Many plant and animal species are changing their latitudinal and/or altitudinal distributions in response to climate change, but whether fungi show similar changes is largely unknown. Here, we use historical fungal fruit body records from the European Alps to assess altitudinal changes in fungal fruiting between 1960 and 2010. We observe that many fungal species are fruiting at significantly higher elevations in 2010 compared to 1960, and especially so among soil-dwelling fungi. Wood-decay fungi, being dependent on the presence of one or a few host trees, show a slower response. Species growing at higher elevations changed their altitudinal fruiting patterns significantly more than lowland species. Environmental changes in high altitudes may lead to proportionally stronger responses, since high-altitude species live closer to their physiological limit. These aboveground changes in fruiting patterns probably mirror corresponding shifts in belowground fungal communities, suggesting parallel shifts in important ecosystem functions.

• MeSH
• ekosystém MeSH
• houby fyziologie   MeSH
• klimatické změny MeSH
• nadmořská výška * MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Thermal melanism theory states that dark-colored ectotherm organisms are at an advantage at low temperature due to increased warming. This theory is generally supported for ectotherm animals, however, the function of colors in the fungal kingdom is largely unknown. Here, we test whether the color lightness of mushroom assemblages is related to climate using a dataset of 3.2 million observations of 3,054 species across Europe. Consistent with the thermal melanism theory, mushroom assemblages are significantly darker in areas with cold climates. We further show differences in color phenotype between fungal lifestyles and a lifestyle differentiated response to seasonality. These results indicate a more complex ecological role of mushroom colors and suggest functions beyond thermal adaption. Because fungi play a crucial role in terrestrial carbon and nutrient cycles, understanding the links between the thermal environment, functional coloration and species' geographical distributions will be critical in predicting ecosystem responses to global warming.

• MeSH
• Agaricales fyziologie   MeSH
• ekosystém MeSH
• klimatické změny MeSH
• pigmentace fyziologie   MeSH
• studené klima MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa MeSH