Litter/soil dwellers (arthropods: detritivores and omnivores) feed on unbalanced food (mainly dead plant matter) that is scarce in some physiologically important nutrients. This food alone is insufficient as a source of needed biomass. It is known that fungi may supplement such a diet with nutrient needed by these animals. However it is very hard to find any specific data on how exactly this mechanisms works.
If an arthropod feeds on dead plant matter, what exact substances are scarce in its food? And how much of these substances may be given by fungi? Is it enough?
Do you know of any papers that give information on exact nutrients that are scarce in litter/soil and are given to the litter/soil dwellers by fungi in considerable amounts?
Basically fungi are saprophytes and they them selves utilize dead organic material for their survival. so they will not supply any diet directly to the arthropodes. however, fungi are very good sources of oxidizing enzymes and producing various oxidoreductases like laccase, lignin peroxidases, peroxidases, monooxydases etc. and therefor able to utilize the complex carbon sources easily (woody materials)
Thank you for your answer, Shilpa.
Energy (carbon-rich compounds are only source of energy, not biomass needed to grow tissues) is not the problem here, since it is relatively easily available for considered arthropods. The problem is matter needed for growth, development, body-building and maintenance (biomolecules rich in elements other than COH).
Excretion of specific substances by fungi is not the mechanism of diet supplementation. I meant that fungi themselves are diet supplements. They are eaten by arthropods and ‛give’ to the arthropods molecules composing fungal mycelia. They are so called ‛butter’ that covers ‛bread’ of carbon-rich, hardly digestible dead plant matter.
This is how it looks in theory. But how exactly this mechanisms works? What specific nutrients play main role here and what amounts of these nutrients must be eaten by the arthropods to make this mechanisms reasonable?
Kind regards!
Below I leave two studies to bring this discussion to live. Please do not hesitate to comment and to criticize ideas presented there!
Best!
Michał Filipiak
Article Fungal Transformation of Tree Stumps into a Suitable Resourc...
Article Nutritional dynamics during the development of xylophagous b...
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