Network traits predict ecological strategies in fungi

AbstractColonization of terrestrial environments by filamentous fungi relies on their ability to form networks that can forage for and connect resource patches. Despite the importance of these networks, ecologists rarely consider network features as functional traits because their measurement and interpretation are conceptually and methodologically difficult. To address these challenges, we have developed a pipeline to translate images of fungal mycelia, from both micro- and macro-scales, to weighted network graphs that capture ecologically relevant fungal behaviour. We focus on four properties that we hypothesize determine how fungi forage for resources, specifically: connectivity; relative construction cost; transport efficiency; and robustness against attack by fungivores. Constrained ordination and Pareto front analysis of these traits revealed that foraging strategies can be distinguished predominantly along a gradient of connectivity for micro- and macro-scale mycelial networks that is reminiscent of the qualitative ‘phalanx’ and ‘guerilla’ descriptors previously proposed in the literature. At one extreme are species with many inter-connections that increase the paths for multidirectional transport and robustness to damage, but with a high construction cost; at the other extreme are species with an opposite phenotype. Thus, we propose this approach represents a significant advance in quantifying ecological strategies for fungi using network information.

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Network properties as functional traits for fungi

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-15518 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Carlos Aguilar-Trigueros ◽

Mark Fricker ◽

Matthias Rillig

Keyword(s):

Functional Traits ◽

Interspecific Variation ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Ecological Strategies ◽

Body Type ◽

Network Growth ◽

Transport Efficiency ◽

Network Parameters ◽

Phylogenetic Affiliation ◽

Network Properties

<p>Fungal mycelia consist of an interconnected network of filamentous hyphae and represent the dominant phase of the lifecycle in all major fungal phyla, from basal to more recent clades. Indeed, the ecological success of fungi on land is partly due to such filamentous network growth. Nevertheless, fungal ecologists rarely use network features as functional traits. Given the widespread occurrence of this body type, we hypothesized that interspecific variation in network features may reflect both phylogenetic affiliation and distinct ecological strategies among species. We show first that there is high interspecific variation in network parameters of fungi, which partly correlates with taxonomy; and second that network parameters, related to predicted-mycelial transport mechanisms during the exploration phase, reveal the trait space in mycelium architecture across species. &#160;This space predicts a continuum of ecological strategies along two extremes: from highly connected mycelia with high resilience to damage but limited transport efficiency, to poorly connected mycelia with low resilience but high transport efficiency. We argue that mycelial networks are potentially a rich source of information to inform functional trait analysis in fungi, but we also note the challenges in establishing common principles and processing pipelines that are required to facilitate widespread use of network properties as functional traits in fungal ecology.</p>

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Spatial scale, patchiness and population dynamics on land

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.1994.0003 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 343 (1303) ◽

pp. 19-25 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Keyword(s):

Spatial Scales ◽

Single Species ◽

Structural Heterogeneity ◽

Striking Difference ◽

Spatial Distributions ◽

Local Populations ◽

Open Sea ◽

Terrestrial Environments ◽

Species Dynamics ◽

Resource Patches

The most striking difference between land and open sea is the greater structural heterogeneity of terrestrial environments. I make a distinction between two principal kinds of patches at two spatial scales, defined by the relative contributions of behaviour and demography to variation in density. At the scale of resource patches, movements of individuals among the patches influence the frequencies of ecological interaction among the mobile individuals and their offspring. Many studies have demonstrated how independently aggregated spatial distributions generally enhance stability of single-species and many-species dynamics. At the scale of habitat patches, assemblages of local populations connected by migration constitute metapopulations.

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High-voltage Electron Microscopy: Where it is and where it may be going

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100136775 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 53 ◽

pp. 80-81

Author(s):

Charles W. Allen

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

High Voltage ◽

Construction Cost ◽

Research Community ◽

High Voltage Electron Microscopy ◽

Voltage Electron ◽

High Voltage Electron ◽

Materials Research

High voltage TEMs were introduced commercially thirty years ago, with the installations of 500 kV Hitachi instruments at the Universities of Nogoya and Tokyo. Since that time a total of 51 commercial instruments, having maximum accelerating potentials of 0.5-3.5 MV, have been delivered. Prices have gone from about a dollar per volt for the early instruments to roughly twenty dollars per volt today, which is not so unreasonable considerinp inflation and vastly improved electronics and other improvements. The most expensive HVEM (the 3.5 MV instrument at Osaka University) cost about 5 percent of the construction cost of the USA's latest synchrotron.Table 1 briefly traces the development of HVEM in this country for the materials sciences. There are now only three available instruments at two sites: the 1.2 MeV HVEM at Argonne National Lab, and 1.0 and 1.5 MeV instruments at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. Fortunately, both sites are user facilities funded by DOE for the materials research community.

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Tailoring microstructures of materials through biomimetics

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100148332 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 51 ◽

pp. 500-501

Author(s):

Mehmet Sarikaya ◽

Ilhan A. Aksay

Keyword(s):

Chemical Properties ◽

Design And Synthesis ◽

Structure Sensitive ◽

Macro Scale ◽

Methods Of Synthesis ◽

Successive Level ◽

Engineering Materials ◽

Physical And Chemical ◽

And Chemical Properties ◽

Synthesis Of Materials

Biomimetics involves investigation of structure, function, and methods of synthesis of biological composite materials. The goal is to apply this information to the design and synthesis of materials for engineering applications.Properties of engineering materials are structure sensitive through the whole spectrum of dimensions from nanometer to macro scale. The goal in designing and processing of technological materials, therefore, is to control microstructural evolution at each of these dimensions so as to achieve predictable physical and chemical properties. Control at each successive level of dimension, however, is a major challenge as is the retention of integrity between successive levels. Engineering materials are rarely fabricated to achieve more than a few of the desired properties and the synthesis techniques usually involve high temperature or low pressure conditions that are energy inefficient and environmentally damaging.In contrast to human-made materials, organisms synthesize composites whose intricate structures are more controlled at each scale and hierarchical order.

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