge Mechanism in the Basidiomycota

Cited by 52 publications

References 12 publications

Mushroom Emergence Detected by Combining Spore Trapping with Molecular Techniques

Mushroom Emergence Detected by Combining Spore Trapping with Molecular Techniques

Mushrooms use convectively created airflows to disperse their spores

Tomentella alpina and other tomentelloid taxa fruiting in a glacier valley

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