Animal-Fungal Interactions 4: Observations of Coleopteran use of Ganoderma and other fungi in the southern Appalachian Mountains

Abstract

A diversity of North American beetles rely on fungi for a substantial portion of their life cycle, but there has been limited research into the larger ecological implications of these associations. The dieback of eastern hemlocks (<i>Tsuga canadensis</i>) has led to an increase in the fruiting numbers of the shelf fungus <i>Ganoderma tsugae</i>; in some areas, this has in turn caused an increase in the populations of pleasing fungus beetles (<i>Megalodacne heros</i>).