1 =Fungal functional ecology: bringing a trait-based approach to plant-associated fungi= ABSTRACT Fungi play many essential roles in ecosystems. They facilitate plant access to nutrients and water, serve as decay agents that cycle carbon and nutrients through the soil, water and atmosphere, and are major regulators of macro-organismal populations. Although technological advances are improving the detection and identification of fungi, there still exist key gaps in our ecological knowledge of this kingdom, especially related to function. Trait-based approaches have been instrumental in strengthening our understanding of plant functional ecology and, as such, provide excellent models for deepening our understanding of fungal functional ecology in ways that complement insights gained from traditional and -omics-based techniques. In this review, we synthesize current knowledge of fungal functional ecology, taxonomy and systematics and introduce a novel database of fungal functional traits (FunFun). FunFun is built to interface with other
2 =Mushroom cultivation in the circular economy= Abstract Commercial mushrooms are produced on lignocellulose such as straw, saw dust, and wood chips. As such, mushroom-forming fungi convert low-quality waste streams into high-quality food. Spent mushroom substrate (SMS) is usually considered a waste product. This review discusses the applications of SMS to promote the transition to a circular economy. SMS can be used as compost, as a substrate for other mushroom-forming fungi, as animal feed, to promote health of animals, and to produce packaging and construction materials, biofuels, and enzymes. This range of applications can make agricultural production more sustainable and efficient, especially if the CO2 emission and heat from mushroom cultivation can be used to promote plant growth in greenhouses.
3 =Endemism and functional convergence across the North American soil mycobiome= Identifying the ecological processes that structure communities and the consequences for ecosystem function is a central goal of ecology. The recognition that fungi, bacteria, and viruses control key ecosystem functions has made microbial communities a major focus of this field. Because many ecological processes are apparent only at particular spatial or temporal scales, a complete under- standing of the linkages between microbial community, environment, and function requires analysis across a wide range of scales. Here, we map the biological and functional geography of soil fungi from local to continental scales and show that the principal ecological processes controlling community structure and function operate at different scales. Similar to plants or animals, most soil fungi are endemic to particular bioregions, suggesting that factors operating at large spatial scales, like dispersal limitation or climate, are the first-order determinants of fungal community structure in nature. By contrast, soil extracellular enzyme activity is highly convergent across bioregions and widely differing fungal communities. Instead, soil enzyme activity is correlated with local soil environment and distribution of fungal traits within the commu- nity. The lack of structure–function relationships for soil fungal communities at continental scales indicates a high degree of functional redundancy among fungal communities in global biogeo-chemical cycles.
4 =Earthworms, mushrooms and zero waste in China= Author(s) : Pauli, G. Abstract : The reuse of agro-industrial residues in the mushroom farming region of Qingyuan, China, is described. Mushrooms are grown on agro-industrial wastes including rice straw, coffee hulls, tea residues, cotton seeds, wheat husks, spent grain from breweries and residual fibres from paper processing. The spent substrate from mushroom growing is currently used as a fuel by farmers. However, there is increasing interest in the use of the substrate for growing earthworms, which convert the mushroom protein into humus, with recovery of animal protein.
5 =Fungi and Sustainability= Ron Spinosa* Abstract The concept of “sustainability” is becoming ever more prominent in almost every area of human affairs, from individual households to the planet Earth itself. A brief history of the development of the concept of sustainability and its implementation is presented. The United Nation’s Earth Summits have been especially important in creating programs to promote sustainable development in response to the global crisis that has resulted from a century of exploitation of the Earth’s resources and exponential human population growth. Fungi can play a significant role in the pursuit of sustainability. For example, mushroom cultivation may be integrated into schemes for recycling agricultural waste as well as providing nutrition and income for peoples living in developing nations. Fungi are essential for the health and sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems. In the case of catastrophic destabilization of the earth’s ecosystems by human folly, fungi will prepare the way for the future.