Global analysis reveals an environmentally driven latitudinal pattern in mushroom size across fungal species

Although macroecology is a well-established field, much remains to be learned about the large-scale variation of fungal traits. We conducted a global analysis of mean fruit body size of 59 geographical regions worldwide, comprising 5340 fungal species exploring the response of fruit body size to latitude, resource availability and temperature. The results showed a hump-shaped relationship between mean fruit body size and distance to the equator. Areas with large fruit bodies were characterised by a high seasonality and an intermediate mean temperature. The responses of mutualistic species and saprotrophs were similar. These findings support the resource availability hypothesis, predicting large fruit bodies due to a seasonal resource surplus, and the thermoregulation hypothesis, according to which small fruit bodies offer a strategy to avoid heat and cold stress and therefore occur at temperature extremes. Fruit body size may thus be an adaptive trait driving the large-scale distribution of fungal species.

Automated summary

The study found that the size of fungal fruit bodies is related to latitude, resource availability, and temperature, with larger fruit bodies often found in areas with high seasonality and moderate temperatures. Both mutualistic species and saprotrophs exhibited similar responses to the environment, showing a strategy to avoid temperature stress.