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Mycetozoan Biodiversity in the Great
Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky MountainsNational Park
• National Park in 1934
• International Biosphere Reserve in 1976
• World Heritage Site in 1983
• ATBI in 1998
Great Smoky MountainsNational Park
• >200,000 ha in extent
• located in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee
• elevation range of 270 m to 2000 m
• 95% of the Park is forested
• >130 species of trees
Major Types of Communities
• Spruce-fir forests (>1525 m)
• Northern hardwood forests (1065 to 1525 m)
• Pine-oak forests (<1065 m, xeric sites)
• Cove hardwood forests (<1065 m, mesic sites)
• Hemlock forests (generally along streams)
• Other types of communities
Old-Growth Forests
Members of the Slime Mold TWIG at Purchase Knob in August 2003
Participants in the ATBI Slime Mold TWIG
• Grazina Adamonyte• Denise Binion• Dawn Black• James Cavender• Randy Darrah• Uno Eliasson• Tom Gaither• Harold Keller• Tatyana Krivomaz• John Landolt
• Roland McHugh• David Mitchell• Yuri Novozhilov• Carlos Rojas• Adam Rollins• Wayne Rosing• Martin Schnittler• John Shadwick• Fred Spiegel• Ted Stampfer
Hemitrichia calyculata
The Mycetozoans Consist of Three Distinct Groups of Organisms
• Myxomycetes (or plasmodial slime molds)
• Dictyostelids (or cellular slime molds)
• Protostelids (or protostelid slime molds)
Myxomycetes[ca 875 species]
Dictyostelids[ca 120 species]
The myxomycetes are the largest and best known group,
and primary emphasis has been placed on collecting and
studying these organisms.
Primary Microhabitats
• Coarse woody debris
• Ground litter
• Bark surface of living trees
Other Microhabitats
• Dung of herbivores (e.g., deer)
• Soil (upper humus-rich layers)
• Aerial litter (dead but attached plant parts above the ground)
• Twigs and dead aerial wood
Sources of Records
• Field collections (fruiting bodies that developed under natural conditions)
• Moist chamber culture collections (fruiting bodies that developed under laboratory conditions)
Hemitrichia serpula
Moist chamber culture prepared with samples
of bark
Moist chamber culture prepared with samples
of leaf litter
Perichaena vermicularis
Licea biforis
Clastoderma debaryanum
Perichaena chrysosperma
Ecological Distribution
• Found throughout the Park• Generally restricted to hardwood
forests• Generally restricted to coniferous
forests• Limited to particular microhabitats
Arcyria cinerea
Physarum viride
. . . if considered to be a myxomycete!
Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa
Metatrichia vesparium
Enerthenema papillatum
Leocarpus fragilis
Worldwide distribution of Leocarpus fragilis
Southern AppalachianSpruce-fir Forests
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• Mount Rogers in southwestern Virginia
• Blister Run/Gaudineer Scenic Area in eastern central West Virginia
Field Collections
• More than 1200 total collections
• At least 89 species representing 34 genera
• Number of species recorded from a particular study site ranged from 63 (GSMNP) to 39 (Mount Rogers)
Ecological Distribution
• >95% wood or bark
• 3% forest floor litter
• 1% other (e.g., living plants)
• >30% associated with bryophytes
Most Common Species
• Licea minima
• Trichia decipiens
• Lepidoderma tigrinum
• Lycogala epidendrum
• Physarum viride
“Special” Species (spruce-fir)
• Barbeyella minutissima
• Lepidoderma tigrinum
• Colloderma oculatum
• Lamproderma columbinum
• Elaeomyxa cerifera
Barbeyella minutissima
Colloderma oculatum
Elaeomyxa cerifera
Lepidoderma tigrinum
Since the slime mold survey component of the ATBI began in 1998, the number of species of myxomycetes known from
the Park has increased from 88 to more than 220.
Recent new records (GSMNP & NA)
• Comatrichia pinicillata
• Lamproderma granulosum
• Licea microscopica
• L. rufocuprea
• L. sambucina
Stephenson et al. 2001, Snell et al. 2003
• Diachea arboricola A species new to science; Keller et al. 2004
Dictyostelium discoideum in the wild (on deer scat)
(photo courtesy of Thomas Platt, Rice University)
Dictyostelids are microscopic at virtually allstages of their life cycle, including the fruiting body.
