The Response of Litter-Associated Myxomycetes to Long-Term Nutrient Addition in a Lowland Tropical Forest.

Myxomycetes (plasmodial slime molds) are abundant protist predators that feed on bacteria and other microorganisms, thereby playing important roles in terrestrial nutrient cycling. Despite their significance, little is known about myxomycete communities and the extent to which they are affected by nutrient availability. We studied the influence of long-term addition of N, P, and K on the myxomycete community in a lowland forest in the Republic of Panama. In a previous study, microbial biomass increased with P but not N or K addition at this site. We hypothesized that myxomycetes would increase in abundance in response to P but that they would not respond to the sole addition of N or K. Moist chamber cultures of leaf litter and small woody debris were used to quantify myxomycete abundance. We generated the largest myxomycete dataset (3,381 records) for any single locality in the tropics comprised by 91 morphospecies. In line with our hypothesis, myxomycete abundance increased in response to P addition but did not respond to N or K. Community composition was unaffected by nutrient treatments. This work represents one of very few large-scale and long-term field studies to include a heterotrophic protist highlighting the feasibility and value in doing so.