Fungal ecology articles from across Nature Portfolio

Challenges in obtaining empirical trait data hinder the development of trait-based frameworks for soil microbes. Here, the authors analyse traits of saprobic fungal isolates from a grassland site to propose a fungal economics spectrum, suggesting a general trait framework for soil fungi.

Here, Pratt et al identify a community of deep-branching anaerobic fungi in tortoise feces. Multiple characteristics underpinning their success in tortoise, as opposed to scarcity in mammalian alimentary tracts, are presented.

Whole-genome analysis of 876 Aspergillus fumigatus strains including 171 strains from Japan highlights the diversity in the A. fumigatus strains isolated in Japan as well as the complexity in the global distribution of the pathogenic strains.

There are 5 million fungal species. However, the discovery and classification of fungi are in high flux. Modern concepts indicate that the three kingdoms of “fungi” are Chromista, Fungi and Protozoa. Strong support for the wrong phylogeny can occur without correct analytical methods. In the current Collection we envisaged fungi representing extremely diverse and ancient eukaryotic organisms, with familiar groups such as mushrooms, yeasts and “moulds”. We collected 6 fascinating papers in three areas of Diversity, Chemical Diversity and Evolution.

This new study reports that a fungal ectosymbiont metabolizes resin monoterpenes of the host tree and that the volatile products possibly function as cues for beetles to locate breeding sites with beneficial fungal symbionts.

This study reveals that mites reduce emission of nitrous oxide (N₂O) from soil by feeding on N₂O-producing fungi, so modulating mite abundance might represent a way to mitigate anthropogenic N₂O emissions in agriculture.

A recent study suggests that anthropogenic disturbance of grasslands changes the sensitivity of plant pathogens to climate change.