Oval spores showing polar granule characteristic
A large aggregation
Migrating pseudoplasmodia
Stalked fruiting bodies developing
Fruiting bodies of several types of cellular slime molds
(from Am. J. Bot)
Typical leaf litter habitat
Remove Intact leaves
Scraping soil/litter
into sterile bag
10-50 g soil/litter
in a sample
bag
Weighing out soil sample for dilution
Surveys for Dictyostelids
• Sampling was carried out during the period of 1993 to 2004
• A total of 412 samples from study sites throughout the Park
• Study sites included examples of all major forest types along with the more common types of non-forest vegetation
• >2300 clones of dictyostelids recovered
Collection SitesHigh Elevation
Clingman’ Dome
Indian Gap
Andrews Bald
Double Springs
Balsam Mountain Mid Elevation
Purchase Knob* Snakeden Ridge
Ramsey Cascade
Chimneys Campground
Foothills Parkway-West Low Elevation
Little River Ravensford
Madron Bald Trail Oconoluftee
Rich Mountain Fontana Dam Twin Creeks Deep Creek
Gregory’s Cave Perimeter
Gregory’s Cave Interior
Foothills Parkway-East
Cades Cove
Tremont
CELLULAR SLIME MOLDS FROM THE GSMNP – Species names in black are reported prior to the current survey; names in red are additions made (mostly since 2001). Many of the added species came from “extremes” of elevation, soil dryness, soil acidity or within caves. Most unassigned forms in this table have now been formally described (Cavender et al. 2005)
1 Acytostelium leptosomum 13 Dictyostelium aureostipes 24 D. purpureum 2 A. subglobossum 14 D. aureostipes var. helvetium 25 D. septentrionalis 3 A. sp. A 15 D. discoideum 26 D. sphaerocephalum 4 A. sp. B 16 D. firmibasis ? 27 D. sp. A 5 A. sp. C 17 D. giganteum 28 D. sp. B 6 A. sp. D 18 D. implicatum 29 D. sp. C 7 A. sp. E 19 D. lacteum 30 D. sp. D 8 Polysphondylium candidum 20 D. "leptosomum" 31 D. sp. E 9 P. pallidum 21 D. minutum 32 D. sp. F
10 P. pseudocandidum 22 D. mucoroides 33 D. sp. G 11 P. tenuissimum 23 D. polycephalum 34 D. sp. H 12 P. violaceum
The following images were obtained using an auto-montage set-up which allows better visualization of the minute, usually pigment free fruiting bodies and other life stages.
Special thanks to Andy Swanson
A Guide to the Common Dictyostelid Slime Molds of Great Smoky Mountains National ParkAndrew R. SwansonDepartment of Biological SciencesUniversity of Arkansas
Dictyostelium mucoroides Brefeld syn. Dictyostelium brefeldianum Hagiwara
A) Sorocarps growing on a hay infusion isolation plate. B) migrating sorogens & young sorocarps (note stalked migration). C) mature sorocarps. D) tips (note morphological range from clavate to more typical capitate). E) spores (note lack of distinct polar granules. F) aggregation.
A
B C
DEF
Dictyostelium sphaerocephalum (Oud) Sacc. et March. syn. Hyalostilbum sphaerocephalum Oud.syn. Dictyostelium mucoroides Brefeld - sensu Hagiwara
A) Mature sorocarps (note ‘L’-shaped form agar surface). B) aggregations. C) spores (note lack of prominent polar granules). D) tip (note adherent material at apex and collar). E) mature sorocarps.
A
B
CDE
Dictyostelium discoideum Raper A) mature sorocarp (note discoid base). B) base. C) tip (note closely adherent spore mass). D) spores (note lack of
prominent polar granules). E) aggregation. F) migrating slug (note stalkless migration). G) detail, discoid base.
A B
C
G EF
D
Dictyostelium minutum Raper A) Colony (note size in comparison with P. pallidum). B. developing and mature sorocarps. C) mature sorocarps. D) tip and
spores. E) tip. F) spores (note polar granules – often not as prominent as pictured). G) aggregations.
