Linking individual behaviour to community scale patterns in fungi
Authored by R E Falconer, J Bown, N White, J Crawford
Date Published: 2011
DOI: 10.1016/j.funeco.2010.08.002
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Abstract
The fungi comprise a separate kingdom of life and epitomise the
indeterminate growth form. Very little is known about the factors that
influence the nature of fungal diversity and the link between individual
behaviour and the structure and function of fungal communities is
particularly poorly understood. Here, we present a theoretical framework
that is capable of elucidating this link. An individual-based model for
fungal community dynamics is introduced that has been developed from a
physiologically based model for the fungal phenotype. The model is used
to explore the role of individual interactions, the production of an
external inhibitor field and the quality of the external environment on
the structure and diversity of the resulting community. We show that
traits relating to growth rate, autophagic behaviour and the production
of inhibitors are key in influencing the success of a particular
genotype in a community. The species richness increases with the amount
of available resource. This is the first model of fungal community
dynamics that introduces the concept of a biomass-based abundance
distribution function that can be described by the log-normal form which
typically corresponds to communities in equilibrium. The species
abundance curve was stable to changes in the relative location of
inocula, although the ranked abundance of the individuals was not. We
present the first attempt to identify the traits that affect the form of
that curve. Future studies should examine the role of environmental
heterogeneity and spore dispersal. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd and The British
Mycological Society. All rights reserved.
Tags
Competition
Dynamics
Coexistence
Colonies
Soil
Plant diversity gradient
Mycelia