Abstract Detail

Fungal functional traits in a changing world

Treseder, Kathleen  [1], Maltz, Mia Rose [1], Hawkins, Bradford [1], Noah, Fierer [2], Jason , Stajich [3], Krista, McGuire [4].

Evolutionary histories of fungi are reflected in their continental-scale biogeography.

Although fungal communities are known to vary along latitudinal gradients, mechanisms underlying this pattern are not well-understood. We used high-throughput sequencing to examine the continental-scale distributions of soil fungi and their relation to evolutionary history. We tested the Tropical Conservatism Hypothesis, which predicts that ancestral fungal groups should be more restricted to tropical latitudes and conditions than would more recently-derived groups. We found support for this hypothesis in that older phyla preferred significantly lower latitudes and warmer, wetter conditions than did younger phyla. Moreover, environmental preferences differed most strongly between the Cryptomycota, Chytridiomycota, and Blastocladiomycota clades compared to those that evolved later, possibly because the older phyla possess a zoospore stage that is vulnerable to cold and drought, whereas the younger phyla retain protective cell walls throughout their life cycle. Our study provides novel evidence that the Tropical Conservatism Hypothesis applies to microbes as well as plants and animals.

1 - University of California, Irvine, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
2 - University of Colorado, CIRES, Boulder, CO, USA
3 - University of California, Riverside, Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Riverside, CA, USA
4 - Barnard College, Columbia University, New York , NY, USA

Keywords:
traits
phylum age
soil fungi
biogeography.

Presentation Type: Symposium or Colloquium Presentation
Session: SY1
Location: Auditorium/Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center
Date: Monday, June 9th, 2014
Time: 4:00 PM
Number: SY1003
Abstract ID:26
Candidate for Awards:None