Heart rot hotel: fungal communities in red-cockaded woodpecker excavations

Jusino, Michelle A.; Lindner, Daniel L.; Banik, Mark T.; Walters, Jeffrey R.

doi:10.1016/j.funeco.2014.11.002

Cited by 41 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Many flowering plants exhibit UV-absorbing "nectar guides" on flower petals which have coevolved with UV-sensitive insect pollinators. Woodpeckers are known to transport spores of fungi present at cavity locations [20] and [31]. Thus woodpeckers and fungi have potentially evolved mutualisms analogous to those between plants and pollinators.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For Experiments 4 and 5, we inoculated red pine (Pinus resinosa) wafers with Porodaedalea pini, a wood decay fungus that is thought to be associated with Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) cavity sites [30,31]. Wafers were 20 × 20 × 3 mm, and had been cut perpendicular to the transverse plane (across the grain) to facilitate fungal colonization of the entire wafer.…”

Section: Wood Wafers Atop Corksmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Functional visual sensitivity to ultraviolet wavelengths in the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), and its influence on foraging substrate selection

O'Daniels

Kesler

Mihail

et al. 2017

Physiology & Behavior

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Most diurnal birds are presumed visually sensitive to near ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths, however, controlled behavioral studies investigating UV sensitivity remain few. Although woodpeckers are important as primary cavity excavators and nuisance animals, published work on their visual systems is limited. We developed a novel foraging-based behavioral assay designed to test UV sensitivity in the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus). We acclimated 21 wild-caught woodpeckers to foraging for frozen mealworms within 1.2 m sections of peeled cedar (Thuja spp.) poles. We then tested the functional significance of UV cues by placing frozen mealworms behind UV-reflective covers, UV-absorptive covers, or decayed red pine substrates within the same 1.2 m poles in independent experiments. Behavioral responses were greater toward both UV-reflective and UV-absorptive substrates in three experiments. Study subjects therefore reliably differentiated and attended to two distinct UV conditions of a foraging substrate. Cue-naïve subjects showed a preference for UV-absorptive substrates, suggesting that woodpeckers may be pre-disposed to foraging from such substrates. Behavioral responses were greater toward decayed pine substrates (UV-reflective) than sound pine substrates suggesting that decayed pine can be a useful foraging cue. The finding that cue-naïve subjects selected UV-absorbing foraging substrates has implications for ecological interactions of woodpeckers with fungi. Woodpeckers transport fungal spores, and communication methods analogous to those of plant-pollinator mutualisms (i.e. UV-absorbing patterns) may have evolved to support woodpecker-fungus mutualisms.Published by Elsevier Inc.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Wood Wafers Atop Corksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional visual sensitivity to ultraviolet wavelengths in the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), and its influence on foraging substrate selection

O'Daniels

Kesler

Mihail

et al. 2017

Physiology & Behavior

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“…All active complete (n ¼ 36) and incomplete (n ¼ 42) RCW excavations within these 15 clusters were sampled following the protocols in Jusino et al [29]; additional details on these trees may be found in Jusino et al [17]. From the non-excavated trees within each of the 15 clusters, four with attributes similar to cavity trees were selected.…”

Section: (C) Red-cockaded Woodpecker Exclusion Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From these baseline samples, we identified 17 taxa of Basidiomycota, of which 14 were putative wood decay taxa [17]. After 26 months, 75% of the drilled cavity starts tested positive for Basidiomycota, and the diversity increased to 46 taxa, 30 of which were putative wood decay fungi (electronic supplementary material, S1 some effects on community dispersion (betadisper F ¼ 2.95, p ¼ 0.03).…”

Section: (B) Red-cockaded Woodpecker Exclusion Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although traditionally woodpeckers are viewed as the providers of cavities, this service may depend on associations with fungi, especially in cases where excavators favour relatively healthy wood. Thus, wood decay fungi are also ecosystem engineers [11], because they not only facilitate the formation of non-excavated cavities, but also soften wood to create potential excavation sites [12][13][14][15][16][17][18], the availability of which may limit cavity excavation. Cavity excavators in turn may facilitate fungal dispersal and colonization by carrying a combination of fungal spores and hyphal fragments from existing cavities to future excavation sites [17][18][19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Experimental evidence of a symbiosis between red-cockaded woodpeckers and fungi

et al. 2016

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Primary cavity excavators, such as woodpeckers, are ecosystem engineers in many systems. Associations between cavity excavators and fungi have long been hypothesized to facilitate cavity excavation, but these relationships have not been experimentally verified. Fungi may help excavators by softening wood, while excavators may facilitate fungal dispersal. Here we demonstrate that excavators facilitate fungal dispersal and thus we report the first experimental evidence of a symbiosis between fungi and a cavity excavator, the red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW, Picoides borealis ). Swab samples of birds showed that RCWs carry fungal communities similar to those found in their completed excavations. A 26-month field experiment using human-made aseptically drilled excavations in live trees, half of which were inaccessible to RCWs, demonstrated that RCWs directly alter fungal colonization and community composition. Experimental excavations that were accessible to RCWs contained fungal communities similar to natural RCW excavations, whereas inaccessible experimental excavations contained significantly different fungal communities. Our work demonstrates a complex symbiosis between cavity excavators and communities of fungi, with implications for forest ecology, wildlife management, and conservation.

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Wood Decay Fungi

Kirker

2018

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences

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Wood decay fungi are any species of fungi that utilise the structural components of wood as a source of nutrients. They comprise a very diverse group and have a worldwide distribution normally wherever trees are found. Wood decay fungi are vital to ecosystem functioning as they facilitate the decomposition of woody materials into soil. Wood decay fungi are also major contributors to damage to wood in service in both residential and industrial applications, leading to estimated $1B in losses annually. Wood decay fungi have also been exploited for use in industrial processes ranging from product development to waste breakdown. This article focuses on the taxonomic and physiological diversity of wood decay fungi and their importance both on economic and environmental scales. Key Concepts Wood decay fungi are a diverse group of microorganisms that are primarily involved in the breakdown of woody biomass. These fungi are primary drivers of soil formation and nutrient cycling critical to ecosystem function. Decay fungi also contribute to substantial damage to wood and wood‐based building materials and are a primary consideration in the use of preservative‐treated wood. Decay of wood by fungi is typically characterised as either white, brown or soft rot with grey rot being a new and emerging distinction among decay fungi. Collectively, these fungi possess a wide array of physiological mechanisms adapted to break down the structural components of wood. Both enzymatic and nonenzymatic mechanisms of wood decay have been exploited as industrial processes to break down both man‐made and natural compounds.

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Heart rot hotel: fungal communities in red-cockaded woodpecker excavations

Cited by 41 publications

References 30 publications

Functional visual sensitivity to ultraviolet wavelengths in the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), and its influence on foraging substrate selection

Functional visual sensitivity to ultraviolet wavelengths in the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), and its influence on foraging substrate selection

Experimental evidence of a symbiosis between red-cockaded woodpeckers and fungi

Wood Decay Fungi

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