Scope
As human activities increasingly alter the distribution and relative dominance of plant and soil fungal communities through introductions and management, it is becoming critical to understand the consequences of these changes for biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Although some case studies demonstrate that introduced plants and fungi bring highly novel traits into ecosystems, relatively little is known about the broad biogeographic patterns, ecological/evolutionary dynamics, and ecosystem/biogeochemical consequences of such introductions. We are aware of numerous individual projects on major plant–fungal co-invasions, and a recent paper (‘The emerging science of linked plant–fungal invasions’ by Dickie et al., New Phytol 215:1314–1332) made important contributions to a conceptual framework. This international symposium will build on this foundation, allowing a synthesis of results to date by identifying common themes/goals, developing collaborations across native/introduced ranges, and leveraging a global network to identify questions of large geographic scope.
Organising Committee:
Laszlo Nagy, University of Campinas, Brazil
Erika Buscardo, University of Brasília, Brazil
Miranda Hart, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Canada
Jason Hoeksema, University of Mississippi, USA
Format
The symposium took place over four days (Wednesday 26 – Saturday 29 June 2024) at the University of Campinas, Brazil. A pre-symposium workshop was held on Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 June 2024.
News
Call for papers: Ecological and evolutionary consequences of plant–fungal invasions
We welcome submissions on the topic of the ecological and evolutionary consequences of plant–fungal invasion
Keynote Speaker
- 26 June 2024
As human activities increasingly alter the distribution and relative dominance of plant and soil fungal communities through introductions and management, it is becoming critical to understand the consequences of these changes for biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Although some case studies demonstrate that introduced plants and fungi bring highly novel traits into ecosystems, relatively little is known about the broad biogeographic patterns, ecological/evolutionary dynamics, and ecosystem/biogeochemical consequences of such introductions. We are aware of numerous individual projects on major plant–fungal co-invasions, and a recent paper (‘ The emerging science of linked plant–fungal invasions’ by Dickie et al. , New Phytol., 215:1314–1332 ) made important contributions to a conceptual framework. This international symposium will build on this foundation, allowing a synthesis of results to date by identifying common themes/goals, developing collaborations across native/introduced ranges, and leveraging a global network to identify questions of large geographic scope.
Biography
Ian A. Dickie is a professor of microbial ecology at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury in Christchurch, NZ. After doing reforestation work with the US Peace Corps in Panama, Ian undertook his doctoral degree in Ecology at Pennsylvania State University (State College, PA, USA), focussing on the role of soil biota in oak forest regeneration with Kim Steiner and Roger Koide. Ian had two post-doctoral research positions, the first with Roger Koide looking at vertical niche partitioning by ectomycorrhizal fungi (Dickie et al., 2002) and then a longer period with Peter Reich and Sarah Hobbie at the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN, USA), researching mycorrhizal fungi in oak savanna. Ian has previously held professional positions at Manaaki Whenua | Landcare Research in Lincoln, New Zealand, and as a professor at Lincoln Universities BioProtection Research Centre. His research team investigates the role of fungi in ecosystems, with a particular focus on plant invasions. Ian has been an Editor of New Phytologist since 2012.
