Ectomycorrhizal fungal hyphae communities vary more along a pH and nitrogen gradient than between decayed wood and mineral soil microsites

Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal community composition is structured by soil properties, but specialization for woody microsites by ECM fungi is equivocal. Because fungal mycelia explore the substrate and colonize nutrient patches, studies targeting ECM fungal hyphae may reveal niche preferences. Moreover, studying the distribution and composition of ECM fungal hyphal communities contributes to our understanding of nutrient cycling in forest soils. We used next-generation sequencing to determine whether the composition of forest floor fungal communities present as hyphae differed among three microsite types: decayed wood, mineral soil adjacent to intact logs, or control mineral soil of mature spruce forests in British Columbia. The microsites were located in three blocks that were separated by 1 km and varied in elevation. Across the site, the ECM fungal lineage /amphinema–tylospora was the most operational taxonomic unit (OTU)-rich group, while the saprotrophic order Mortierellales was also dominant. ECM fungal species differed among microsites. For example, ECM fungal OTUs identified as Tylospora fibrillosa and Russula curtipes were more frequent in decayed wood as compared with control mineral soil. However, ECM fungal communities were more strongly structured by block characteristics, and we conclude there is no distinct group of ECM fungi specializing in the soil microsites examined in this forest.

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Diversity, host-specificity and stability of sponge-associated fungal communities of co-occurring sponges

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.4965 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. e4965 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Mary T.H.D. Nguyen ◽

Torsten Thomas

Keyword(s):

Host Specificity ◽

Horizontal Transmission ◽

Critical Role ◽

Fungal Species ◽

Fungal Communities ◽

Sponge Species ◽

Fungal Community Composition ◽

Potential Core ◽

Community Profiling ◽

Surrounding Seawater

Fungi play a critical role in a range of ecosystems; however, their interactions and functions in marine hosts, and particular sponges, is poorly understood. Here we assess the fungal community composition of three co-occurring sponges (Cymbastela concentrica, Scopalina sp., Tedania anhelans) and the surrounding seawater over two time points to help elucidate host-specificity, stability and potential core members, which may shed light into the ecological function of fungi in sponges. The results showed that ITS-amplicon-based community profiling likely provides a more realistic assessment of fungal diversity in sponges than cultivation-dependent approaches. The sponges studied here were found to contain phylogenetically diverse fungi (eight fungal classes were observed), including members of the family Togniniaceae and the genus Acrostalagmus, that have so far not been reported to be cultured from sponges. Fungal communities within any given sponge species were found to be highly variable compared to bacterial communities, and influenced in structure by the community of the surrounding seawater, especially considering temporal variation. Nevertheless, the sponge species studied here contained a few “variable/core” fungi that appeared in multiple biological replicates and were enriched in their relative abundance compared to seawater communities. These fungi were the same or highly similar to fungal species detected in sponges around the world, which suggests a prevalence of horizontal transmission where selectivity and enrichment of some fungi occur for those that can survive and/or exploit the sponge environment. Our current sparse knowledge about sponge-associated fungi thus indicate that fungal communities may perhaps not play as an important ecological role in the sponge holobiont compared to bacterial or archaeal symbionts.

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Long-Term Monoculture Negatively Regulates Fungal Community Composition and Abundance of Tea Orchards

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy9080466 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. 466 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Yasir Arafat ◽

Muhammad Tayyab ◽

Muhammad Umar Khan ◽

Ting Chen ◽

Hira Amjad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Ph ◽

Fungal Community ◽

Cropping System ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Fungal Species ◽

Fungal Communities ◽

Continuous Cropping ◽

Fungal Community Composition ◽

Continuous Cropping System ◽

Tea Plants

Continuous cropping frequently leads to soil acidification and major soil-borne diseases in tea plants, resulting in low tea yield. We have limited knowledge about the effects of continuous tea monoculture on soil properties and the fungal community. Here, we selected three replanted tea fields with 2, 15, and 30 years of monoculture history to assess the influence of continuous cropping on fungal communities and soil physiochemical attributes. The results showed that continuous tea monoculture significantly reduced soil pH and tea yield. Alpha diversity analysis showed that species richness declined significantly as the tea planting years increased and the results based on diversity indicated inconsistency. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) revealed that monoculture duration had the highest loading in structuring fungal communities. The relative abundance of Ascomycota, Glomeromycota, and Chytridiomycota decreased and Zygomycota and Basidiomycota increased with increasing cropping time. Continuous tea cropping not only decreased some beneficial fungal species such as Mortierella alpina and Mortierella elongatula, but also promoted potentially pathogenic fungal species such as Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, and Microidium phyllanthi over time. Overall, continuous tea cropping decreased soil pH and potentially beneficial microbes and increased soil pathogenic microbes, which could be the reason for reducing tea yield. Thus, developing sustainable tea farming to improve soil pH, microbial activity, and enhanced beneficial soil microbes under a continuous cropping system is vital for tea production.

