Windows of opportunity in desert ecosystems: their implications to fungal community development

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1407-1414 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Zak ◽  
Robert Sinsabaugh ◽  
William P. MacKay
Keyword(s):  
Community Development ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Fungal Community ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Root Surface ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Desert Ecosystems ◽  
Species Numbers ◽  
Fungal Activity

At the ecosystem level, all fungal activity in arid and semiarid systems is water regulated. However, as the observation scale is changed to allow for finer resolution of moisture effects, one finds that fungal community development in deserts may be influenced by either the temporal patterning of moisture pulses, or biotic factors that extend the benefits of moisture windows. When selected biocides were applied to the root region of a desert bunchgrass, Erioneuron pulchellum, to reduce microarthropod and nematode densities, fungal species numbers associated with the root surface were not altered. The temporal pattern in species numbers apparently reflect large scale seasonal responses of the fungi, microfauna, and plants to yearly differences in the occurrences of moisture windows. For wood on the soil surface, moisture windows of short duration coupled with high temperatures restrict fungal species composition in this habitat resulting in a lack of turnover in the dominant fungal species on surface wood. However, when wood was placed in the more amenable environment of a woodrat midden, patterns of fungal community development differed significantly from that observed for wood on the soil surface. These studies indicate that our understanding of the roles of fungi in the functioning of desert ecosystems is biased because the scale at which we usually make observations is too large to account for abiotic and biotic influences on fungal activity and community development. Moreover, we have to realize that the occurrence of favorable habitats for fungi in arid systems varies considerably in space and time. One consequence of the high spatial and temporal heterogeneity in favorable habitats is that functional diversity among fungi may be greater than would be predicted based solely on abiotic considerations. Key words: deserts, environmental heterogeneity, functional diversity, scale, wood.

scholarly journals Evolution of fungal community associated with ready-to-eat pineapple during storage under different temperature conditions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evanthia Manthou ◽  
Gwendoline Coeuret ◽  
Stephane Chaillou ◽  
George-John E. Nychas
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Fungal Community ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Influencing Factor ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Its2 Region ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Fresh Cut ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe international market of fresh-cut products has witnessed dramatic growth in recent years, stimulated by consumer’s demand for healthy, nutritious and convenient foods. One of the main challenging issues for the quality and safety of these products is the potential microbial spoilage that can significantly reduce their shelf-life. The complete identification of fresh-cut product microbiota together with the evaluation of environmental factors impact on microbial composition is of primary importance. We therefore assessed the fungal communities associated with the spoilage of ready-to-eat (RTE) pineapple using a metagenetic amplicon sequencing approach, based on the ITS2 region. Our results revealed a significant variability on fungal species composition between the different batches of RTE pineapple. The initial microbiota composition was the main influencing factor and determined the progress of spoilage. Temperature and storage time were the secondary factors influencing spoilage and their impact was depending on the initial prevalent fungal species, which showed different responses to the various modifications. Our results strongly suggest that further large-scale sampling of RTE pineapple production should be conducted in order to assess the full biodiversity range of fungal community involved in the spoilage process and for unravelling the impact of important environmental factors shaping the initial microbiota.

scholarly journals Repeated surveying over 6 years reveals that fine-scale habitat variables are key to tropical mountain ant assemblage composition and functional diversity

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mulalo M. Muluvhahothe ◽  
Grant S. Joseph ◽  
Colleen L. Seymour ◽  
Thinandavha C. Munyai ◽  
Stefan H. Foord
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Composition Analysis ◽  
Fine Scale

