Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
8384692 | Fungal Ecology | 2014 | 9 Pages |
Abstract
Truffles have hypogeous fruit bodies that are dependent on mycophagous animals for spore dispersal. In our study we assessed the effect of passage through the gut of Sus scrofa on the morphology and viability of Tuber aestivum asci and ascospores. Light and Atomic Force Microscopy showed that passage through the gut freed spores from the asci, eroded the walls of free spores and modified their structure but spores were still viable. We believe this was the reason for the observed improvement in forming mycorrhizas with oak. These results confirm the role of wild boars in long distance dispersal of Tuber and support the theory that pigs play a significant role in truffle survival and territorial expansion during climatic changes.
Keywords
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Authors
Federica Piattoni, Antonella Amicucci, Mirco Iotti, Francesca Ori, Vilberto Stocchi, Alessandra Zambonelli,