A
B C
DEFG
Dictyostelium purpureum Olive A) mature sorocarps. B) mature sorocarp (note pigmented stalk and sori). C) lower stalk (note purple pigmentation). D)
rounded base. E) base with supporter. F) stalk tip. G) spores (note lack of prominent polar granules) . H) aggregation.
AB
C D
EFGH
Polysphondylium pallidum Olive A) mature sorocarps. B) mature sorocarp (note whorls). C) branch tip. D) spores (note characteristic unconsolidated polar
granules). E) aggregation. F) developing sorocarps.
AB
C
D
EF
Polysphondylium violaceum Brefeld A) mature sorocarps (note violet pigmentation). B) mature sorocarp. C) tip. D) branch tip & spores E) spores (note prominent
polar granules). F) aggregations.
BA
C
F DE
B
Dictyostelium aureo-stipes Cavender, Raper et Norberg A) developing sorocarps. B) mature sorocarps (note yellow pigmentation at branch confluence). C) matue sorocarps.
D) mature sorocarp (note irregular crowded branches). E) stalk and spores (note yellow pigmentation at stalk edges). F) tip and spores (note obtuse tip and consolidated polar spore granules). G) aggregations. H) rising sorogens.
A B
C
D
EFGH
Dictyostelium polycephalum RaperA) Aggregation and developing slug. B) migrating slug and developing sorocarp. C) rising slug (note size of nearby
sorocarp). D) developing sorocarp. E) mature sorocarp F) mature sorocarp. G) spores (note unconsolidated polar granules).
A
B
C
D
EF
G
Acytostelium subglobosum CavenderA) numerous developing and mature sorocarps. B) sorogens, sorocarps, and spore masses. C) mature sorocarps (note
development toward activated charcoal). D) base. E) tip. F) tip & spores. G) spores. H) aggregation, sorogens & spore masses.
A B C
DEF
GH
Ecological Assemblages of Dictyostelids
• Higher elevations, soil pH <5.0
• Lower elevations, soil pH >5.0
• Wide range of elevations and
soil pH conditions
Higher elevations and soil pH <5.0
• Dictyostelium discoideum
• Dictyostelium septentrionalis
• Polysphondylium tenuissimum
• Several newly described species
Lower elevations and soil pH >5.0
• Dictyostelium giganteum
• Dictyostelium lacteum
• Dictyostelium purpureum
• Dictyostelium minutum
Wide range of elevationsand soil conditions
• Dictyostelium mucoroides
• Dictyostelium aureostipes
• Polysphondylium pallidum
• Polysphondylium violaceum
Recently Described Dictyostelid Species from
GSMNP Collections
(Cavender, J. C. et al. 2005. Mycologia 97:493-512)
A. anastomosans FP5A
A. longisorophorum DB10A
A. magnisorum 08A
A. serpentarium SAB3A
A. singulare FDIB
D. amphisporum BM9A
D. naviculare SAB5A
D. oculum dB4B
D. potamoides FP1A
D.stellatum SAB7B
Dictyostelid General Summary
• Total number of species known from the Park has increased from 12 to >30.
• Overall species richness (18 to 20) is similar at all elevations (with some differences in assemblages).
• Dictyostelid abundance generally decreases with increasing elevation/decreasing pH.
• Many of the new records and new species are from high elevation/low pH/low plant diversity “marginal” habitats.
There were no reports of protostelids from the Park
prior to the ATBI.
Surveys for Protostelids• Sampling was carried out in October
2000 and November 2003• Study sites included examples of all
major forest types along with the more common types of non-forest vegetation
• Substrates examined included aerial litter, ground litter, bark of living trees, and coarse woody debris
Some of the collections of myxomycetes and dictyostelids from the Park are being used in studies to determine the “genetic relatedness” of collections of the same species from the same and different regions of the world.
Robert Hagelstein (“found in August [1939] near Newfound Gap, at an altitude of 4200 feet”)
Prototrichia metallica
Appreciation is extended to Discover Life in America for their support of mycetozoan research in the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park and also to the Shepherd University Foundation and Alumni
Association. We also thank a number of volunteers who assisted in sampling efforts.