https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/science/contact-us/people/ian-dickie.html
Day 1
11:10–11:20 | Overview of New Phytologist Symposia & welcome Marc-André Selosse, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle |
11:20–12:05
| Keynote Speaker – Ian Dickie, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury Progress and future directions in the emerging science of linked plant–fungal invasions |
Session 1: Ecosystem functional consequences of plant–fungal co-invasions In this session we will explore the ways in which plants or fungi may influence ecosystem functions such as productivity, carbon storage, and nutrient cycling, upon plant and/or fungal invasion into novel environments. Chairs: Marc-André Selosse, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle and Amy Zanne, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies/University of Miami | |
12:05–12:40 | Kathleen Treseder, University of California Irvine Considering mycorrhizal relationships of invasive plants when restoring ecosystems |
12:40–12:55 | Baptiste Wijas, University of Miami Decomposition of non-native wood and its effects on saprotrophic fungal communities in tropical ecosystems |
12:55–13:55 | Lunch |
14:00–14:35 | Nahuel Polliceli, CONICET - IPEEC CENPAT Unveiling invasive symbiotic fungi: A South American perspective |
14:35–14:35 | Alex Siggers, Colorado State University Pine-ectomycorrhizal co-invasions alter ecosystem properties of native Eucalyptus stands |
14:50–15:05 | Eduardo Choreno, University of California, Irvine Meta-analysis reveals the influence of mycorrhizal fungi on decomposition: insights for plant–mycorrhizal co-invasions |
15:05–15:30 | Flash talks part 1 |
15:30–16:30 | Poster session with refreshments |
16:30–17:30 | Discussion Session Setting the scene for the future of plant fungal invasion research. Chairs: Ian Dickie, Maarja Öpik, Amy Zanne and Marc-André Selosse |
Day 2
Session 2: Evolution and plant–fungal co-invasions Introductions are often associated with novel selection pressures, as well as demographic processes that may lead to evolution through genetic drift. Chair: Jason Hoeksema, The University of Mississippi | |
9:00–9:35 | Anne Pringle, University of Wisconsin-Madison Fungi also invade: The evolution of Californian Death Caps and impacts of Golden Oysters |
9:35–9:50 | Camille Delavaux, ETH Zurich Evidence for the evolution of native plant response to mycorrhizal fungi in post-agricultural grasslands |
9:50–10:25 | Yi-Hong Ke, University of Michigan Global population genomics of pine-co-introduced ectomycorrhizal fungus Suillus luteus |
10:25–11:00 | Tuan Duong, FABI, University of Pretoria Population genomics of speciation and host adaptation in fungal plant pathogens |
11:00–11:25 | Coffee break |
Session 3: Assembly, traits, and interactions in plant–fungal co-invasions In this session we will explore the diverse patterns, mechanisms, and consequences of community assembly during invasion by plants and/or fungi. Chairs: Maarja Öpik, University of Tartu and Nahuel Policelli, CONICET - IPEEC CENPAT | |
11:30–12:05 | Ylva Lekberg, MPG Ranch/University of Montana Embracing the good and escaping the bad? Eco-evolutionary shifts in fungal interactions associated with a cosmopolitan weed |
12:00–12:20 | Valentina Borda, CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba Exploring the interplay between flavonoid content and mycorrhizal colonization in roots of woody invasive aliens and non-invasive native counterparts |
12:20–13:25 | Lunch |
13:30–14:05 | Rytas Vilgalys, Duke University Plant–fungal co-invasion and domestication induce shifts in community and metabolite profiles of pine ectomycorrhizae |
14:05–14:20 | Siim-Kaarel Sepp, University of Tartu Biotic Novelty Index as a measure of the impact of invasive plant species on fungal communities in soil |
14:20–14:35 | Marina Omacini, University of Buenos Aires Interplay of symbiotic beings in the Pampa: the encounter between an alien grass and leaf-cutting ants |
14:35–15:05 | Flash talks part 2 |
15:05–15:55 | Poster session with refreshments |
Session 3: Assembly, traits, and interactions in plant–fungal co-invasions (continued) | |
16:00–16:35 | Sarah Sapsford, Murdoch University Pine invasion drives loss of soil fungal diversity. Is there a chance of recovery following pine removal? |
16:35–16:50 | Anna Schertler, University of Vienna Biogeographically novel associations and host range breadth of alien fungal and fungus-like plant pathogens |
17:05–18:20 | Discussion session: Muddling up “baseline data”: The impacts of unseen, invasive mutualists. Chair: Anne Pringle, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
Day 3
Session 4: Deliberate fungal invasions - fungi as bioinoculants Part I: Effects aboveground Despite their global use, we know little about effect of fungal biofertilizers in ecosystems. Can inoculated fungi become invasive? How do they affect ecosystems? Are they an effective tool for growers? Chair: Miranda Hart, University of British Columbia Okanagan | |
9:00–9:35 | Miranda Hart, University of British Columbia Okanagan Fungal invasion through biofertilizers |
