Toward harnessing biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships in fungi

Kadri Runnel; Leho Tedersoo; Franz-Sebastian Krah; Meike Piepenbring; J F Scheepens; Henner Hollert; Sarah Johann; Nele Meyer; Claus Bässler

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2024.10.004

Toward harnessing biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships in fungi

Trends Ecol Evol. 2024 Nov 11:S0169-5347(24)00255-6. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.10.004. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Kadri Runnel¹, Leho Tedersoo², Franz-Sebastian Krah³, Meike Piepenbring⁴, J F Scheepens⁴, Henner Hollert⁵, Sarah Johann⁴, Nele Meyer⁴, Claus Bässler⁶

Affiliations

¹ Goethe University Frankfurt, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; University of Tartu, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, 50409 Tartu, Estonia. Electronic address: kadri.runnel@ut.ee.
² University of Tartu, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, 50409 Tartu, Estonia.
³ University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), Fungal Ecology, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany; Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 60300 Brno, Czech Republic.
⁴ Goethe University Frankfurt, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
⁵ Goethe University Frankfurt, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Auf dem Aberg 1, 57392 Schmallenberg, Germany; LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
⁶ Goethe University Frankfurt, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), Fungal Ecology, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany; Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 60300 Brno, Czech Republic.

PMID: 39532622
DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.10.004

Abstract

Fungi are crucial for terrestrial ecosystems, yet the role of fungal diversity in ecosystem functions remains unclear. We synthesize fungal biodiversity and ecosystem function (BEF) relationships, focusing on plant biomass production, carbon storage, decomposition, and pathogen or parasite resistance. The observed BEF relationships for these ecosystem functions vary in strength and direction, complicating generalizations. Strong positive relationships are generally observed when multiple ecosystem functions are addressed simultaneously. Often, fungal community composition outperforms species richness in predicting ecosystem functions. For more comprehensive fungal BEF research, we recommend studying natural communities, considering the simultaneous functions of a broader array of fungal guilds across spatiotemporal scales, and integrating community assembly concepts into BEF research. For this, we propose a conceptual framework and testable hypotheses.

Keywords: biodiversity; ecosystem function; fungal diversity; multifunctionality.

Publication types

Review