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Crested porcupines (Hystrix cristata): mycophagist spore dispersers of the ectomycorrhizal truffle Tuber aestivum

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Abstract

Truffles, as hypogeous, ectomycorrhizal fungi, have no means to actively discharge spores into the environment and thus depend on mycophagists for spore dispersal. After consumption of fruiting bodies by animals and passage through the digestive tract, the spores are released in faecal pellets. Recently, in the Abruzzo region (Italy), Hystrix cristata has been spotted inside private truffières, but its role in spore dispersal has never been investigated. Here, we report our research on the occurrence of Tuber aestivum spores in porcupine’s faecal contents in a truffière in L’Aquila, Italy, where a H. cristata specimen was photographed. The spores were isolated from faeces by using a suspension of 0.7 M ZnSO4. We also verified degradation and disfiguration of the digested spores’ reticular ornamentation compared to that of fresh spores from ascomata collected inside the truffière, through measurements performed by scanning electron microscopy. A few truffle spores had germinated within the faeces.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Professor Maurizio Biondi, zoologist at University of L’Aquila, for identification of faeces collected for this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100, L’Aquila, Italy

    Francesca Ori, Marco Leonardi, Mirco Iotti & Giovanni Pacioni

  2. Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society and USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Forestry Sciences Laboratory, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    James Trappe

Authors
  1. Francesca Ori
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  2. James Trappe
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  3. Marco Leonardi
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  4. Mirco Iotti
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  5. Giovanni Pacioni
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marco Leonardi.

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Fig. 1S

Poor image of Hystrix cristata within the truffière, taken by Distianert 12MP 720P Infrared Camera (Shenzhen, CN), documenting its visits there. (TIF 4062 kb)

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Ori, F., Trappe, J., Leonardi, M. et al. Crested porcupines (Hystrix cristata): mycophagist spore dispersers of the ectomycorrhizal truffle Tuber aestivum. Mycorrhiza 28, 561–565 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-018-0840-1

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