Article
Ecology
Tina Christmann, Ximena Palomeque, Dolors Armenteras, Sarah Jane Wilson, Yadvinder Malhi, Imma Oliveras Menor
Summary: Andean montane forests are important for biodiversity and carbon storage, but their recovery after land abandonment is limited. This study analyzes forest recovery trajectories over 15 years in the Andes to inform restoration planning.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Luigimaria Borruso, Alessia Bani, Silvia Pioli, Maurizio Ventura, Pietro Panzacchi, Livio Antonielli, Francesco Giammarchi, Andrea Polo, Giustino Tonon, Lorenzo Brusetti
Summary: The global increase in nitrogen deposition onto forests, primarily due to fertilizer production and fossil fuel burning, is expected to double by 2050. This study focused on the influence of increased nitrogen deposition on leaf-associated fungal and bacterial communities in a temperate forest, highlighting changes in diversity without affecting leaf nutrient contents. The results suggest a specific response to altered nitrogen inputs in the bacterial and fungal communities, with an increase in symbiotrophic fungi in nitrogen-treated samples.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Daniel E. B. Swann, Peter J. Bellingham, Patrick H. Martin
Summary: The increasing temperatures, declining precipitation, changing cloud cover, and rising wildfires are posing threats to tropical montane pine forests by disrupting the environmental diversity that usually protects these systems from catastrophic fires. These severe fires have the potential to weaken forest resilience and push the ecosystem into alternative vegetation states.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jill E. Jankowski, Keiller O. Kyle, Matthew R. Gasner, Anna L. Ciecka, Kerry N. Rabenold
Summary: The study found that forest edges have a significant impact on the avian species composition, especially for endemic species, along the gradient from cloud forest to dry forest. This suggests that habitat modification at forest edges may have a differential effect on different types of bird species.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Gabriela M. Teixeira, Pablo H. A. Figueiredo, Luiz Felippe Salemi, Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Mauricio Ranzini, Francisco C. S. Arcova, Valdir de Cicco, Nivaldo Eduardo Rizzi
Summary: The study examined the hydrological effects of natural regeneration of Tropical Montane Cloud Forests (TMCF), finding that an increase in TMCF cover can contribute to increases in water yield. However, to ensure significant effects, regeneration and/or successional development of TMCF has to reach at least 20% of a catchment area.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Lorena Dutra-Silva, Giuliano E. Pereira, Luis Roberto Batista, Filipe P. Matteoli
Summary: The study investigated the fungal community of three grapevine cultivars in two tropical vineyards in Brazil, revealing that the soil harbors a richer and more diverse fungal community compared to the grape berries. Certain grape berries were found to contain wine-associated yeasts that may play key roles in wine terroir. Additionally, isolates from Aspergillus section Flavi and Penicillium section Citrina were found to have high potential for aflatoxin B1-B2 and citrinin production.
WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Michal Reut, Mariusz Chrabaszcz, Hanna Moniuszko
Summary: The study found that acorn weevils exhibit preferences when competing for resources, with different species preferring acorns of different sizes and choosing to reproduce at different stages of fruit growth. Observations indicate that this preference behavior helps to reduce competition between different species.
Article
Ecology
Adriana Uscanga, Patrick J. Bartlein, Lucas C. R. Silva
Summary: This study quantified aboveground biomass (AGB) in tropical montane cloud forests and analyzed its spatial patterns at local and regional scales. The results showed that AGB was influenced by forest structure and had a weak but positive relationship with tree species diversity. AGB also varied with elevation, slope, precipitation, and land-use intensity, indicating that both land use and environmental factors contributed to the spatial variation of AGB in the region.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sadadi Ojoatre, Ce Zhang, Gabriel Yesuf, Mariana C. C. Rufino
Summary: Deforestation is a significant threat to the tropic montane forests of East Africa, and this study quantified the deforestation and recovery rates in the Mau Forest Complex and Mount Elgon forests over the past three decades. The results showed higher rates of deforestation than previously estimated and identified ongoing deforestation, providing valuable information for forest restoration programs and conservation policies.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Nurul Syakilah Suhaili, Syahrir Mhd Hatta, Daniel James, Affendy Hassan, Mohamadu Boyie Jalloh, Mui-How Phua, Normah Awang Besar
Summary: The study estimated carbon stocks in tropical montane forests under different land uses and found that intact forests had the highest soil carbon stock, organic layer, and litterfall, while plantation forests had the lowest. Conserving intact forests is highlighted as an important strategy for carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation.