AbstractHigh-altitude-adapted ectotherms can escape competition from dominant species by tolerating low temperatures at cooler elevations, but climate change is eroding such advantages. Studies evaluating broad-scale impacts of global change for high-altitude organisms often overlook the mitigating role of biotic factors. Yet, at fine spatial-scales, vegetation-associated microclimates provide refuges from climatic extremes. Using one of the largest standardised data sets collected to date, we tested how ant species composition and functional diversity (i.e., the range and value of species traits found within assemblages) respond to large-scale abiotic factors (altitude, aspect), and fine-scale factors (vegetation, soil structure) along an elevational gradient in tropical Africa. Altitude emerged as the principal factor explaining species composition. Analysis of nestedness and turnover components of beta diversity indicated that ant assemblages are specific to each elevation, so species are not filtered out but replaced with new species as elevation increases. Similarity of assemblages over time (assessed using beta decay) did not change significantly at low and mid elevations but declined at the highest elevations. Assemblages also differed between northern and southern mountain aspects, although at highest elevations, composition was restricted to a set of species found on both aspects. Functional diversity was not explained by large scale variables like elevation, but by factors associated with elevation that operate at fine scales (i.e., temperature and habitat structure). Our findings highlight the significance of fine-scale variables in predicting organisms’ responses to changing temperature, offering management possibilities that might dilute climate change impacts, and caution when predicting assemblage responses using climate models, alone.

Accumulation patterns of soil organic matter in forests as a legacy of historical charcoal burning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Schneider ◽  
Alexander Bonhage ◽  
Florian Hirsch ◽  
Alexandra Raab ◽  
Thomas Raab
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Legacy Effects ◽  
Charcoal Production ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Land Use Legacies

<p>Human land use and occupation often lead to a high heterogeneity of soil stratigraphy and properties in landscapes within small, clearly delimited areas. Legacy effects of past land use also are also abundant in recent forest areas. Although such land use legacies can occur on considerable fractions of the soil surface, they are hardly considered in soil mapping and inventories. The heterogenous spatial distribution of land use legacy soils challenges the quantification of their impacts on the landscape scale. Relict charcoal hearths (RCH) are a widespread example for the long-lasting effect of historical land use on soil landscapes in forests of many European countries and also northeastern USA. Soils on RCH clearly differ from surrounding forest soils in their stratigraphy and properties, and are most prominently characterized by a technogenic substrate layer with high contents of charcoal. The properties of RCH soils have recently been studied for several regions, but their relevance on the landscape scale has hardly been quantified.</p><p>We analyse and discuss the distribution and ecological relevance of land use legacy soils across scales for RCH in the state of Brandenburg, Germany, with a focus on soil organic matter (SOM) stocks. Our analysis is based on a large-scale mapping of RCH from digital elevation models (DEM), combined with modelled SOM stocks in RCH soils. The distribution of RCH soils in the study region shows heterogeneity at different scales. The large-scale variation is related to the concentration of charcoal production to specific forest areas and the small-scale accumulation pattern is related to the irregular distribution of single RCH within the charcoal production fields. Considerable fractions of the surface area are covered by RCH soils in the major charcoal production areas within the study region. The results also show that RCH can significantly contribute to the soil organic matter stocks of forests, even for areas where they cover only a small fraction of the soil surface. The study highlights that considering land use legacy effects can be relevant for the results of soil mapping and inventories; and that prospecting and mapping land use legacies from DEM can contribute to improving such approaches.</p>

Rosellinia bunodes. [Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria].

1972 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Sivanesan
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Distribution ◽  
Transverse Section ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Root Surface ◽  
Grevillea Robusta ◽  
Hibiscus Rosa Sinensis ◽  
Whole Plant ◽  
Petiveria Alliacea ◽  
Tropical America

