Network traits predict ecological strategies in fungi

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Mycology
• Network Science

Background:

• Filamentous fungi form complex mycelial networks essential for terrestrial colonization and resource acquisition.
• Ecological studies often overlook fungal network features as functional traits due to measurement and interpretation challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a quantitative pipeline for analyzing fungal mycelial networks as functional traits.
• To investigate how network properties relate to fungal foraging strategies in terrestrial environments.

Main Methods:

• Image analysis of fungal mycelia (micro- and macro-scale) to generate weighted network graphs.
• Focus on four key network properties: connectivity, construction cost, transport efficiency, and robustness.
• Application of constrained ordination and Pareto front analysis to identify foraging strategy gradients.

Main Results:

• Fungal foraging strategies can be effectively distinguished along a connectivity gradient for both micro- and macro-scale networks.
• This gradient aligns with previously described 'phalanx' (high connectivity, high cost) and 'guerilla' (low connectivity, low cost) strategies.
• Identified trade-offs between network properties, such as connectivity versus construction cost and robustness.

Conclusions:

• The developed pipeline offers a significant advancement in quantifying fungal ecological strategies using network analysis.
• Network properties provide valuable insights into how fungi forage and adapt to terrestrial environments.
• This approach facilitates a deeper understanding of fungal functional traits and their ecological implications.