Formation of Ponderosa Pine Ectomycorrhizae after Inoculation with Feces of Tassel-Eared Squirrels

Kotter, Martha M.; Farentinos, R. C.

doi:10.2307/3793237

Cited by 37 publications

(26 citation statements)

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“…Unfortunately, little is known to explain these results as, unlike endomycorrhizae (Gange 1993), zootrophic dispersal of ectomycorrhizae has been widely documented only with small mammals (Trappe 1988, Kotter & Farentinos 1984, Reddell & Spain 1991. Generally, the reported results confirmed that earthworms have an important role in spreading soil fungi in forests, and that such activity can depend on both the ecological grouping of the three species involved, and the fungal concentration, widening the knowledge on the ecologic dynamics related to forest plants' health within the soil.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Potential spread of forest soil-borne fungi through earthworm consumption and casting

Montecchio¹,

Scattolin²,

Squartini³

et al. 2015

iForest

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© iForest -Biogeosciences and Forestry IntroductionSince the late 1940s, there has been a growing interest in soil mycology and soilborne fungal diseases of plants, motivating studies on soil fungi and their ecology (Subramanian 1982, 1986, Carroll & Wicklow 1992. Such fungi are involved in many plant-soil relationships, including water and nutrient uptake and cycling, plant disease expression or suppression. From a functional standpoint, such fungi can be grouped according to energy derivation: (i) decomposers (saprotrophic), utilizing dead organic material, sometimes acting antagonistically with others; (ii) mutualists (mycorrhizal), colonizing plant roots, supplying soil nutrients and protection against root parasites in exchange for sugars and possibly other components; (iii) parasites, reducing the growth of plant structures or causing diseases by acting as pathogens.Relationships among soil-borne fungal species involved in forest plant fitness are complex, in that expansion and spread of one population versus another linked and associated with other variables (e.g., plant susceptibility, soil pH, temperature, humidity) may lead to changes in plant health. In line with well-known biocontrol strategies (Butt et al. 2001), a parasitic species can seldom express its full pathogenicity against a plant when sufficient mutualistic and/or antagonistic species are present outside of, or within, the rhizosphere (Tousson et al. 1970, Laflamme 2010. The rhizosphere represents a peculiar ecological niche: a common physiological stress on a healthy plant (e.g., an unusual drought period) can easily be reflected in different root exudates, such as sugars and other components, which are important signals of the plant vigor to rhizosphere inhabitants. In this way, a multifaceted dynamic of microbiological interactions, which may awaken their resting stages or chemotactically attract their mobile propagating organs, could lead to establishment of root diseases (e.g., by Phytophthora, Armillaria, Fusarium, Nectria, Verticillium species), the most dangerous in forestry (Manion 1981). In an established forest soil, decomposer fungi (sometimes with an antagonistic behavior against other microorganisms, including parasites, such as Trichoderma) are commonly present both within and outside of the rhizosphere. By contrast, mutualistic fungi, usually in the rhizosphere (e.g., Laccaria, Pisolithus, Suillus, Xerocomus), can produce toxic metabolites, inhibiting infection by parasitic fungi or physically masking root tips (Smith & Read 2008). Therefore, the higher is fungal abundance, dispersal rate and positive synergistic effects useful to plants (by decomposers and mutualists), the lower the probability of root disease is likely to be.Soil fungi represent a large biomass in the soil (Ingham et al. 1989), providing a rich and abundant resource for fungivorous soil invertebrates (Hågvar & Kjøndal 1981, Takeda & Ichimura 1983, Visser 1985. Among the latter, earthworms have an active role in soil ecology, altering soil structure, water...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Potential spread of forest soil-borne fungi through earthworm consumption and casting

Montecchio¹,

Scattolin²,

Squartini³

et al. 2015

iForest

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“…Hypogeous fungi produce odors that attract rodents and marsupials that dig up the sporocarps, consume them and disperse their spores when they defecate (Thiers, 1984;Johnson, 1996;Luoma et al, 2003). Spores in feces are viable and have been shown to successfully yield mycorrhizas on seedlings (Kotter & Farentinos, 1984;Claridge et al, 1992;Colgan & Claridge, 2002). Small mammals on the Oregon dunes ecosystem, particularly the Townsend chipmunk (Tamias townsendii) and the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), preferentially eat Rhizopogon sporocarps (Ashkannejhad, 2003).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Ectomycorrhizal ecology under primary succession on coastal sand dunes: interactions involving Pinus contorta, suilloid fungi and deer

