title: New Insights into the Complex Relationship between Weight and Maturity of Burgundy Truffles (Tuber aestivum).
abstract: Despite an increasing demand for Burgundy truffles (Tuber aestivum), gaps remain in our understanding of the fungus' overall lifecycle and ecology. Here, we compile evidence from three independent surveys in Hungary and Switzerland. First, we measured the weight and maturity of 2,656 T. aestivum fruit bodies from a three-day harvest in August 2014 in a highly productive orchard in Hungary. All specimens ranging between 2 and 755 g were almost evenly distributed through five maturation classes. Then, we measured the weight and maturity of another 4,795 T. aestivum fruit bodies harvested on four occasions between June and October 2015 in the same truffière. Again, different maturation stages occurred at varying fruit body size and during the entire fruiting season. Finally, the predominantly unrelated weight and maturity of 81 T. aestivum fruit bodies from four fruiting seasons between 2010 and 2013 in Switzerland confirmed the Hungarian results. The spatiotemporal coexistence of 7,532 small-ripe and large-unripe T. aestivum, which accumulate to ~182 kg, differs from species-specific associations between the size and ripeness that have been reported for other mushrooms. Although size-independent truffle maturation stages may possibly relate to the perpetual belowground environment, the role of mycelial connectivity, soil property, microclimatology, as well as other abiotic factors and a combination thereof, is still unclear. Despite its massive sample size and proof of concept, this study, together with existing literature, suggests consideration of a wider ecological and biogeographical range, as well as the complex symbiotic fungus-host interaction, to further illuminate the hidden development of belowground truffle fruit bodies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.|Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.|CzechGlobe Research Institute CAS and Masaryk University Brno, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Büntgen
authors.affiliation: Truffleminers Ltd, Taksony Kinizsi, Hungary.
authors.forename: István
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bagi
authors.affiliation: Truffleminers Ltd, Taksony Kinizsi, Hungary.
authors.forename: Oszkár
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Fekete
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Virginie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Molinier
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peter
authors.affiliation: Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Molecular Bio Science, Frankfurt, Germany.|Integrative Fungal Research Cluster (IPF), Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Splivallo
authors.affiliation: Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Molecular Bio Science, Frankfurt, Germany.|Integrative Fungal Research Cluster (IPF), Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vahdatzadeh
authors.affiliation: UMR 5175 CEFE - University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Franck
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Richard
authors.affiliation: Université de Lorraine, UMR1136 Interactions Arbres-Microorganismes, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France.|INRA, UMR1136 Interactions Arbres-Microorganismes, Champenoux, France.
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Murat
authors.affiliation: Chair of Forest Growth, Albert-Ludwigs University, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Willy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tegel
authors.affiliation: Chair of Forest Botany, Albert-Ludwigs University, Freiburg & Deutsche Trüffelbäume, Radolfzell, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Stobbe
authors.affiliation: Agrifood Research and Technology Centre of Aragon CITA, Zaragoza, Spain.|European Mycological Institute EGTC-EMI, Soria, Spain.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martínez-Peña
authors.affiliation: Chair of Forest Botany, Albert-Ludwigs University, Freiburg & Deutsche Trüffelbäume, Radolfzell, Germany.
authors.forename: Ludger
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sproll
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hülsmann
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nievergelt
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Meier
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Egli
mesh_terms: D001203:Ascomycota / Q000254:growth & development*; D048690:Fruiting Bodies, Fungal / Q000254:growth & development*; D006814:Hungary; D008018:Life Cycle Stages; D012987:Soil; D013557:Switzerland; D013559:Symbiosis
chemical_list: D012987:Soil