Consistent trade-offs in fungal trait expression across broad spatial scales

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Mycology
• Biogeography

Background:

• Fungi are crucial for terrestrial decomposition.
• Fungal biogeography is less understood than that of plants, animals, and bacteria.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify fungal niches using a trait-based approach.
• To explore links between functional traits, climate, and phylogeny in wood decay fungi.
• To understand the life history strategies of saprotrophic fungi.

Main Methods:

• Trait-based analysis of 23 basidiomycete wood decay fungi species.
• Quantification of fungal niches across North America.
• Exploration of climate and phylogenetic relationships with functional traits.

Main Results:

• Identified a trade-off between abiotic stress tolerance and competitive ability.
• Fungi with broad thermal and moisture niches showed lower displacement ability.
• Dominance-tolerance trade-offs correlated with environmental conditions, especially thermal niche traits with climate.

Conclusions:

• Demonstrated consistent trait trade-offs in saprotrophic fungi across broad spatial scales.
• Niche sorting and individual adaptation influence fungal distribution patterns.
• Provides key insights into fungal life history strategies and biogeography.