2005

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Summary• Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) are critical for pine establishment under primary succession. The species of EMF supporting primary successional pine seedlings on coastal sand dunes and mechanisms for their establishment were investigated.• Fungi were identified from ectomycorrhizal roots using molecular techniques. Field seedlings were collected from forested and nonforested zones. Laboratory seedlings were grown in soils collected from the same zones, and in sterile soils inoculated with fresh and 1-yr-old dry deer fecal pellets.• Suilloid fungi were frequently observed on all seedlings. A diverse group of fungi was available to seedlings in forested zones. A less diverse group of fungi was available to field seedlings in nonforested zones and all laboratory bioassay seedlings. Deer fecal inoculant yielded an average of two EMF per seedling. Both Suillus and Rhizopogon species dominated seedlings inoculated with fresh deer feces, but only Rhizopogon species dominated seedlings inoculated with 1-yr-old feces.• Suilloid fungi are dispersed by deer, produce resistant spore banks and are the principle fungi supporting seedlings on the sand dunes.

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“…In addition, although animals may release spores into the air when preying upon the truffle, probably of greater importance is that spores are ingested and dispersed via feces (Johnson 1996). Several studies showed not only that spores are viable after passing through the animals' guts, but this process may actually promote germination (Kotter andFarentinos 1984, Cork andKenagy 1989). We found that mean EM spore counts in the feces of two species of small mammals remained constant across treatments.…”

Section: Community Functional Responses To Disturbancementioning

confidence: 64%

“…We were particularly interested in these species because they were found to be major players in consuming truffles in other systems (Pyare and Longland 2001) and were the most abundant small mammals in our study (excluding deer mice). Furthermore, we wanted to understand the role of species associated with open forest structure, because abundant research on tassel-eared squirrels confirms that the species disperses EM fungi and suggests the role is tied to dense forest conditions (Kotter and Farentinos 1984, States et al 1988, Dodd et al 2003. Thus, golden-mantled ground squirrels, chipmunks, and tassel-eared squirrels may compensate for one another in providing this ecosystem function.…”

Section: Community Functional Responses To Disturbancementioning

confidence: 99%

Small mammal community maintains stability through compensatory dynamics after restoration of a ponderosa pine forest

Kalies

Covington

2012

Ecosphere

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Citation: Kalies, E. L., and W. W. Covington. 2012. Small mammal community maintains stability through compensatory dynamics after restoration of a ponderosa pine forest. Ecosphere 3(9):78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES12-00143.1Abstract. Ecosystem stability has been of increasing interest in the past several decades as it helps predict the consequences of anthropogenic disturbances on ecosystems. Species may exhibit stability through compensation, with greatly fluctuating populations year to year but a consistent density response over time. Stability is increased when species with similar functional roles compensate for one another by responding differently to environmental change. In restoration projects, the objective is to restore stability by altering ecosystem composition, structure, and function to resemble natural (''reference'') conditions. We assessed the success of ecological restoration treatments by examining the structural and functional responses of the small mammal community before and after treatment, and compared to reference conditions. We used Royle density models to examine the responses of eight species of small mammals to restoration (thinning) treatments in ponderosa pine forests to determine if the community maintained total density, biomass, and function (represented by ectomycorrhizal fungi dispersion) after disturbance. Community composition differed in each of 6 years following treatment, but total density and biomass remained constant, suggesting the community is a stable prey base for predators. In addition, goldenmantled ground squirrels (Spermophilus lateralis) and gray-collared chipmunks (Tamias cinereicollis) appeared to play a similar role in dispersing ectomycorrhizal fungi across different forest structures. Both total species density and biomass were greater after thinning than in unthinned stands, and were similar to reference stands. These results suggest that although species composition changes from year to year after disturbance, restoration treatments can maintain ecosystem stability in terms of small mammal community-level properties.

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Formation of Ponderosa Pine Ectomycorrhizae after Inoculation with Feces of Tassel-Eared Squirrels

Cited by 37 publications

References 0 publications

Potential spread of forest soil-borne fungi through earthworm consumption and casting

Potential spread of forest soil-borne fungi through earthworm consumption and casting

Ectomycorrhizal ecology under primary succession on coastal sand dunes: interactions involving Pinus contorta, suilloid fungi and deer

Small mammal community maintains stability through compensatory dynamics after restoration of a ponderosa pine forest

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