Cover Image

Abstract

EcologyVolume 104, Issue 6 e4102 COVER IMAGEFree Access Cover Image First published: 01 June 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4102AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Graphical Abstract COVER PHOTO: Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) fruit from a hardwood log in New Hampshire, USA. In their study in this issue, Borgmann-Winter et al. (Article e4039; doi:10.1002/ecy.4039) compared fungal spores in rodent scat to windborne spores and found that these two dispersal pathways support complementary fungal communities. Wood saprotrophs (such as the oyster mushroom) were among those fungal functional types most common in windborne spore samples, whereas mycorrhizal fungi and soil saprotrophs were among those common in rodent scat. These findings demonstrate the importance of vertebrates in supporting fungal communities, which in turn facilitate nutrient cycling, decomposition, and plant community composition through mycorrhizal symbiosis. Photo credit: Benjamin Borgmann-Winter. Volume104, Issue6June 2023e4102 RelatedInformation