Research output per year
Research output per year
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
How do fungi navigate through the complex microscopic maze-like structures found in the soil? Fungal behaviour, especially at the hyphal scale, is largely unknown and challenging to study in natural habitats such as the opaque soil matrix. We monitored hyphal growth behaviour and strategies of seven Basidiomycete litter decomposing species in a micro-fabricated "Soil Chip" system that simulates principal aspects of the soil pore space and its micro-spatial heterogeneity. The hyphae were faced with micrometre constrictions, sharp turns and protruding obstacles, and the species examined were found to have profoundly different responses in terms of foraging range and persistence, spatial exploration and ability to pass obstacles. Hyphal behaviour was not predictable solely based on ecological assumptions, and our results obtained a level of trait information at the hyphal scale that cannot be fully explained using classical concepts of space exploration and exploitation such as the phalanx/guerrilla strategies. Instead, we propose a multivariate trait analysis, acknowledging the complex trade-offs and microscale strategies that fungal mycelia exhibit. Our results provide novel insights about hyphal behaviour, as well as an additional understanding of fungal habitat colonisation, their foraging strategies and niche partitioning in the soil environment.
Original language | English |
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Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | The Isme Journal |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2021 Jan 19 |
Research output: Contribution to specialist publication or newspaper › Specialist publication article › Research
Aleklett Kadish, K. (Invited speaker)
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
Hammer, E. (Invited speaker) & Mafla Endara, P. M. (Invited speaker)
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
Hammer, E. (Interviewee)
Activity: Other › Media participation