One hundred unanswered questions on the dispersal ecology of fungi.
Journal Article
Overview
abstract
Fungi comprise millions of species that play numerous varied roles in Earth's natural and managed ecosystems, engaging in a multitude of positive and negative ecological interactions. The dispersal ecology of fungi is central to global biodiversity patterns, maintenance of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem functions, and tracking human disease and plant pathogen outbreaks. Mycologists have been studying dispersal mechanisms for over a hundred years, but new technology as well as interdisciplinary approaches have reinvigorated research in the field. Here we present 100 research questions in fungal dispersal organized into ten themes: 1) dispersal traits and mechanisms, 2) effects of phenology and lifestyle, 3) spore liberation and transport mechanisms, 4) colonization and establishment, 5) ecosystem-level consequences of dispersal, 6) dispersal in symbiotic and host-associated fungi, 7) dispersal in anthropogenic and changing environments, 8) evolution and tradeoffs in dispersal, 9) role of dispersal in invasion and disease spread, and 10) methodology and techniques. The questions reflect a diversity of new research avenues from fundamental fungal biology to applied ecosystem management and conservation across spatial and temporal scales. They potentially enable integrating fungi and their unique life-history traits and dispersal strategies into existing dispersal frameworks developed around plant and animal systems. We aim to invigorate fungal dispersal research, sparking conversations and providing a focused agenda to widen the tent by illuminating unanswered questions and new research avenues in ecology and evolutionary biology.
