PD Dr. Beatrice Senn

The European Alps are experiencing more than twice the increase in air temperature observed in the rest of the world. Thus, the treeline ecotone, and the unique habitats above it, offer a preview of drastic changes in plant and animal communities. However, our knowledge about climate change impacts on microbial diversity belowground is scarce. Here we investigate how upslope shift of the treeline ecotone, associated with changes in soil nutrient content, temperature and precipitation, will influence alpine ectomycorrhizal (EM) communities of Dryas octopetala, Bistorta vivipara and Salix herbacea across different habitat types in the Alps. We also assessed the degree of EM community taxonomic composition turnover in these habitats across three different climatic projections for 2040 and 2070. Our results indicate that the specialized EM fungal communities from snowbed habitats will be mostly negatively influenced under the current trajectory of environmental shifting predicted for the region. In contrast, fungi from the treeline ecotone, having wider niches, will be positively influenced by future climate and extend upwards. In addition, our predictions of EM community turnover for putative future climatic scenarios revealed high rates of turnover across the entire alpine region. This, together with glacier retreats, will aid colonization of alpine snowbed habitats by new EM plants and associated fungi, bringing additional pressures on local mycorrhizas and likely leading to fungal species extinctions.

Recent global warming affects species compositions at an unprecedented rate. To predict climate-induced changes in species assemblages, a better understanding of the link between species occurrence and climate is needed. Macrofungal fruit body assemblages are correlated with the thermal environment at the European scale. However, it is still unknown whether macrofungal communities are also phylogenetically structured by thermal environments. Thermal environments are characterized by annual temperature means but also by intra-annual temperature variability (hereafter termed temperature seasonality), which are both considered in this study. Here, we used distribution data of 2882 species based on fruit body records across Europe to address two main questions: 1) are mushroom assemblages at the extremes of the mean (warm and cold) and seasonal (high intra-annual variability, i.e. continental) climate gradient phylogenetically more similar than expected (phylogenetic alpha diversity); 2) are mushroom assemblages, that are subject to different mean and seasonal temperature conditions, composed of different lineages (phylogenetic beta diversity). Our phylogenetic alpha diversity analysis shows that mushroom assemblages are phylogenetically structured by warm and cold environments, indicating that phylogenetically related species with similar traits thrive under more extreme conditions. In contrast, assemblages are phylogenetically more dissimilar (overdispersed) in temperature seasonal environments, indicating limiting similarity. Phylogenetic beta diversity was significantly correlated with mean and seasonal temperature differences, a response mainly driven by a few genera. Our results show that macrofungal assemblages are phylogenetically structured by temperature across Europe, suggesting phylogenetically constrained specialization towards temperature extremes. Predicted anthropogenic warming is likely to affect species composition and phylogenetic diversity with additional consequences for the carbon- and nutrient cycles.

• Alpine habitats are one of the most vulnerable ecosystems to environmental change, however, little is known about the drivers of plant-fungal interactions in these ecosystems and their resilience to climate change.
• We investigate the influence of the main drivers of ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungal communities along elevation and environmental gradients in the alpine zone of the European Alps and measured their degree of specialization using network analysis. We sampled ectomycorrhizas of Dryas octopetala, Bistorta vivipara and Salix herbacea, and soil fungal communities at 28 locations across five countries, from the treeline to the nival zone.
• We found that: i) EM fungal community composition, but not richness, changes along elevation, ii) there is no strong evidence of host specialization, however, EM fungal networks in the alpine zone and within these, EM fungi associated with snowbed communities, are more specialized than in other alpine habitats, iii) plant host population structure does not influence EM fungal communities, and iv) most variability in EM fungal communities is explained by fine-scale changes in edaphic properties, like soil pH and total nitrogen.
• The higher specialization and narrower ecological niches of these plant-fungal interactions in snowbed habitats make these habitats particularly vulnerable to environmental change in alpine ecosystems.