Abstract A description is provided for Rosellinia bunodes. Information is included on the disease caused by the organism, its transmission, geographical distribution, and hosts. HOSTS: On arrowroot, Artocarpus integer, avocado, banana, cacao, camphor, cassava, Centrosemapubescens, Cinchona, Citrus, coffee, Colocasia antiquorum, Crotalaria, Desmodium gyroides, Dryobalanops aromatica, Erythrina, ginger, Gliricidia, Grevillea robusta, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Holigarna longifolia, Indigofera, Inga laurina, Leucaena glauca, Litsea, pepper (black), Petiveria alliacea, Phyllanthus, rattan, rubber, Schleichera trijuga, tea, Tephrosia and yams. DISEASE: Black root rot, mainly of tropical and subtropical woody hosts; plurivorous but described mostly from cacao (Theobroma cacao), quinine (Cinchona spp.), coffee (Coffea spp.), rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) and tea (Camellia sinensis). Wilt and death of the whole plant or single branches may be the first signs of attack. At the collar the mycelial sheet is at first cream-white shading to purplish-black and may extend well above the soil surface in damp conditions. On the root surface the firm, black, branching strands are firmly applied and thicken into irregular knots. In the cortex the strands have a black periphery and white core; in the wood they appear thread-like and black or sometimes as dots in transverse section. In culture the mycelium is white, later buff with black strands. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: Widespread in tropical America and also in Central African Republic, India (Nilgris, Maharashtra). Indonesia (Java, Sumatra), Malaysia (W.), Philippines. Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and Zaire Republic (CMI Map 358, ed. 2, 1970). Additional records not yet mapped are Honduras, Panama. TRANSMISSION: As mycelium from surface oreanic litter and woody debris.

Soil fungal community variation by large-scale reclamation in Sanjiang plain, China

2017 ◽  
Vol 67 (10) ◽  
pp. 679-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Xu ◽  
Tijiu Cai ◽  
Xue Yang ◽  
Wenzhi Sui
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Community ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Sanjiang Plain ◽  
Soil Fungal Community ◽  
Community Variation

scholarly journals Eutypella parasitica and Other Frequently Isolated Fungi in Wood of Dead Branches of Young Sycamore Maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) in Slovenia

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Brglez ◽  
Barbara Piškur ◽  
Nikica Ogris
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Fungal Community ◽  
Sampling Site ◽  
Outer Part ◽  
Similarity Index ◽  
Asymptomatic Infection ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Acer Pseudoplatanus ◽  
Pure Cultures ◽  
Sycamore Maple

Eutypella parasitica R.W. Davidson and R.C. Lorenz is the causative agent of Eutypella canker of maple, a destructive disease of maples in Europe and North America. The fungus E. parasitica infects the trunk through a branch stub or bark wound. Because the fungal community may have an impact on infection and colonization by E. parasitica, the composition of fungi colonizing wood of dead branches of sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) was investigated in five sampling sites in Slovenia. Forty samples from each sampling site were collected between the November 2017 and March 2018 period. Isolations were made from the wood in the outer part of dead branches and from discoloured wood in the trunk that originated from a dead branch. Pure cultures were divided into morphotypes, and one representative culture per morphotype was selected for further molecular identification. From a total of 2700 cultured subsamples, 1744 fungal cultures were obtained, which were grouped into 212 morphotypes. The investigated samples were colonized by a broad spectrum of fungi. The most frequently isolated species were Eutypa maura (Fr.) Sacc., Eutypa sp. Tul. and C. Tul., Fusarium avenaceum (Fr.) Sacc., Neocucurbitaria acerina Wanas., Camporesi, E.B.G. Jones and K.D. Hyde and E. parasitica. In this study, we distinguished species diversity and the fungal community. There were no significant differences in the diversity of fungal species between the five sampling sites, and branch thickness did not prove to be a statistically significant factor in fungal species diversity. Nevertheless, relatively low Jaccard similarity index values suggested possible differences in the fungal communities from different sampling sites. This was confirmed by an analysis of similarities, which showed that the isolated fungal community distinctly differed between the five sampling sites and between the different isolation sources. Eutypella parasitica was isolated from all five investigated sampling sites, although Eutypella cankers were observed in only three sampling sites, indicating the possibility of asymptomatic infection.