Article
Ecology
Julio Cesar Garcia-Sanchez, Jose Arredondo-Centeno, Maria Guadalupe Segovia-Ramirez, Ariadna Marcela Tenorio Olvera, Gabriela Parra-Olea, Vance T. Vredenburg, Sean M. Rovito
Summary: Factors such as host phylogeny and climate influence the composition of microbial communities on amphibian skin. The composition of bacterial communities is correlated with host phylogeny, while fungal communities are associated with temperature seasonality and precipitation. Co-occurrence networks of bacteria and fungi show differences in connectivity and negative associations. Including fungi in future studies can provide insights into functional interactions within the microbiome.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Guan-Yu Lai, Hung-Chi Liu, Chih-Hsin Chung, Chi-Kuei Wang, Cho-ying Huang
Summary: Epiphytic bryophytes (EBs) are commonly found in tropical montane cloud forests (TMCFs) and play significant roles in ecological functioning. Assessing the abundance of EB is challenging due to their epiphytic habitat, but a landscape-scale mapping approach using a partial least squares regression (PLSR) model showed promising results in relating EB biomass density to various forest biophysical, topographic, and bioclimatic factors. This approach may advance our understanding of the role of EBs in TMCFs and guide ecological management in future climate scenarios.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Pablo Martin-Pinto, Ignacio Sanz-Benito, Maria Santos, Juan Andres Oria-de-Rueda, Jozsef Geml
Summary: Quercus pyrenaica-dominated forests are widespread in Mediterranean ecosystems, with coppice systems generating high biomass and high fire risk, while dehesas have low tree density and face regeneration issues. Soil fungal communities varied among different forest types and were influenced by land management practices, impacting the diversity of edible mushrooms.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Li Ji, Fangyuan Shen, Yue Liu, Yuchun Yang, Jun Wang, Witoon Purahong, Lixue Yang
Summary: This study investigated the changes in soil bacterial and fungal communities along an altitudinal gradient, revealing that altitude had a stronger influence on these communities than soil depth. The diversity of bacterial and fungal communities showed different patterns with altitude. The study highlights the importance of both whole and subnetwork community analyses in understanding the factors shaping microbial community structure.