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Antartica, Cladosporium austrolitorale from coastal sea sand. Australia, Austroboletus yourkae on soil, Crepidotus innuopurpureus on dead wood, Curvularia stenotaphri from roots and leaves of Stenotaphrum secundatum and Thecaphora stajsicii from capsules of Oxalis radicosa. Belgium, Paraxerochrysium coryli (incl. Paraxerochrysium gen. nov.) from Corylus avellana. Brazil, Calvatia nordestina on soil, Didymella tabebuiicola from leaf spots on Tabebuia aurea, Fusarium subflagellisporum from hypertrophied floral and vegetative branches of Mangifera indica and Microdochium maculosum from living leaves of Digitaria insularis. Canada, Cuphophyllus bondii fromagrassland. Croatia, Mollisia inferiseptata from a rotten Laurus nobilis trunk. Cyprus, Amanita exilis oncalcareoussoil. Czech Republic, Cytospora hippophaicola from wood of symptomatic Vaccinium corymbosum. Denmark, Lasiosphaeria deviata on pieces of wood and herbaceousdebris. Dominican Republic, Calocybella goethei among grass on a lawn. France (Corsica), Inocybe corsica onwetground. France (French Guiana), Trechispora patawaensis on decayed branch of unknown angiosperm tree and Trechispora subregularis on decayed log of unknown angiosperm tree. Germany, Paramicrothecium sambuci (incl. Paramicrothecium gen. nov.)ondeadstemsof Sambucus nigra. India, Aureobasidium microtermitis from the gut of a Microtermes sp. termite, Laccaria diospyricola on soil and Phylloporia tamilnadensis on branches of Catunaregam spinosa. Iran, Pythium serotinoosporum from soil under Prunus dulcis. Italy, Pluteus brunneovenosus on twigs of broad leaved trees on the ground. Japan, Heterophoma rehmanniae on leaves of Rehmannia glutinosa f. hueichingensis. Kazakhstan, Murispora kazachstanica from healthy roots of Triticum aestivum. Namibia, Caespitomonium euphorbiae (incl. Caespitomonium gen. nov.)from stems of an Euphorbia sp. Netherlands, Alfaria junci, Myrmecridium junci, Myrmecridium juncicola, Myrmecridium juncigenum, Ophioceras junci, Paradinemasporium junci (incl. Paradinemasporium gen. nov.), Phialoseptomonium junci, Sporidesmiella juncicola, Xenopyricularia junci and Zaanenomyces quadripartis (incl. Zaanenomyces gen. nov.), fromdeadculmsof Juncus effusus, Cylindromonium everniae and Rhodoveronaea everniae from Evernia prunastri, Cyphellophora sambuci and Myrmecridium sambuci from Sambucus nigra, Kiflimonium junci, Saro cladium junci, Zaanenomyces moderatricis academiae and Zaanenomyces versatilis from dead culms of Juncus inflexus, Microcera physciae from Physcia tenella, Myrmecridium dactylidis from dead culms of Dactylis glomerata, Neochalara spiraeae and Sporidesmium spiraeae from leaves of Spiraea japonica, Neofabraea salicina from Salix sp., Paradissoconium narthecii (incl. Paradissoconium gen. nov.)from dead leaves of Narthecium ossifragum, Polyscytalum vaccinii from Vaccinium