Abstract
Although most fungal spores are transported by wind, some remain on lamellae even after fungal fruiting bodies start to decay. This raises the question: are these remaining spores useless or instead transported by other means? In this study, we accordingly investigated whether adult dipteran insects transport fungal spores. Our examination revealed that fungal spores were present in intestines of most drosophilid adults but almost completely absent from those of other dipteran adults. At least some spores excreted by Drosophila angularis and D. brachynephros retained the capacity to germinate. Structural damage to spores that passed through the digestive tract of these two drosophilid species varied among fungal species, with a greater number of colorless spores generally damaged than colored ones. These results suggest that adult drosophilid flies, but not other dipterans, can transport fungal spores.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Buller AHR (ed) (1909) The dispersion of spores by animals-coprophilous hymenomycetes slugs and hymenomycetes. In: Researches on fungi, vol 1. Longmans, Green and Co., London, pp 224–232
Furukawa H (1992) Kinoko-gaku. Kyoritsu Publishing Co., Ltd., Tokyo (in Japanese)
Galante TE, Horton TR, Swaney DP (2011) 95% of basidiospores fall within 1 m of the cap: a field- and modeling-based study. Mycologia 103:1175–1183. doi:10.3852/10-388
Ikeda Y (2013) Hokurikunokinokozukan new ed. Hashimotokakubun-do, Kanazawa (in Japanese)
Ingold CT (1971) Fungal spores: their liberation and dispersal. Clarendon Press, Oxford
Li D (2005) Release and dispersal of basidiospores from Amanita muscaria var. alba and their infiltration into a residence. Mycol Res 109:1235–1242. doi:10.1017/S0953756205003953
Lilleskov EA, Bruns TD (2005) Spore dispersal of a resupinate ectomycorrhizal fungus, Tomentella sublilacina, via soil food webs. Mycologia 97:762–769
Malloch D, Blackwell M (1992) Dispersal of fungal diaspores. In: Carroll GC, Wicklow DT (eds) The fungal community: its organization and role in the ecosystem. Marcel Dekker Inc., New York, pp 147–171
Nakamori T, Suzuki A (2010) Spore resistance and gut-passage time of macrofungi consumed by Ceratophysella denisana (Collembola: Hypogastruridae). Fungal Ecol 3:38–42. doi:10.1016/j.funeco.2009.06.003
Rincón A, Alvarez IF, Pera J (2001) Inoculation of containerized Pinus pinea L. seedlings with seven ectomycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhiza 11:265–271. doi:10.1007/s005720100127
Toda MJ, Kimura MT, Tuno N (1999) Coexistence mechanisms of mycophagous drosophilids on multispecies fungal hosts: aggregation and resource partitioning. J Anim Ecol 68:794–803. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2656.1999.00328.x
Tuno N (1998) Spore dispersal of Dictyophora fungi (Phallaceae) by flies. Ecol Res 13:7–15. doi:10.1046/j.1440-1703.1998.00241.x
Tuno N (1999) Insect feeding on spores of a bracket fungus, Elfvingia applanata (Pers.) Karst. (Ganodermataceae, Aphyllophorales). Ecol Res 14:97–103. doi:10.1046/j.1440-1703.1999.00290.x
Acknowledgements
We thank Prof. M. T. Kimura for help with manuscript preparation.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Kobayashi, M., Kitabayashi, K. & Tuno, N. Spore dissemination by mycophagous adult drosophilids. Ecol Res 32, 621–626 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-017-1477-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-017-1477-9