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Missing checkerboards: an absence of competitive signal in Alnus-associated ectomycorrhizal fungal communities

10.7287/peerj.preprints.531v1 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Peter Kennedy ◽

Nhu H. Nguyen ◽

Hannah Cohen ◽

Kabir G Peay

Keyword(s):

Interspecific Competition ◽

Species Interactions ◽

Community Dynamics ◽

Fungal Species ◽

Fungal Communities ◽

Positive Interactions ◽

Root Tips ◽

Host Genus ◽

Ecm Fungi ◽

Occurrence Patterns

A number of recent studies suggest that interspecific competition plays a key role in determining the structure of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal communities. Despite this growing consensus, there has been limited study of ECM fungal community dynamics in abiotically stressful environments, which are often dominated by positive rather than antagonistic interactions. In this study, we examined the ECM fungal communities associated with the host genus Alnus, which live in soils high in both nitrate and acidity. The nature of ECM fungal species interactions (i.e. antagonistic, neutral, or positive) was assessed using taxon co-occurrence and sequence abundance correlational analyses. ECM fungal communities were sampled from root tips and mesh in-growth bags in three monodominant A. rubra plots and identified using Illumina-based amplification of the ITS1 gene region. We found a total of 183 ECM fungal taxa present across the plots; 16 of which were closely related to known Alnus-associated ECM fungi. Contrary to previous studies of ECM fungal communities, taxon co-occurrence analyses on both the total and Alnus-associated ECM datasets indicated that the ECM fungal communities in this system were not structured by interspecific competition. Instead the co-occurrence patterns were consistent with either random assembly or significant positive interactions. Pair-wise correlational analyses were also more consistent with neutral or positive interactions. Taken together, our results suggest that interspecific competition does not appear to determine the structure of all ECM fungal communities and that abiotic conditions may be important in determining the specific type of interaction occurring among ECM fungi.

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Plant traits and taxonomy drive host associations in tropical phyllosphere fungal communities

Botany ◽

10.1139/cjb-2013-0194 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 92 (4) ◽

pp. 303-311 ◽

Cited By ~ 88

Author(s):

Steven W. Kembel ◽

Rebecca C. Mueller

Keyword(s):

Host Plant ◽

Tropical Forests ◽

Fungal Community ◽

Tree Species ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Plant Traits ◽

Fungal Species ◽

Fungal Communities ◽

Fungal Community Composition ◽

Individual Tree

The aerial surface of plants, known as the phyllosphere, represents a widespread and diverse habitat for microbes, but the fungal communities colonizing the surface of leaves are not well characterized, and how these communities are assembled on hosts is unknown. We used high-throughput sequencing of fungal communities on the leaves of 51 tree species in a lowland tropical rainforest in Panama to examine the influence of host plant taxonomy and traits on the fungi colonizing the phyllosphere. Fungal communities on leaves were dominated by the phyla Ascomycota (79% of all sequences), Basidiomycota (11%), and Chytridiomycota (5%). Host plant taxonomic identity explained more than half of the variation in fungal community composition across trees, and numerous host functional traits related to leaf morphology, leaf chemistry, and plant growth and mortality were significantly associated with fungal community structure. Differences in fungal biodiversity among hosts suggest that individual tree species support unique fungal communities and that diverse tropical forests also support a large number of fungal species. Similarities between phyllosphere and decomposer communities suggest that fungi inhabiting living leaves may have significant roles in ecosystem functioning in tropical forests.

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Host Phylogenetic Relatedness and Soil Nutrients Shape Ectomycorrhizal Community Composition in Native and Exotic Pine Plantations

Forests ◽

10.3390/f10030263 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 263 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Chen Ning ◽

Gregory Mueller ◽

Louise Egerton-Warburton ◽

Wenhua Xiang ◽

Wende Yan

Keyword(s):

Host Specificity ◽

Community Composition ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Pinus Elliottii ◽

