Use of Ecological Networks to Reveal Interspecific Fungal Interactions from 150 Years of Foray Records

Abstract

Fungal forays have been conducted for more than 150 years, providing valuable, but underutilized, sets of records for studies of fungal ecology. Although foray records have been used to study species composition and phenological change, their potential of revealing internal interactions within fungal communities has not been explored. This paper collates foray records conducted in Yorkshire over the past 150 years focusing on 12 autumn-fruiting, generalist ectomycorrhizal fungal species. Using network and co-occurrence analysis, the study has identified and characterized the community characteristics between the species, identifying highly influential species and significant interactions between species. The results demonstrate the potential of foray records in detecting interspecific fungal interactions and highlight their potential to contribute to future research in fungal community ecology.