myrtillus, Pseudosoloacrosporiella cryptomeriae (incl. Pseudosoloacrosporiella gen. nov.)fromleavesof Cryptomeria japonica, Ramularia pararhabdospora from Plantago lanceolata, Sporidesmiella pini from needles of Pinus sylvestris and Xenoacrodontium juglandis (incl. Xenoacrodontium gen. nov. and Xenoacrodontiaceae fam. nov.)from Juglans regia. New Zealand, Cryptometrion metrosideri from twigs of Metrosideros sp., Coccomyces pycnophyllocladi from dead leaves of Phyllocladus alpinus, Hypoderma aliforme from fallen leaves Fuscopora solandri and Hypoderma subiculatum from dead leaves Phormium tenax. Norway, Neodevriesia kalakoutskii from permafrost and Variabilispora viridis from driftwood of Picea abies. Portugal, Entomortierella hereditatis from abio film covering adeteriorated limestone wall. Russia, Colpoma junipericola from needles of Juniperus sabina, Entoloma cinnamomeum on soil in grasslands, Entoloma verae on soil in grasslands, Hyphodermella pallidostraminea on a dry dead branch of Actinidia sp., Lepiota sayanensis onlitterinamixedforest, Papiliotrema horticola from Malus communis , Paramacroventuria ribis (incl. Paramacroventuria gen. nov.)fromleaves of Ribes aureum and Paramyrothecium lathyri from leaves of Lathyrus tuberosus. South Africa, Harzia combreti from leaf litter of Combretum collinum ssp. sulvense, Penicillium xyleborini from Xyleborinus saxesenii , Phaeoisaria dalbergiae from bark of Dalbergia armata, Protocreopsis euphorbiae from leaf litter of Euphorbia ingens and Roigiella syzygii from twigs of Syzygium chordatum. Spain, Genea zamorana on sandy soil, Gymnopus nigrescens on Scleropodium touretii, Hesperomyces parexochomi on Parexochomus quadriplagiatus, Paraphoma variabilis from dung, Phaeococcomyces kinklidomatophilus from a blackened metal railing of an industrial warehouse and Tuber suaveolens in soil under Quercus faginea. Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Inocybe nivea associated with Salix polaris. Thailand, Biscogniauxia whalleyi oncorticatedwood. UK, Parasitella quercicola from Quercus robur. USA , Aspergillus arizonicus from indoor air in a hospital, Caeliomyces tampanus (incl. Caeliomyces gen. nov.)fromoffice dust, Cippumomyces mortalis (incl. Cippumomyces gen. nov.)fromatombstone, Cylindrium desperesense from air in a store, Tetracoccosporium pseudoaerium from air sample in house, Toxicocladosporium glendoranum from air in a brick room, Toxicocladosporium losalamitosense from air in a classroom, Valsonectria portsmouthensis from airinmen'slockerroomand Varicosporellopsis americana from sludge in a water reservoir. Vietnam, Entoloma kovalenkoi on rotten wood, Fusarium chuoi inside seed of Musa itinerans , Micropsalliota albofelina on soil in tropical evergreen mixed forest sand Phytophthora docyniae from soil and roots of Docynia indica. Morphological and culture characteristics are supported by DNA barcodes.

