Volatile organic compound patterns predict fungal trophic mode and lifestyle

Fungi produce a wide variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which play central roles in the initiation and regulation of fungal interactions. Here we introduce a global overview of fungal VOC patterns and chemical diversity across phylogenetic clades and trophic modes. The analysis is based on measurements of comprehensive VOC profiles of forty-three fungal species. Our data show that the VOC patterns can describe the phyla and the trophic mode of fungi. We show different levels of phenotypic integration (PI) for different chemical classes of VOCs within distinct functional guilds. Further computational analyses reveal that distinct VOC patterns can predict trophic modes, (non)symbiotic lifestyle, substrate-use and host-type of fungi. Thus, depending on trophic mode, either individual VOCs or more complex VOC patterns (i.e., chemical communication displays) may be ecologically important. Present results stress the ecological importance of VOCs and serve as prerequisite for more comprehensive VOCs-involving ecological studies. Guo et al. characterize the volatilomes of 43 fungal species using an automated cuvette system and mass spectrometry. Their results show that VOC patterns can predict trophic modes, symbiotic lifestyle, substrate-use and host-type of fungi.