Article
Ecology
Tithira Lakkana, Mark S. Ashton, Elaine R. Hooper, Anoma Perera, Sisira Ediriweera
Summary: This study evaluated the composition, structure, and dieback of a montane forest and examined their relationship with soils and physiography. The results showed that edaphic and physiographic factors are associated with tree species diversity, structure, and dieback.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nicole K. Reynolds, Michelle A. Jusino, Jason E. Stajich, Matthew E. Smith
Summary: Metabarcoding is a useful tool for studying fungal communities, but the choice of DNA marker and methodological biases can greatly impact the recovery of early diverging fungi (EDF) like Zoopagomycota from environmental samples. Different taxonomy assignment methods can yield significantly different results in identifying EDF, and PCR amplification biases are more pronounced in EDF than in Dikarya (Ascomycota + Basidiomycota). Additional techniques, such as phylogenetic reconstruction, may be needed to accurately identify and study EDF in a broader ecological context.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2022)
Letter
Plant Sciences
Rosanne A. Healy, A. Elizabeth Arnold, Gregory Bonito, Yu-Ling Huang, Benjamin Lemmond, Donald H. Pfister, Matthew E. Smith
Article
Environmental Sciences
Daniyal Gohar, Kadri Poldmaa, Leho Tedersoo, Farzad Aslani, Brendan Furneaux, Terry W. Henkel, Irja Saar, Matthew E. Smith, Mohammad Bahram
Summary: The global diversity and community composition of mushroom-inhabiting bacteria (MIB) are related to climate, soil, and host factors. The study found that MIB and free-living bacteria communities are assembled through different processes, and host phylogeny plays an important role in shaping the MIB community structure.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Nicole K. Reynolds, Jason E. Stajich, Gerald L. Benny, Kerrie Barry, Stephen Mondo, Kurt LaButti, Anna Lipzen, Chris Daum, Igor Grigoriev, Hsiao-Man Ho, Pedro W. Crous, Joseph W. Spatafora, Matthew E. Smith
Summary: Improved sequencing technologies have revolutionized the understanding of fungal diversity and evolution on a global scale. A study was conducted using low coverage genome sequencing (LCGS) to analyze 171 Kickxellomycotina fungi and obtain marker genes for phylogenomic reconstruction. The study aimed to evaluate the quality and utility of LCGS data, test relationships among different clades, and compare functional analyses to gain insights into trophic modes.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Mycology
Claudia A. Paez, Nattapol Kraisitudomsook, Jason A. Smith, Andrew L. Loyd, Daniel L. Lindner, Matthew E. Smith
Summary: In this study, the authors conducted phylogenetic analyses to determine the relationship of Laetiporus persicinus with other fungal species. They found that Laetiporus persicinus does not belong to the Laetiporus genus, but is closely related to the African species Kusaghiporia usambarensis. This discovery led to the proposal of a new combination name, Kusaghiporia persicinus, based on morphological and molecular data.
Article
Mycology
Rodolfo Salas-Lizana, Margarita Villegas Rios, Julieta Alvarez-Manjarrez, Eduardo Perez-Pazos, Arian Farid, Alan Franck, Mathew E. E. Smith, Roberto Garibay-Orijel
Summary: Through the analysis of morphological and molecular data, nine new Clavulina species-level clades were discovered, two of which are proposed as new species. In addition, C. floridana is a new record for Mexico. The diversity of Clavulina in tropical North America is comparable to that found in lowland tropical South America. However, some species found in tropical deciduous forests produce small, rare, and inconspicuous basidiomata, which go unnoticed and are poorly represented in collections.
Article
Agronomy
Alija Bajro Mujic, Nahuel Policelli, Martin A. Nunez, Camille Truong, Matthew E. Smith
Summary: This study found that the invasion of Pinaceae plants affects the soil fungi of Nothofagaceae plants in southern South America. The invasive Pinaceae plants reduced the soil organic matter content and the relative abundance of Mortierellaceae fungi and Nothofagaceae-associated ECM fungi in the soil.
Article
Ecology
Elena Karlsen-Ayala, Michelle A. Jusino, Romina Gazis, Matthew E. Smith
Summary: This study investigated the communities of ectomycorrhizal fungi in three different habitats in Florida and their association with the spore bank fungi and two species of pines. The dominant species in all habitats were Rhizopogon, and the community composition of fungal communities was influenced by habitat type and location. However, there were no significant differences in ectomycorrhizal communities between the two pine species.
Article
Plant Sciences
Benjamin Lemmond, Alassane Sow, Gregory Bonito, Matthew E. E. Smith
Summary: Tuber brumale, a European truffle species, has been unintentionally introduced into truffle orchards in North America, resembling valuable black truffles but with different aroma and flavor. Recent findings indicate widespread fruiting of T. brumale in North American truffle orchards, likely due to its introduction during the cultivation of T. melanosporum trees.
