Fungi from a bacterial perspective.

Abstract

Fungi from a Bacterial Perspective

Fungi make up a significant part of the microbial biomass in terrestrial ecosystems where they play an important role in organic matter decomposition, nutrient cycling, plant biomass production and many other ecosystem functions. In contrast, fungal biomass in aquatic ecosystems is generally low and the role of fungi in decomposition and nutrient-related ecosystem functions is small. Bacteria are, however, abundant everywhere and this implies that terrestrial bacteria will be more often confronted with fungi than those in aquatic ecosystems. This confrontation with fungi may have (had) a strong impact on the evolution and ecology of terrestrial bacteria. In this lecture I will focus on the nutritional relationships between bacteria and fungi in soil. It will be shown that the nature of this relationship (competitive/antagonistic or predatory versus mutualistic) is dependent on the access that both bacteria and fungi have to nutrients. Applied aspects of fungal-bacterial interactions as well as their importance for ecosystem functioning will be discussed as well.

Click here to open the personal website of Dr. W. de Boer