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Research article2019Peer reviewed

A glance into the black box: Novel species-specific quantitative real-time PCR assays to disentangle aquatic hyphomycete community composition

Baudy, Patrick; Zubrod, Jochen P.; Roeder, Nina; Baschien, Christiane; Feckler, Alexander; Schulz, Ralf; Bundschuh, Mirco

Abstract

Aquatic hyphomycetes (AH) are ubiquitous fungi playing a key role in the decomposition of leaf litter in streams. Though their functional performance is modulated by their community composition, this ecological relationship remains poorly investigated due to a lack of suitable methods to identify the biomass-contribution of individual species to AH communities. We, therefore, designed and validated TaqMan (R) probe-based qPCR assays targeting ten AH species common in temperate regions, allowing detection and quantification of these species within complex communities. In a further step, we compared qPCR-obtained DNA levels to concentrations of the traditional fungal biomass proxy ergosterol. We demonstrate that the qPCR assays are valid for use and that DNA and ergosterol concentrations were significantly positively correlated, suggesting DNA levels as a suitable species-specific biomass proxy. Accordingly, the use of these assays may facilitate multi-species experiments to address major research issues in stress and community ecology including biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd and British Mycological Society. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Alatospora acuminata; Articulospora tetracladia; Clavariopsis aquatica; Clavatospora longibrachiata; Flagellospora curvula; Heliscella stellata; Lemonniera terrestris; Neonectria lugdunensis; Tetracladium marchalianum; Tricladium angulatum

Published in

Fungal Ecology
2019, Volume: 42, article number: 100858
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCI LTD

      SLU Authors

      • Sustainable Development Goals

      Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

      UKÄ Subject classification

      Ecology

      Publication identifier

      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.funeco.2019.08.002

      Permanent link to this page (URI)

      https://res.slu.se/id/publ/102907