Article
Plant Sciences
J. Aaron Hogan, Michelle A. Jusino, Matthew E. Smith, Adriana Corrales, Xiaoyang Song, Yue-hua Hu, Jie Yang, Min Cao, Oscar J. Valverde-Barrantes, Christopher Baraloto
Summary: Forest fungal communities in Xishuangbanna, China are influenced by soil environment, root morphological traits, and root chemistry. Results showed that soil phosphorus is the main factor affecting root-associated fungal communities, while root calcium and manganese concentrations and root morphology also play a secondary role.
Article
Plant Sciences
Brett R. Lane, Amy E. Kendig, Christopher M. Wojan, Ashish Adhikari, Michelle A. Jusino, Nicholas Kortessis, Margaret W. Simon, Robert D. Holt, Matthew E. Smith, Keith Clay, S. Luke Flory, Philip F. Harmon, Erica M. Goss
Summary: This study examined the dynamic changes in foliar fungal communities on the invasive plant Microstegium vimineum. The researchers found that the phyllosphere fungal community became increasingly diverse and underwent substantial composition changes over a period of two months with increasing disease severity. Fungicide application caused shifts in fungal community composition and increased diversity at the late-season timepoint. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the roles of putative endophytes in disease dynamics of invasive plants.
PHYTOBIOMES JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Andre Rodrigues, Andrew J. Johnson, Ross A. Joseph, You Li, Nemat O. Keyhani, Edward L. Stanley, Benjamin Weiss, Martin Kaltenpoth, Matthew E. Smith, Jiri Hulcr
Summary: Platypodinae ambrosia beetles rely on mutualistic fungi for food and cooperate in colonizing dead trees. The study discovered that Euplatypus parallelus may lack mycangia, unlike other Platypodinae species. However, both Euplatypus species contain yeast related to the fungi.
Review
Microbiology
Andrii P. Gryganskyi, Jacob Golan, Anna Muszewska, Alexander Idnurm, Somayeh Dolatabadi, Stephen J. Mondo, Vira B. Kutovenko, Volodymyr O. Kutovenko, Michael T. Gajdeczka, Iryna M. Anishchenko, Julia Pawlowska, Ngoc Vinh Tran, Ingo Ebersberger, Kerstin Voigt, Yan Wang, Ying Chang, Teresa E. Pawlowska, Joseph Heitman, Rytas Vilgalys, Gregory Bonito, Gerald L. Benny, Matthew E. Smith, Nicole Reynolds, Timothy Y. James, Igor V. Grigoriev, Joseph W. Spatafora, Jason E. Stajich
Summary: The genome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was the first eukaryotic organism genome sequenced, reported in 1996, but it took over 10 years to sequence any of the zygomycete fungi, which belong to the phyla Mucoromycota and Zoopagomycota. Over 1000 zygomycete genomes have now been sequenced, revealing deep phylogenetic separation between plant-associated saprotrophic Mucoromycota and animal-associated parasites and commensals in the Zoopagomycota. Genomic studies have provided insights into fungal adaptations to living on land, including light and gravity sensing, hyphal growth, and co-existence with terrestrial plants. Genomic data has also facilitated research on genome architecture, pathogenicity genes, secondary metabolites, and endosymbiotic bacteria and viruses.
Article
Mycology
Alija B. Mujic, Todd F. Elliott, Ryan B. Stephens, James M. Trappe, Rebecca Kristol, Danielle Sublett, Matthew E. Smith
Summary: This study presents the taxonomic and systematic study of truffle-forming genera Destuntzia and Kjeldsenia, revealing new species and expanding their geographic ranges. The study also identifies additional undescribed species, which has important ecological implications for understanding these fungi.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Doina Ciobanu, Sandy Chan, Steven Ahrendt, C. Alisha Quandt, Gerald L. Benny, Matthew E. Smith, Timothy Y. James, Jan-Fang Cheng
Summary: This article describes protocols for sample collection, genome amplification, and screening of environmental microbial eukaryotes (EMEs), as well as their application and optimization.