Protected areas with restricted management can provide refugia for fungi, but are usually selected based on conservation strategies for flora and fauna. Despite the important role of fungi in floodplains, they are rarely considered in conservation projects. The SwissFungi database covering all biogeographic regions in Switzerland, and consisting of 84% citizen science data, provided a valuable basis to define fungal riparian species: 99.29% of 990 species were reported at least once from the riparian zone, while 15% of species showed a measurable riparian affinity. Species distribution modelling for 129 riparian macrofungi revealed that the predicted distribution is driven by temperature for most species. There were significantly more records per species inside compared to outside protected areas, when correcting for size differences (21% of the area in Switzerland is protected). In contrast, the model predicted significantly more suitable habitat outside currently protected areas. Unprotected areas harbor a high potential for the creation of newly protected areas for the conservation of riparian fungi. The database information and the modelling approach provided crucial information for future monitoring and conservation projects along rivers.

Die vorliegende Publikation dokumentiert mit Fotos, Zeichnungen und detaillierten Beschreibungen Einzelkollektionen von 200 nichtlichenisierten Ascomyceten aus acht Klassen (Pezizomycetes, Leotiomycetes, Lecanoromycetes, Eurotiomycetes, Geoglossomycetes, Sordariomycetes, Dothideomycetes, Laboulbeniomycetes), basierend auf Funden aus der Schweiz der Jahre 1997 bis 2019.
Die Arten verteilen sich folgendermassen auf ihr ökologisches Spektrum: Totholz (100 Arten), Stängel, Blätter, Blüten und Früchte insbesondere krautiger Pflanzen (29 Arten), Moose (16 Arten), Pilze (9 Arten), Dung (6 Arten), Käfer (4 Arten), Erde (36 Arten, davon 3 auf Brandstellen und 2 an uringetränkten Stellen). 31 Arten sind nicht eindeutig einem ökologischen Spektrum zuzuordnen.
Der Verbreitungsschwerpunkt der meisten Arten liegt in der montanen Stufe, 15 Arten sind schwerpunktmässig subalpin oder alpin verbreitet. Mehrere Arten sind erst in den letzten Jahren neu beschrieben worden.

This publication documents with photos, drawings and detailed descriptions individual collections of 200 non-lichenised ascomycetes from eight classes (Pezizomycetes, Leotiomycetes, Lecanoromycetes, Eurotiomycetes, Geoglossomycetes, Sordariomycetes, Dothideomycetes, Laboulbeniomycetes), based on records from Switzerland in the years 1997 to 2019.
The species are distributed as follows across their ecological spectrum: deadwood (100 species), stems, leaves, flowers and fruits, especially of herbaceous plants (29 species), mosses (16 species), fungi (9 species), dung (6 species), beetles (4 species), soil (36 species, of which 3 on burnt areas and 2 on urine-damaged areas). 31 species cannot be clearly assigned to an ecological spectrum.
The distribution of most species is concentrated in the montane zone, 15 species are mainly distributed in the subalpine or alpine zone. Several species have been newly described only in recent years.

Avec photos, dessins et descriptions détaillées, cet ouvrage présente des collections personnelles de 200 ascomycètes non lichenisés de huit classes (Pezizomycetes, Leotiomycetes, Lecanoromycetes, Eurotiomycetes, Geoglossomycetes, Sordariomycetes, Dothideomycetes, Laboulbeniomycetes), à partir de récoltes faites en Suisse entre 1997 et 2019.
Les espèces sont réparties selon leur spectre écologique de la manière suivante : bois mort (100 espèces), tiges, feuilles, inflorescences et fruits provenant en particulier de plantes à feuilles (29 espèces), mousses (16 espèces), champignons (9 espèces), excréments (6 espèces), coléoptères (4 espèces), sol (36 espèces), dont 3 sur des places à feu et 2 sur des sites imbibés d'urine, 31 espèces ne peuvent être classées clairement dans un spectre écologique.
La plupart des espèces se rencontrent surtout à l'étage montagnard, 15 espèces occupant principalement des sites des étages subalpin ou alpin. Plusieurs descriptions concernent des espèces découvertes et récoltées ces dernières années.

This publication documents with photos, drawings and detailed descriptions individual collections of 200 non-lichenised ascomycetes from eight classes (Pezizomycetes, Leotiomycetes, Lecanoromycetes, Eurotiomycetes, Geoglossomycetes, Sordariomycetes, Dothideomycetes, Laboulbeniomycetes), based on records from Switzerland in the years 1997 to 2019.
The species are distributed as follows across their ecological spectrum: deadwood (100 species), stems, leaves, flowers and fruits, especially of herbaceous plants (29 species), mosses (16 species), fungi (9 species), dung (6 species), beetles (4 species), soil (36 species, of which 3 on burnt areas and 2 on urine-damaged areas). 31 species cannot be clearly assigned to an ecological spectrum.
The distribution of most species is concentrated in the montane zone, 15 species are mainly distributed in the subalpine or alpine zone. Several species have been newly described only in recent years.

Ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi are essential for the establishment of woody perennial plants in the European Alps. From continental to local scales, environmental conditions and plant host characteristics can predict EcM community structure and composition. However, it is unclear whether EcM communities of congeneric host species and their hybrids are differentially structured at local scales. We aimed to i) characterize EcM communities of Salix helvetica, Salix purpurea and their hybrids and ii) elucidate the abiotic and biotic factors affecting EcM communities in hybrid zones. We analysed the EcM communities associated with willows in a glacier valley by combining molecular identification of fungi from individual ectomycorrhizas and from soil. We detected diverse EcM fungi forming non-modular and unnested networks, but we did not find significant differences in the overall EcM fungal community richness or composition among parental species and hybrids. Nevertheless, individual fungi differed regarding host preference. Our results demonstrate that in a sub-alpine hybrid zone with heterogeneous geomorphology, host genotype was not a strong predictor of overall EcM fungal community, but it influenced the occurrence of particular fungi.

Many plant and animal species are changing their latitudinal and/or altitudinal distributions in response to climate change, but whether fungi show similar changes is largely unknown. Here, we use historical fungal fruit body records from the European Alps to assess altitudinal changes in fungal fruiting between 1960 and 2010. We observe that many fungal species are fruiting at significantly higher elevations in 2010 compared to 1960, and especially so among soil-dwelling fungi. Wood-decay fungi, being dependent on the presence of one or a few host trees, show a slower response. Species growing at higher elevations changed their altitudinal fruiting patterns significantly more than lowland species. Environmental changes in high altitudes may lead to proportionally stronger responses, since high-altitude species live closer to their physiological limit. These aboveground changes in fruiting patterns probably mirror corresponding shifts in belowground fungal communities, suggesting parallel shifts in important ecosystem functions.

A total of 561 records of 233 species of fungi are reported from the Polish part of Białowieża Forest as a result of a short-term inventory that was conducted during the 18th Congress of European Mycologists (September 18-29, 2019). Four species new to Poland (Bryocentria brongniartii, Tremella coppinsii, T. hypocenomycis, and Zevadia peroccidentalis), and eight species new to Białowieża Primeval Forest (Hypomyces chrysostomus, Hypomyces rosellus, Lachnellula resinaria, Peniophora lycii, Phellinus viticola, Phlebia subochracea, Pronectria anisospora, and Typhula quisquiliaris) were recorded.

Die Rolle von Botanischen Gärten geht weit über die gezeigten Pflanzensammlungen hinaus. Sie sind Orte der Bildung, Forschung, Kultur, Erholung und wichtige Akteure bei der Erhaltung gefährdeter Pflanzenarten. Der Botanische Garten der Universität Bern (BOGA) ist eine grüne Oase mitten in der Stadt. Er beherbergt nicht nur eine grosse Vielfalt an Pflanzen, sondern bietet auch Lebensraum, Nahrungsquelle, Unterschlupf- und Nistmöglichkeiten für eine Vielzahl von wildlebenden Organismen. Doch wie hoch genau ist die Biodiversität auf dem 2.5 ha grossen Gelände? Wie viele Pflanzenarten auf dem BOGA-Gebiet kultiviert werden, war bereits bekannt: rund 5500 Arten aus aller Welt. Auch zu einigen wild lebenden Tiergruppen, wie Vögeln oder Wildbienen, wurden über die Jahre bereits Artenlisten zusammengetragen. Um das Potenzial des Botanischen Gartens als Lebensraum für weitere wild lebende Bewohner zu erforschen, führte der BOGA zusammen mit rund 30 Expert*innen im Frühjahr 2019 eine Bestandsaufnahme durch. Insgesamt wurden 14 Taxa von Tieren, Pflanzen und Pilzen untersucht (Weichtiere, Spinnen, Käfer, Libellen, Tagfalter, Reptilien, Amphibien, Vögel, Fledermäuse, Kleinsäuger, Pilze, Flechten, Moose, Gefässpflanzen). Bisher wurden auf dem BOGA-Gelände 1139 Arten identifiziert, von denen etwa je ein Drittel Pilze, wild wachsende Pflanzen und wirbellose Tiere sind. Da zahlreiche Organismengruppen noch nicht untersucht wurden oder eine andere Jahreszeit bevorzugen, ist zu erwarten, dass die Artengemeinschaft im BOGA sogar noch deutlich grösser ist und es auch weiterhin viel zu entdecken gibt. Zu den Highlights der Bestandsaufnahme zählen z.B. der Erstnachweis der Spinnenart Triaeris stenaspis in der Schweiz oder der Pilz Scirrhia osmundicola, welcher zum ersten Mal seit seiner Erstbeschreibung 1959 gesichtet wurde. Zudem sind einige Gruppen erstaunlich gut vertreten, so wurden 34 % der Schweizer Vogelarten im BOGA gesichtet und dies auf gerade mal 0.00005 % der Landesfläche. Diese Bestandsaufnahme zeigt eindrücklich, wie wertvoll die hohe Pflanzenartenvielfalt und der vielfältige Lebensraum des BOGA für die gesamte Biodiversität mitten in der Stadt ist.

