Small mammals as indicators of truffle richness in Southern Appalachian Mountains
Abstract
Truffles are the underground fruiting bodies of mycorrhizal fungi and contain spores used for dispersal. Small mammals are proficient at locating truffles and are key dispersers of spores through ingesting fruiting bodies. Despite the Appalachian Mountains being a biodiversity hotspot for truffles, little is known about richness, abundance, and time of fruiting. Truffles can be difficult to find through field surveys as they are small and subterranean. Using scat from mice, we examined how richness and abundance of truffle-bearing fungi vary between mesic and xeric forest habitats along an elevational gradient over the growing season in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. We collected fecal samples from mice in the genus Peromyscus across 42 sites ranging from 471 to 1351 meters in elevation from May through November. We quantified spore abundance and richness by extracting spores from fecal samples and examining them under the microscope. Fungal fruiting is often associated with warmer, wet conditions; therefore, we expect truffle richness and spore abundance to be highest mid-summer when temperatures are warm. We also expect moisture to play an important role with richness and abundance of spores in scat being higher in mesic forests compared to xeric forests and increasing after precipitation events. Understanding how truffles are distributed across habitats will help guide research focus in the face of climate change or events that drastically alter existing environments.
Start Time
15-4-2026 9:00 AM
End Time
15-4-2026 12:00 PM
Room Number
Culp Ballroom 316
Poster Number
67
Presentation Type
Poster
Student Type
Undergraduate Student
Faculty Mentor
Ryan Stephens
Small mammals as indicators of truffle richness in Southern Appalachian Mountains
Culp Ballroom 316
Truffles are the underground fruiting bodies of mycorrhizal fungi and contain spores used for dispersal. Small mammals are proficient at locating truffles and are key dispersers of spores through ingesting fruiting bodies. Despite the Appalachian Mountains being a biodiversity hotspot for truffles, little is known about richness, abundance, and time of fruiting. Truffles can be difficult to find through field surveys as they are small and subterranean. Using scat from mice, we examined how richness and abundance of truffle-bearing fungi vary between mesic and xeric forest habitats along an elevational gradient over the growing season in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. We collected fecal samples from mice in the genus Peromyscus across 42 sites ranging from 471 to 1351 meters in elevation from May through November. We quantified spore abundance and richness by extracting spores from fecal samples and examining them under the microscope. Fungal fruiting is often associated with warmer, wet conditions; therefore, we expect truffle richness and spore abundance to be highest mid-summer when temperatures are warm. We also expect moisture to play an important role with richness and abundance of spores in scat being higher in mesic forests compared to xeric forests and increasing after precipitation events. Understanding how truffles are distributed across habitats will help guide research focus in the face of climate change or events that drastically alter existing environments.
