The role of long-distance dispersal for community dynamics of fungi

Jussi Mäkinen, Yalda Fatahi, Mikhail Sofiev, Otso Ovaskainen, Nerea Abrego, Veera Norros, Janne Mäyra

Realized dispersal ability of wind-dispersing fungi in natural conditions remains poorly understood. Here, we study how climate, habitat type and long-distance dispersal jointly structure fungal communities and how their effects vary between species that have different morphological and life history traits. We integrate global fungal (spores and other organismal material) occurrence data collected in 2018-2021 with atmospheric dispersion projections that are used to define sample connectivity and to assess land cover in the spore source areas. Connectivity and land cover similarity increase community similarity, but the effects are small compared to the effect of climatic sorting. In contrast, connectivity is the main factor controlling the occurrence pattern of relatively common species and higher for plant pathogens than for all other species. We present the framework as a proof of concept -type of work to highlight the progress and future potential in studying dispersal of microbial organisms at the global scale.