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Fungal decomposers of leaf litter from an invaded and native mountain forest of NW Argentina

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Abstract

The impact of plant species invasions on the abundance, composition and activity of fungal decomposers of leaf litter is poorly understood. In this study, we isolated and compared the relative abundance of ligninocellulolytic fungi of leaf litter mixtures from a native forest and a forest invaded by Ligustrum lucidum in a lower mountain forest of Tucuman, Argentina. In addition, we evaluated the relationship between the relative abundance of ligninocellulolytic fungi and properties of the soil of both forest types. Finally, we identified lignin degrading fungi and characterized their polyphenol oxidase activities. The relative abundance of ligninocellulolytic fungi was higher in leaf litter mixtures from the native forest. The abundance of cellulolytic fungi was negatively related with soil pH while the abundance of ligninolytic fungi was positively related with soil humidity. We identified fifteen genera of ligninolytic fungi; four strains were isolated from both forest types, six strains only from the invaded forest and five strains were isolated only from the native forest. The results found in this study suggest that L. Lucidum invasion could alter the abundance and composition of fungal decomposers. Long-term studies that include an analysis of the nutritional quality of litter are needed, for a more complete overview of the influence of L. Lucidum invasion on fungal decomposers and on leaf litter decomposition.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET-PIP 0372) and Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (ANPCyT-PICT 0480). We thank Fernandez MJ for field assistance, Nanni S for the help with the English version of this manuscript and associate editor and two anonymous reviewers for comments that improved the manuscript. Finally we acknowledge the authorities of Parque Sierra de San Javier for the permissions to conduct this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Ecología Regional (IER, UNT- CONICET), Casilla de Correo 34(4107), Yerba Buena, Tucumán, Argentina

    Romina Daiana Fernandez & Roxana Aragón

  2. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI, CONICET), Avenida Belgrano y Pasaje Caseros(4000), San Miguel De Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina

    Natalia Bulacio, Analía Álvarez & Hipólito Pajot

  3. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e IML (UNT), Miguel Lillo 205(4000), San Miguel De Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina

    Analía Álvarez & Roxana Aragón

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  1. Romina Daiana Fernandez
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  2. Natalia Bulacio
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Correspondence to Romina Daiana Fernandez.

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Fernandez, R.D., Bulacio, N., Álvarez, A. et al. Fungal decomposers of leaf litter from an invaded and native mountain forest of NW Argentina. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 110, 1207–1218 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10482-017-0893-8

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