Policelli et al_Invasive ectomycorrhizal fungi can disperse in the absence of their known vectors_Metadata

MANUSCRIPT TITLE:
Invasive ectomycorrhizal fungi can disperse in the absence of their known vectors

AUTHORS:
Policelli, N; Horton, TR; Kitzberger, T; Nuñez, MA.

METADATA DESCRIPTION: Metadata includes raw data from the greenhouse experiment (biomass -above and belowground-, EMF colonization, germination, and survival of plants). It also includes field data: vegetation survey of the different sites together with uprooted surface and number of feces. For data analysis details please refer to the Methods section of the manuscript.

ABSTRACT:
Positive interactions between non-native species can accelerate their invasion rate and exacerbate their impacts. This has been shown for non-native mammals that disperse invasive ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF), in turn facilitating the invasion of trees. While wind is the main short-distance dispersal mechanism for most EMF species, mammal-mediated dispersion is assumed to be the main mechanism of EMF long distance dispersal, being particularly critical for hypogeous truffle-like EMF species. We asked whether the absence of non-native mammals is an obstacle for pine invasion given the lack of invasive EMF being dispersed. We studied EMF species colonization and pine trees’ growth in soil from mainland sites where non-native mammals are highly abundant, and lake islets in which they have been historically absent. Contrary to what we expected, we found invasive EMF, including hypogeous species, in sites where invasive mammals have been historically absent. Pine trees grew equally well and had the same EMF colonization in soil from mainland and islets. Two non-native invasive EMF species were present in the islets, one of them hypogeous. The absence of invasive mammals does not hinder the invasion of EMF, which are critical for pine invasion. Alternative mechanisms of EMF dispersal, such as saltation, bird dispersal, or human dispersal, can be involved in their arrival to native stands. The presence of invasive EMF makes native sites vulnerable to pine invasion, even in the absence of mammalian dispersers.