Degree Name
MS (Master of Science)
Program
Biology
Date of Award
12-2026
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Ryan Stephens
Committee Members
Benjamin Lee, Thomas Jones, Matthew Smith
Abstract
Many mycorrhizal fungi are hypogeous (truffle-forming), producing underground fruiting bodies. Studying truffles is inherently challenging due to their hidden nature. However, mycophagous mammals provide a unique opportunity to study hypogeous fungi because they rely on truffles as a food source. Although several truffle species have recently been described in the southern Appalachian region, their fruiting patterns remain poorly understood. To address this, we quantified truffle richness and spore loads from 670 Peromyscus scat samples collected across 42 sites spanning an environmental gradient during 2024 in the Blue Ridge Mountains of East Tennessee. We found that truffle richness and spore abundance peaked mid-season and increased with precipitation, with the strength of the precipitation effect on spore abundance varying with topographic position index. Community analyses revealed season as the strongest predictor of changes in composition. Together, these findings suggest that temporal and environmental variation structure truffle communities.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Hartsock, Brittany, "Leveraging Mammal Mycophagy to Determine Environmental Drivers of Truffle Diversity" (2026). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4756. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/4756
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
