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A missing link in mutualistic networks: symbiotic fungi in plant-animal interactions

Priscila Chaverri, Gloriana Chaverri
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/761270
Priscila Chaverri
1Escuela de Biología and Centro de Investigaciones en Productos Naturales (CIPRONA), Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica
2Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, U.S.A.; email:
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  • For correspondence: priscila.chaverriechandi@ucr.ac.cr priscila.chaverriechandi@ucr.ac.cr
Gloriana Chaverri
3Recinto de Golfito, Universidad de Costa Rica, Golfito 60701, Costa Rica
4Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Panamá; email:
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  • For correspondence: gchaverri@upacificosur.org
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Abstract

We explored the hypothesis of an indirect mutualistic relationship (i.e., when the association between two species is modified by a third one) within a plant-animal seed dispersal network. Bats are important long-distance dispersers of many tropical plants, yet, by consuming fruits they may disperse not only the plant’s seeds, but also the endosymbiotic fungi within those fruits. We characterized fungal communities in fruits of Ficus colubrinae and in feces of Ectophylla alba to determine if passage through the digestive tract of the bats affected the total mycobiome. Results show a significant reduction, after passage through the gut, of fungi known to be plant pathogenic, while abundance of species known to have beneficial properties significantly increased. These findings suggest that the role of frugivores in plant-animal mutualistic networks may extend beyond seed dispersal: they also promote the dispersal of potentially beneficial microbial symbionts while hindering those that can cause plant disease.

Footnotes

  • Statement of authorship: PC and GC conceived the study, PC and GC designed the study, PC worked with the fungi, GC worked with the bats, PC and GC analyzed data; PC and GC wrote the paper.

  • Data accessibility: Data is available upon request: Raw and filtered data from metabarcoding, including results from OTU clustering, taxonomic classification, abundance tables and ITS sequences from each OTU.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.
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Posted September 08, 2019.
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A missing link in mutualistic networks: symbiotic fungi in plant-animal interactions
Priscila Chaverri, Gloriana Chaverri
bioRxiv 761270; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/761270
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A missing link in mutualistic networks: symbiotic fungi in plant-animal interactions
Priscila Chaverri, Gloriana Chaverri
bioRxiv 761270; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/761270

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