Pine Plantations ◽

Fungal Communities ◽

Spatial Distance ◽

Fungal Community Composition ◽

Ecm Fungi

Exotic non-native Pinus species have been widely planted or become naturalized in many parts of the world. Pines rely on ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi mutualisms to overcome barriers to establishment, yet the degree to which host specificity and edaphic preferences influence ECM community composition remains poorly understood. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing coupled with soil analyses to investigate the effect of host plant identity, spatial distance and edaphic factors on ECM community composition in young (30-year-old) native (Pinus massoniana Lamb.) and exotic (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) pine plantations in China. The ECM fungal communities comprised 43 species with the majority belonging to the Thelephoraceae and Russulaceae. Most species were found associated with both host trees while certain native ECM taxa (Suillus) showed host specificity to the native P. massoniana. ECM fungi that are known to occur exclusively with Pinus (e.g., Rhizopogon) were uncommon. We found no significant effect of host identity on ECM communities, i.e., phylogenetically related pines shared similar ECM fungal communities. Instead, ECM fungal community composition was strongly influenced by site-specific abiotic factors and dispersal. These findings reinforce the idea that taxonomic relatedness might be a factor promoting ECM colonization in exotic pines but that shifts in ECM communities may also be context-dependent.

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Fungi of the Fortuna Forest Reserve: Taxonomy and ecology with emphasis on ectomycorrhizal communities

10.1101/2020.04.16.045724 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Adriana Corrales ◽

Clark L. Ovrebo

Keyword(s):

Fruiting Body ◽

Nitrogen Addition ◽

Fungal Species ◽

Fungal Communities ◽

Migration Route ◽

Root Tips ◽

Forest Reserve ◽

Diversity Patterns ◽

Ecm Fungi ◽

Body Production

ABSTRACTPanamanian montane forests harbor a high diversity of fungi, particularly of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi, however their taxonomy and diversity patterns remain for the most part unexplored. Here we present state of the art fungal taxonomy and diversity patterns at Fortuna Forest Reserve based on morphological and molecular identification of over 1,000 fruiting body collections of macromycetes made over a period of five years. We compare these new results with previously published work based on environmental sampling of Oreomunnea mexicana root tips. We compiled a preliminary list of species and report 22 new genera and 29 new fungal species for Panama. Based on fruiting body collection data we compare the species composition of ECM fungal communities associated with Oreomunnea stands across sites differing in soil fertility and amount of rainfall. We also examine the effect of a long-term nitrogen addition treatment on the fruiting body production of ECM fungi. Finally, we discuss the biogeographic importance of Panama collections which fill in the knowledge gap of ECM fungal records between Costa Rica and Colombia. Given that the isthmus of Panama was an important migration route of ECM tree and fungal species from northern temperate areas to South America, the ECM fungal communities of Panama might show a high degree of isolation and therefore a high level of endemism. We expect that the forests at Fortuna will continue to yield new ECM macromycete data as we continue to study the collected specimens and describe new species.

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Variation in Soil Fungal Composition Associated with the Invasion of Stellera chamaejasme L. in Qinghai–Tibet Plateau Grassland

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms7120587 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (12) ◽

pp. 587 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Wei He ◽

Andrew Detheridge ◽

Yongmei Liu ◽

Lei Wang ◽

Haochen Wei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Pathogenic Fungi ◽

Fungal Species ◽

Fungal Communities ◽

Tibet Plateau ◽

Fungal Community Composition ◽

Functional Variation ◽

Stellera Chamaejasme

Stellera chamaejasme L. is the most problematic weed in China’s grasslands. Its root exudates affect co-occurring plants and thus may also affect soil fungi. Soils (0–20 cm depth) on two adjacent sites, one invaded the other uninvaded, were compared for a range of physiochemical parameters and by DNA sequencing of fungal communities. At the invaded site, relationships between S. chamaejasme abundance, soil physiochemical factors, and fungal communities were further investigated to determine whether these relationships corroborated conclusions on the basis of site differences that could be translated into functional variation. Results showed that the invaded soils had lower N, P, organic matter, fungal alpha diversity, and relative abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), but greater abundance of pathogenic fungi. Organic matter and P were the edaphic factors most strongly linked to site differences in total fungal communities. Within the invaded site, organic matter rather than S. chamaejasme cover was closely linked to total fungal composition. However, on this site, a number of fungal species that had various ecological functions and that differentiated the two sites were related to S. chamaejasme cover. This study indicates that lower fertility soils may be more susceptible to invasion by S. chamaejasme. Although the influence of S. chamaejasme on total fungal community composition was limited, there was evidence of effects on particular fungal species. Further research is needed to determine whether these effects influence S. chamaejasme invasiveness.

