Abstract
The diversity and geographic pattern of ligninolytic fungi were investigated within the distribution range of an evergreen tree, Castanopsis sieboldii (Fagaceae), in Japan. Fungal isolates obtained from 18 sites in subtropical and temperate regions in Japan were classified into 50 operational taxonomic units in Ascomycota and Basidiomycota according to the base sequence of the rDNA internal transcribed spacer region. Ordination by nonmetric multidimensional scaling showed the separation of fungal compositions between the study sites which was significantly related to the latitude, longitude, and mean annual temperature (MAT) of the study sites. We applied variation partitioning to separate the magnitude of the climatic, spatial, and leaf property factors and found the roles of MAT and spatial factors in structuring fungal assemblages, suggesting the importance of both niche processes and such non-niche processes as priority effect and dispersal limitation. The bleached area on leaf litter was greater at sites with higher MAT and precipitation located at lower latitudes and at sites where some major ligninolytic fungi occurred at greater relative frequencies, indicating that not only the climatic conditions but also the biogeographic patterns of distribution of ligninolytic fungi influence the decomposition of lignin in leaf litter.
Highlights
Fungi play central roles in the decomposition of lignin and other recalcitrant compounds, such as cutin and tannin, in leaf litter of forest trees
In addition to the climate, recent studies have demonstrated the importance of spatial factors, such as priority effect and dispersal limitation, in producing the biogeographic patterns of fungal community composition across a range of spatial and temporal scales (Tedersoo et al, 2014; Peay et al, 2016), which contrasts to early predictions that fungi are probably long-distance dispersers and that their propagules are everywhere (Wit and Bouvier, 2006)
A total of 185 fungal isolates possessing ligninolytic activity were obtained from 360 leaf disks from bleached portions of leaf litter collected at 18 sites (Supplementary Table 1), two to 23 isolates per site (Table 1)
Summary
Fungi play central roles in the decomposition of lignin and other recalcitrant compounds, such as cutin and tannin, in leaf litter of forest trees (van der Wal et al, 2013; Baldrian, 2017). Previous studies have demonstrated that fungi on leaf litter, including ligninolytic ones associated with the bleaching, show biogeographical patterns and respond sensitively to environmental change along climatic and elevational gradients at population and community levels (van Maanen et al, 2000; Gourbière et al, 2001; Tokumasu, 2001; Hagiwara et al, 2015; Matsukura et al, 2017). We hypothesize that the taxonomic richness and composition of bleaching fungi associated with leaf litter of a single host tree species showed a geographic pattern and were related to climatic conditions, such as mean annual temperature (MAT), as well as spatial factors
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
