Eco-archaeological excavation techniques reveal snapshots of subterranean truffle growth

0549113 - ÚVGZ 2022 RIV GB eng J - Článek v odborném periodiku
Büntgen, Ulf - Peter, M. - Tegel, W. - Stobbe, U. - Elburg, R. - Sproll, L. - Molinier, V. - Čejka, Tomáš - Isaac, E. L. - Egli, S.
Eco-archaeological excavation techniques reveal snapshots of subterranean truffle growth.
Fungal Biology. Roč. 125, č. 12 (2021), s. 951-961. ISSN 1878-6146. E-ISSN 1878-6162
Grant CEP: GA MŠMT(CZ) EF16_019/0000797
Výzkumná infrastruktura: CzeCOS III - 90123
Institucionální podpora: RVO:86652079
Klíčová slova: spatial genetic-structure * black truffle * tuber-aestivum * ectomycorrhizal fungi * soil * cultivation * limitations * diversity * mycelium * Archaeological excavation * Fruitbody formation * Fungal phenology * Gourmet food * Truffle ecology * Tuber aestivum
Obor OECD: Mycology
Impakt faktor: 2.910, rok: 2021
Způsob publikování: Open access
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878614621001148?via%3Dihub

Despite its status as a highly-prized and coveted fungi in gastronomy, many aspects of the subterranean life cycle of the Burgundy truffle (Tuber aestivum) are still unknown, because in situ observations of the formation and maturation of truffle fruitbodies remain difficult. Here, we adopted a suite of archaeological fine-scale excavating techniques to provide unique spatiotemporal snapshots of Burgundy truffle growth at three sites in southern Germany. We also recorded the relative position, fresh weight, maturity level and genotype composition of all excavated fruitbodies. Varying by a factor of thousand, the fresh weight of 73 truffle ranged from 0.1 to 103.2 g, with individual maturity levels likely representing different life cycle stages from completely unripe to fully ripe and even decaying. While only a slightly positive relationship between fruitbody weight and maturity level was found, our results suggest that genetically distinct specimens can exhibit different life cycle stages at the same period of time and under the same environmental conditions. We therefore argue that truffles are likely able to grow, mature and ripe simultaneously between early summer and late winter of the following year. Our case study should encourage further eco-archaeological truffle excavations under different biogeographic settings and at different seasons of the year to gain deeper insights into the fungi s subterranean ecology. The expected cross-disciplinary findings will help truffle hunters and farmers to improve their harvest practices and management strategies. Crown Copyright (c) 2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of British Mycological Society. All rights reserved.
Trvalý link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0325325