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Site-Dependent Relationships Between Fungal Community Composition, Plant Genotypic Diversity and Environmental Drivers in a Salix Biomass System

Frontiers in Fungal Biology ◽

10.3389/ffunb.2021.671270 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

Author(s):

Stefanie Hoeber ◽

Christel Baum ◽

Martin Weih ◽

Stefano Manzoni ◽

Petra Fransson

Keyword(s):

Community Composition ◽

Fungal Community ◽

Fungal Diversity ◽

Genotypic Diversity ◽

Fungal Communities ◽

Environmental Drivers ◽

Plant Genotype ◽

Fungal Community Composition ◽

Genotype Diversity ◽

Ecm Fungi

Soil fungi are strongly affected by plant species or genotypes since plants modify their surrounding environment, but the effects of plant genotype diversity on fungal diversity and function have not been extensively studied. The interactive responses of fungal community composition to plant genotypic diversity and environmental drivers were investigated in Salix biomass systems, posing questions about: (1) How fungal diversity varies as a function of plant genotype diversity; (2) If plant genotype identity is a strong driver of fungal community composition also in plant mixtures; (3) How the fungal communities change through time (seasonally and interannually)?; and (4) Will the proportion of ECM fungi increase over the rotation? Soil samples were collected over 4 years, starting preplanting from two Salix field trials, including four genotypes with contrasting phenology and functional traits, and genotypes were grown in all possible combinations (four genotypes in Uppsala, Sweden, two in Rostock, Germany). Fungal communities were identified, using Pacific Biosciences sequencing of fungal ITS2 amplicons. We found some site-dependent relationships between fungal community composition and genotype or diversity level, and site accounted for the largest part of the variation in fungal community composition. Rostock had a more homogenous community structure, with significant effects of genotype, diversity level, and the presence of one genotype (“Loden”) on fungal community composition. Soil properties and plant and litter traits contributed to explaining the variation in fungal species composition. The within-season variation in composition was of a similar magnitude to the year-to-year variation. The proportion of ECM fungi increased over time irrespective of plant genotype diversity, and, in Uppsala, the 4-mixture showed a weaker response than other combinations. Species richness was generally higher in Uppsala compared with that in Rostock and increased over time, but did not increase with plant genotype diversity. This significant site-specificity underlines the need for consideration of diverse sites to draw general conclusions of temporal variations and functioning of fungal communities. A significant increase in ECM colonization of soil under the pioneer tree Salix on agricultural soils was evident and points to changed litter decomposition and soil carbon dynamics during Salix growth.

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Missing checkerboards: an absence of competitive signal in Alnus-associated ectomycorrhizal fungal communities

10.7287/peerj.preprints.531 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Peter Kennedy ◽

Nhu H. Nguyen ◽

Hannah Cohen ◽

Kabir G Peay

Keyword(s):

Interspecific Competition ◽

Species Interactions ◽

Community Dynamics ◽

Fungal Species ◽

Fungal Communities ◽

Positive Interactions ◽

Root Tips ◽

Host Genus ◽

Ecm Fungi ◽

Occurrence Patterns

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Do fungi and bacteria respond similar across a steep local pH gradient?

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-5720 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rasmus Kjoller ◽

Carla Cruz-Paredes

Keyword(s):

Community Composition ◽

Soil Ph ◽

Wood Ash ◽

Ph Gradient ◽

Fungal Communities ◽

Ph Effects ◽

Fungal Community Composition ◽

Ph Gradients ◽

Field Samples ◽

Bacterial Richness

Soil pH is consistently recorded as the single most important variable explaining bacterial richness and community composition locally as globally. Bacterial richness responds to soil pH in a bell-shaped pattern, highest in soils with near-neutral pH, while lower diversity is found in soil with pH >8 and <4.5. Also, community turnover is strongly determined by pH for bacteria. In contrast, pH effects on fungi is apparently less pronounced though also much less studied compared to bacteria. Still, pH appears to be a significant determinant for fungal communities but typically not the most important. Rarely are bacterial and fungal communities co-analyzed from the same field samples taken across pH gradients. Here we analyze the community responses of fungi and bacteria in parallel over an extreme pH gradient ranging from pH 4 to 8 established by applying strongly alkaline wood ash to replicated plots in a Picea abies plantation. Bacterial and fungal community composition were assessed by amplicon-based meta-barcoding. Bacterial richness were not significantly affected by pH, while fungal richness and a-diversity were stimulated with higher pH. We found that both, bacterial and fungal communities increasingly deviated from the untreated plots with increasing amount of wood ash though fungal communities were more resistant to changes than bacterial. Soil NH4, NO3 and pH significantly correlated with the NMDS pattern for both bacterial and fungal communities. In the presentation we will discuss resistance versus sensitivity of different fungal functional guilds towards higher pH as well as the underlying factors explaining the community changes.

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