9:35–10:10 | Pedro Madeira Antunes, Algoma University Leveraging soil feedback and mycorrhizal fungal trait data to achieve eco-friendly plant–soil management goals |
10:10–10:25 | Andres Arguelles, Universidade de São Paulo Assisted migration and plant invasion: Similarities and differences |
10:25–11:00 | Rob Colautti, Queen's University, Canada Mycorrhizal disruption as an adaptive strategy in plant invasions: A critique |
11:00–11:25 | Coffee break |
11:30–12:05 | Liz Koziol, University of Kansas Native mycorrhizal fungi in action across ecosystems |
12:05–12:40 | Nicole Hynson, University of Hawaii Restoration aboveground, dysbiosis below? A pressing need for the integration of mycorrhizal ecology in plant restoration practices |
12:40–12:55 | Lorinda Bullington, University of Montana & MPG Ranch Linking fungal symbiosis with tree chemical defenses: Implications for forest health |
12:55–13:55 | Lunch |
Session 5: Deliberate fungal invasions - fungi as bioinoculants Part II: Effects belowground Chair: Nicole Hynson | |
14:00–14:35 | Elisa Pelligrino, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna |
14:35–14:50 | Stephanie Kivlin, University of Tennessee-Knoxville Plant–fungal mutualism reorganization and mutualism function in the Anthropocene |
14:50–15:25 | Nicolas Corradi, University of Ottawa “From chaos comes order”: The genetics and nuclear biology of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi |
15:25–16:00 | Martin Nunez, University of Houston Ectomycorrhizal fungal inoculations in Patagonia: The past, the present and ideas for the future |
16:00–16:30 | Coffee break Poster votes must be turned in by the end of the coffee break |
16:30–17:30 | Discussion session: Synthesis of common themes in research results to date, and priorities for future research Moderators: Jason Hoeksema & Kathleen Treseder |
Anna Abrahão | Universidade Federal do Ceará | Direct-seeding restoration is associated with acquisitive nutrient-use and -acquisition traits |
Benjamin Reimer | University of Florida | Changes in Soil Microbial Diversity and Community Composition Across a Pine Invasion Gradient |
Cecelia Stokes | University of Wisconsin-Madison | Can mushroom toxins enable a biological invasion? Testing enemy release and novel weapons hypotheses with invasive death caps |
Corinne Vietorisz | Boston University | Pine encroachment into hardwood forests alters soil fungal communities with consequences for soil nutrient cycling |
Cristiane Sagredo Sáez | Universidad de la Frontera | Does the adaptation of the hemiparasitic Andean mistletoe Tristerix corymbosus (L.) Kuijt (Loranthaceae) to exotic trees induce the alteration of beneficial leaf-associated microorganisms? |
Deborah L. Narh Mensah | CSIR-Food Research Institute | Phylogenomics of invasive Amanita muscaria in South Africa |
Gabriel Ballesteros | Universidad de Talca | Extreme environments as sources of fungal endophytes mitigating climate change impacts on crops in Mediterranean-type ecosystems |
Guilherme Alencar | University of Campinas | Water use strategies differ between native and invasive African grasses in the Cerrado |
Ian Acuña | Universidad de Talca | Rooted in Invasion: Unraveling fungal partnerships in Poa annua's Antarctic conquest |
Jessica Duchicela | Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE | Differences in mycorrhizal inoculum potential of populations of endemic and introduced tomatoes at the Galapagos Islands |
Li Yan | University of Western Australia | Why are some invasive species so successful in nutrient-impoverished habitats in south-western Australia: a perspective from their phosphorus-acquisition strategies |
Miguel Angel Sobarzo inzunza | Universidad de La Frontera | Seed-associated microbial diversity in invasive plants threatening southern Andean ecosystems |
Naara Christine Ferreira Ximenes | Universidade Federal do Ceará | Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and dark septate endophytes in Brazilian semiarid forests and savannas along a water-stress gradient |
Naoto Nakamura | Kyoto University | The relationship between population density of invasive plants and soil microbial communities |
Oleksandra Kutinova | Jagiellonian University | Understanding the biochemistry of polysaccharides opens ways to prevent the spread of an invasive fungus causing dieback of ash trees . |
Roberto Miño | Universidad de Talca | Endophytic Allies: Quinoa's Secret Partner Against Salinity |
Savannah Fuqua | University of Arizona | Invasion by Ammophila arenaria and restoration with herbicide alters soil fungal and bacterial community function |
Silmar Primieri | Federal Intitution of Santa Catarina | Multipartite symbioses of Mimosa scabrella: interactions among partners determine biological processes |
Silvina Garcia | Universidad de la República | Arbuscular mycorrhizas in the invasive grass Cynodon dactylon |
Tyler d'Entremont | University of Tennessee-Knoxville | The generality of specificity in plant-mycorrhizal interactions |
Victoria Infante | University of Arizona | Mechanisms of invasion-induced shifts in plant-fungal associations |
Vinicius Rocha | Embrapa Soybean | Unraveling two major evolutionary lineages in Phakopsora pachyrhizi, the causal agent of Asian soybean rust |