Corporate social responsibility of mining industries

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 367-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepankar Sharma ◽  
Priya Bhatnagar
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Community Development ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Advanced Technology ◽  
Foreign Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the community development approaches of large-scale mining companies, with particular reference to how they may engender community dependency. Design/methodology/approach – The paper begins with a review of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the mining industry, corporate community initiatives and the problem of mining dependency at a national, regional and local levels. Findings – It outlines some of the reasons why less-developed countries (LDCs) experience under-development and detrimental effects as a result of their linkages with industrialized countries. LDCs are not able to take advantage of advanced technology and management skills due to being relatively poor in capital and skills, and foreign technologies compete unfairly with and destroy local production techniques, creating a pool of unemployable “marginalized” people. Holder’s of investments in LDCs demand annual returns for continued support – profits are taken out of the country or guaranteed by tax concessions. Unwillingness of foreign firms to train local people to take over management positions. Originality/value – This paper explores how the need to address sustainability issues has affected communities, and whether community development initiatives have been effective in contributing to more sustainable communities.

Fungi and fire in Australian ecosystems: a review of current knowledge, management implications and future directions

2011 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sapphire J. M. McMullan-Fisher ◽  
Tom W. May ◽  
Richard M. Robinson ◽  
Tina L. Bell ◽  
Teresa Lebel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Community ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Trophic Group ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Essential Components

Fungi are essential components of all ecosystems in roles including symbiotic partners, decomposers and nutrient cyclers and as a source of food for vertebrates and invertebrates. Fire changes the environment in which fungi live by affecting soil structure, nutrient availability, organic and inorganic substrates and other biotic components with which fungi interact, particularly mycophagous animals. We review the literature on fire and fungi in Australia, collating studies that include sites with different time since fire or different fire regimes. The studies used a variety of methods for survey and identification of fungi and focussed on different groups of fungi, with an emphasis on fruit-bodies of epigeal macrofungi and a lack of studies on microfungi in soil or plant tissues. There was a lack of replication of fire treatment effects in some studies. Nevertheless, most studies reported some consequence of fire on the fungal community. Studies on fire and fungi were concentrated in eucalypt forest in south-west and south-eastern Australia, and were lacking for ecosystems such as grasslands and tropical savannahs. The effects of fire on fungi are highly variable and depend on factors such as soil and vegetation type and variation in fire intensity and history, including the length of time between fires. There is a post-fire flush of fruit-bodies of pyrophilous macrofungi, but there are also fungi that prefer long unburnt vegetation. The few studies that tested the effect of fire regimes in relation to the intervals between burns did not yield consistent results. The functional roles of fungi in ecosystems and the interactions of fire with these functions are explained and discussed. Responses of fungi to fire are reviewed for each fungal trophic group, and also in relation to interactions between fungi and vertebrates and invertebrates. Recommendations are made to include monitoring of fungi in large-scale fire management research programs and to integrate the use of morphological and molecular methods of identification. Preliminary results suggest that fire mosaics promote heterogeneity in the fungal community. Management of substrates could assist in preserving fungal diversity in the absence of specific information on fungi.

scholarly journals Social Change through Entrepreneurship: Utilizing Portable Sawmill Based Small Businesses to Promote Community Development

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Crystal Lupo
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Community Development ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Forest Industry ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Food And Agriculture Organization

Reduced demand for wood and wood products resulting from the economic crisis in the first decade of the 2000s severely impacted the forest industry throughout the world, causing large forest-based organizations to close (CBC News, 2008; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2009; Pepke, 2009). The result was a dramatic increase in unemployment and worker displacement among forest product workers between 2011 and 2013 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014). Forested rural communities often depended on the large-scale forest industry for their livelihood, and as a result, decreased reliance on large-scale industry became increasingly important (Lupo, 2015). This article explores portable-sawmill-based entrepreneurship as an opportunity to promote social change in the local community. Results indicated that portable-sawmill-based small businesses created community development opportunities, which promoted social change in the larger community through farm business expansion, conservation efforts to improve local community development, and niche market creation in the local or larger community.

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