On the Use of Spores of Coprophilous Fungi Preserved in Sediments to Indicate Past Herbivore Presence
Fungal spores that grew on the faeces of herbivores in the past can be extracted from sediments and used to identify the presence of herbivores in former ecosystems. This review: (i) examines the factors that should be considered when interpreting these fungal spores, (ii) assesses the degree to whi...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-06-01
|
| Series: | Quaternary |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-550X/5/3/30 |
| _version_ | 1797482989758709760 |
|---|---|
| author | Claire M. Lee Bas van Geel William D. Gosling |
| author_facet | Claire M. Lee Bas van Geel William D. Gosling |
| author_sort | Claire M. Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Fungal spores that grew on the faeces of herbivores in the past can be extracted from sediments and used to identify the presence of herbivores in former ecosystems. This review: (i) examines the factors that should be considered when interpreting these fungal spores, (ii) assesses the degree to which they can be used to estimate past herbivore populations and biomass density change, and (iii) identifies gaps in our current understanding that limit, or confound, the information that can be extracted from the fungal spore record. We focus on the life cycles of coprophilous fungi and highlight the importance of understanding spore dispersal mechanisms to ensure robust palaeoecological interpretation. We then discuss how variation in methodological approaches across studies and modifications can influence comparability between studies. The key recommendations that emerge relate to: (i) improving our understanding of the relationship between spores of coprophilous fungi (SCF) and herbivores through the study of the coprophilous fungi succession; (ii) refining our understanding of how climate and environment parameters effect fungal spore abundance, with particular reference to estimating past herbivore biomass density; and (iii) enhancing sedimentary DNA (SedaDNA) analysis to identify SCF that do not allow preservation in a way that allows visual identification. To further this field of study and provide more robust insights into herbivores in the past, we suggest that additional research is required to help to reduce bias during the preparation process, that concertation metrics are used for the quantification of SCF, and that multiple cores should be taken in each site and multiproxy analysis should be utilised. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:40:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-45e5836991cb46ab93a3d6aa1a8bde6c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-550X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:40:28Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Quaternary |
| spelling | doaj.art-45e5836991cb46ab93a3d6aa1a8bde6c2023-11-23T18:40:08ZengMDPI AGQuaternary2571-550X2022-06-01533010.3390/quat5030030On the Use of Spores of Coprophilous Fungi Preserved in Sediments to Indicate Past Herbivore PresenceClaire M. Lee0Bas van Geel1William D. Gosling2Institute for Biodiversity & Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The NetherlandsInstitute for Biodiversity & Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The NetherlandsInstitute for Biodiversity & Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The NetherlandsFungal spores that grew on the faeces of herbivores in the past can be extracted from sediments and used to identify the presence of herbivores in former ecosystems. This review: (i) examines the factors that should be considered when interpreting these fungal spores, (ii) assesses the degree to which they can be used to estimate past herbivore populations and biomass density change, and (iii) identifies gaps in our current understanding that limit, or confound, the information that can be extracted from the fungal spore record. We focus on the life cycles of coprophilous fungi and highlight the importance of understanding spore dispersal mechanisms to ensure robust palaeoecological interpretation. We then discuss how variation in methodological approaches across studies and modifications can influence comparability between studies. The key recommendations that emerge relate to: (i) improving our understanding of the relationship between spores of coprophilous fungi (SCF) and herbivores through the study of the coprophilous fungi succession; (ii) refining our understanding of how climate and environment parameters effect fungal spore abundance, with particular reference to estimating past herbivore biomass density; and (iii) enhancing sedimentary DNA (SedaDNA) analysis to identify SCF that do not allow preservation in a way that allows visual identification. To further this field of study and provide more robust insights into herbivores in the past, we suggest that additional research is required to help to reduce bias during the preparation process, that concertation metrics are used for the quantification of SCF, and that multiple cores should be taken in each site and multiproxy analysis should be utilised.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-550X/5/3/30faecesnon-pollen palynomorphspalaeoecologymycologyherbivore biomasslife cycle |
| spellingShingle | Claire M. Lee Bas van Geel William D. Gosling On the Use of Spores of Coprophilous Fungi Preserved in Sediments to Indicate Past Herbivore Presence Quaternary faeces non-pollen palynomorphs palaeoecology mycology herbivore biomass life cycle |
| title | On the Use of Spores of Coprophilous Fungi Preserved in Sediments to Indicate Past Herbivore Presence |
| title_full | On the Use of Spores of Coprophilous Fungi Preserved in Sediments to Indicate Past Herbivore Presence |
| title_fullStr | On the Use of Spores of Coprophilous Fungi Preserved in Sediments to Indicate Past Herbivore Presence |
| title_full_unstemmed | On the Use of Spores of Coprophilous Fungi Preserved in Sediments to Indicate Past Herbivore Presence |
| title_short | On the Use of Spores of Coprophilous Fungi Preserved in Sediments to Indicate Past Herbivore Presence |
| title_sort | on the use of spores of coprophilous fungi preserved in sediments to indicate past herbivore presence |
| topic | faeces non-pollen palynomorphs palaeoecology mycology herbivore biomass life cycle |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-550X/5/3/30 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT clairemlee ontheuseofsporesofcoprophilousfungipreservedinsedimentstoindicatepastherbivorepresence AT basvangeel ontheuseofsporesofcoprophilousfungipreservedinsedimentstoindicatepastherbivorepresence AT williamdgosling ontheuseofsporesofcoprophilousfungipreservedinsedimentstoindicatepastherbivorepresence |