Xiaoyan Zhao | Beijing Forestry University; China National Orchids Conservation Center | Unraveling the Genomic Tapestry of Fusarium acuminatum: Insights into Pathogenicity and Symbiotic Dynamics |
Ariadna Matilde Quintero Muñoz | University of Campinas | Nitrogen cycle in a native tropical montane forest vs. an exotic pine plantation |
Lynda Cárdenas Guerrero | University of Campinas | A test of enemy release hypothesis in a tropical montane forest ecosystem: reduced relative nematode load on planted and invasive Pinus elliottii |
Poster prizes
Winner
Cecelia Stokes
Can mushroom toxins enable a biological invasion? Testing enemy release and novel weapons hypotheses with invasive death caps
Read our Profile on Cecelia Stokes
Poster , #3
Amanita phalloides (the death cap) is a deadly and invasive ectomycorrhizal mushroom. After being introduced to the United States from Europe, A. phalloides became widespread in California, and the fungus is now abundant in endemic coastal live oak woodlands. Death caps produce diverse secondary metabolites, including amatoxins responsible for killing humans, but why toxins are produced in nature remains unanswered, and whether they play a role in invasions is unknown. Building on long-standing claims from literature, we hypothesize the toxins play an essential role in death cap ecology, acting as a defense against invertebrates. In 2023 we collected cap tissues from A. phalloides and other Amanita growing in both native and invaded ranges. After documenting the chemistry in each mushroom, we are characterizing the invertebrate communities using metabarcoding of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 region. We are using multivariate hypothesis testing to statistically compare differences in community composition among mushrooms, between the invaded and native ranges, and across toxin levels. Investigating differences in invertebrate communities in mushrooms from both ranges allows us to test both the enemy release and novel weapons hypotheses. Discovering the role of the death cap’s toxins is integral to understanding the mechanisms behind its invasion.
Biography
Cecelia Stokes is a first-generation Ph.D. student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Department of Botany. She moved to Asheville, NC to finish her undergraduate degree in General Biology at the University of North Carolina Asheville (UNCA). During her time at UNCA, she was awarded University Research Scholar Designation, Distinction in Biology, and received the Bernhardt-Perry Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research. Although Stokes’ first research focused on plant community ecology, she fell in love with the world of fungi after taking a Mycology course and never looked back. After graduation, she worked as a Research Technician in a Plant Pathology lab at North Carolina State University where she researched fungal plant pathogens and their impacts on agricultural systems. In 2022, she began her Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, co-advised by Drs. Anne Pringle and Michelle Jusino. Simultaneously, she is a Pathways Intern at the Center for Mycological Research of the U.S. Forest Service. Currently, Stokes is researching fungal ecology and evolution with a focus on the invasion biology of Amanita phalloides, or the death cap.
Runners up
Anna Abrahão [#1]
Direct-seeding restoration is associated with acquisitive nutrient-use and -acquisition traitsIan Acuña [#9]
Rooted in Invasion: Unraveling fungal partnerships in Poa annua's Antarctic conquest
Honourable mentions
Corinne Vietorisz [#4]
Pine encroachment into hardwood forests alters soil fungal communities with consequences for soil nutrient cyclingDeborah L. Narh Mensah [#6]
Phylogenomics of invasive Amanita muscaria in South AfricaGuilherme Alencar [#8]
Water use strategies differ between native and invasive African grasses in the CerradoNaara Christine Ferreira Ximenes [#13]
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and dark septate endophytes in Brazilian semiarid forests and savannas along a water-stress gradientNaoto Nakamura [#14]
The relationship between population density of invasive plants and soil microbial communitiesSilmar Primieri [#18]
Multipartite symbioses of Mimosa scabrella: interactions among partners determine biological processes
The following people were awarded travel grants and/or fee waivers to assist their attendance at the symposium
Alex Siggers, Colorado State University
Anna Abrahão, Universidade Federal do Ceará
Baptiste Wijas, University of Miami
Deborah Louisa Narh Mensah, CSIR - Food Research Institute, Ghana
Eduardo Choreño-Parra, University of California, Irvine
Jessica Duchicela, Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas-ESPE
Li Yan, University of Western Australia
Marina Omacini, Universidad de Buenos Aires
Siim-Kaarel Sepp, University of Tartu
Silmar Primieri, Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina
Silvina Garcia, Facultad de Agronomia, Universidad de la Republica
Valentina Borda, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba
Valeria Faggioli, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
Victoria Infante, University of Arizona