The success of habitat enhancements is typically assessed by subsequent monitoring of the focal taxonomic group. However, enhancement actions are likely to affect other, non-targeted species. On a south-facing slope in the Swiss Jura mountains, a mixed-forest stand was thinned out by irregular removal cuttings to improve the habitat conditions for reptiles. We used this enhancement action as a case study to monitor changes in the macrofungal community that came along with it. During 3 years before and after forest thinning, the site was visited between six and twelve times per year. Thereby, all apparent fungal species were recorded along a ringlike transect, split into 32 transect sections. We used site-occupancy models to estimate fungal species richness and abundance. These models allow to separately estimate occurrence probability and detection probability of species, and to account for differences in detection probability, depending on habitat and season. After the forest thinning, the occurrence probabilities of ectomycorrhizal and saprobic fungi were significantly higher than before. As a result, we estimated a mean increase in overall species richness by 4.4% (median 4.3%, CI 2.1–6.8%) and an increase in abundance by 20.0% (median 19.9%, CI 14.8–25.7%). The two major habitat changes associated with forest thinning, the decrease in living wood and the increase in dead wood on most transect sections, could not explain the whole extent of the estimated increase in species richness and abundance. We believe that forest thinning may have fostered fungal species richness by creating a larger density and diversity of suitable microhabitats. With some caution, we conclude that the small-scale habitat enhancement for reptiles at the Bolberg, creating islands of open forest, did not negatively affect species richness and abundance of macrofungi, a non-targeted species group.

Premise of the study: Fungal diversity (richness) trends at large scales are in urgent need of investigation, especially through novel situations that combine long‐term observational with environmental and remotely sensed open‐source data.

Methods: We modeled fungal richness, with collections‐based records of saprotrophic (decaying) and ectomycorrhizal (plant mutualistic) fungi, using an array of environmental variables across geographical gradients from northern to central Europe. Temporal differences in covariables granted insight into the impacts of the shorter‐ versus longer‐term environment on fungal richness.

Results: Fungal richness varied significantly across different land‐use types, with highest richness in forests and lowest in urban areas. Latitudinal trends supported a unimodal pattern in diversity across Europe. Temperature, both annual mean and range, was positively correlated with richness, indicating the importance of seasonality in increasing richness amounts. Precipitation seasonality notably affected saprotrophic fungal diversity (a unimodal relationship), as did daily precipitation of the collection day (negatively correlated). Ectomycorrhizal fungal richness differed from that of saprotrophs by being positively associated with tree species richness.

Discussion: Our results demonstrate that fungal richness is strongly correlated with land use and climate conditions, especially concerning seasonality, and that ongoing global change processes will affect fungal richness patterns at large scales.