A. Silverside

Bio: A. Silverside is an academic researcher from University of the West of Scotland. The author has contributed to research in topics: Dermoloma & Entoloma. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 74 citations.

Unravelling soil fungal communities from different Mediterranean land-use backgrounds

Abstract: Background Fungi strongly influence ecosystem structure and functioning, playing a key role in many ecological services as decomposers, plant mutualists and pathogens. The Mediterranean area is a biodiversity hotspot that is increasingly threatened by intense land use. Therefore, to achieve a balance between conservation and human development, a better understanding of the impact of land use on the underlying fungal communities is needed. Methodology/Principal Findings We used parallel pyrosequencing of the nuclear ribosomal ITS regions to characterize the fungal communities in five soils subjected to different anthropogenic impact in a typical Mediterranean landscape: a natural cork-oak forest, a pasture, a managed meadow, and two vineyards. Marked differences in the distribution of taxon assemblages among the different sites and communities were found. Data analyses consistently indicated a sharp distinction of the fungal community of the cork oak forest soil from those described in the other soils. Each soil showed features of the fungal assemblages retrieved which can be easily related to the above-ground settings: ectomycorrhizal phylotypes were numerous in natural sites covered by trees, but were nearly completely missing from the anthropogenic and grass-covered sites; similarly, coprophilous fungi were common in grazed sites. Conclusions/Significance Data suggest that investigation on the below-ground fungal community may provide useful elements on the above-ground features such as vegetation coverage and agronomic procedures, allowing to assess the cost of anthropogenic land use to hidden diversity in soil. Datasets provided in this study may contribute to future searches for fungal bio-indicators as biodiversity markers of a specific site or a land-use degree.

Ecology and Distribution of Lepiotaceous Fungi (Agaricaceae) - A Review -

Abstract: Lepiotaceous fungi form relatively fragile basidiocarps with white, rarely coloured, spores. Most are saprotrophic forest-floor dwellers that grow in the lower litter layers of the soil, and probably decompose lignin and cellulose. They occur worldwide, with many representatives in tropical and temperate regions, and a few species in arctic-alpine areas and in deserts. Most taxa are agaricoid, though a relatively small number of secotioid variants exist. Because of their relative rarity, the clustering together of many species in limited habitats, and the differences in species composition along latitudinal transects, lepiotaceous fungi may be vulnerable to changes in the environment, both on a local (habitat destruction) and on a global scale (climate change). Sister taxa occur in different parts of the temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere, indicating that vicariance events might have played a role in speciation. A few species have a very extended distribution, and those species occur either in man-made habitats or else in cooler habitats. Many ecological features of the lepiotaceous fungi are unknown, including the survival rates and colonization success of spores, nutrient and temperature requirements, longevity and size of genets. Conservation of existing diversity calls for policies underpinned by new ecological research, more taxonomical studies, and more recording projects.

Transhumance and Biodiversity in European Mountains

Abstract: Norwegian summer farming has a long history and can be dated back to the Iron Age and even to the Bronze Age. Since the area that can be used for crops is limited in Norway, the pre-industrial agriculture here depended on the resources of outlying land usually above the lowlands. Summer farming was widespread, but there was much variation in the local practices, depending on the local natural conditions. Forest summer farming was common especially in the southeast part of the country and along the coast the islands were used for summer farming. In the mountains summer farms located at different altitudes made it possible to utilize the grazing resources also far from the farm. Many farms had several summer farms with a spring farm near the main farm and one or several summer farms higher up in the mountains. It was common to utilize the summer farms both for hay making and grazing as well as for harvesting of other outfield resources. The distance to the main farm was often too long for transportation of fresh diary products. Instead different milk products were produced at the summer farm, a production demanding large amounts of wood. Many mountain summer farms were therefore situated in the subalpine birch forest where both wood for fuel and alpine pastures were available. The summer farming created an open landscape where the flora from the lowland and the alpine meadows met. Depending on the ecological conditions and types of utilization several different semi-natural vegetation types were developed. They may be identified according to Fremstad (1997) as for example moist poor meadows, Deschampsia cespitosa meadows, Nardus stricta meadows, Potentilla crantzii-Festuca ovina meadows, Trollius europaeus meadows, but also as different dwarf shrub heaths and fens. The golden period of summer farming was in the 19 century. During the 20 century the land use has changed and the number of summer farms has decreased to about 2000. The mountain areas are mostly used for sheep grazing. Due to the decrease in summer farming activities, a large-scale overgrowing and reduced biodiversity are now characterizing the mountain area situation in Norway. 8 I. Austad, A. Norderhaug, L. Hauge & A. Moen