Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities associated with Populus simonii and Pinus tabuliformis in the hilly-gully region of the Loess Plateau, China.

Dongfeng Long,Xiaobing Wang,Jian Huang,Jianjun Liu,Qisheng Han

doi:10.1038/srep24336

Dongfeng Long, Xiaobing Wang + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/srep24336

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Abstract

The Loess Plateau region of northwestern China has unique geological and dry/semi-dry climate characteristics. However, knowledge about ectomycorrhizal fungal (EMF) communities in the Loess Plateau is limited. In this study, we investigated EMF communities in Populus simonii and Pinus tabuliformis patches within the forest-steppe zone, in pine forests within the forest zone, and the transitional zone between them. We revealed high species richness (115 operational taxonomic units [OTUs]) of indigenous EMF resources at the Loess Plateau, of which Tomentella (35 OTUs), Inocybe (16), Sebacina (16), and Geopora (7) were the most OTU-rich lineages. EMF richness within the forest-steppe zone and the transitional zone was limited, while the natural pine forest maintained diverse EMF communities in the forest zone. The changes of EMF community richness and composition along arid eco-zones were highlighted for the complex factors including precipitation, soil factors, host, DBH, and altitude. Indicator analysis revealed that some EMF showed clear host preference and some taxa, i.e., genera Geopora and Inocybe, were dominant in drought and alkaline-saline conditions attributed to their environmental preference. This study revealed that EMF communities were quite limited in the forest-steppe zone, while the forest region contained diverse EMF communities in the Loess Plateau.

Highlights

Ectomycorrhizal symbioses formed between special groups of fungi and plant fine roots, which are essential for plant growth through improving water uptake and nutrient acquisition[1]
These unique sequences were classified into 116 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at the 97% identity level, of which 39 OTUs were associated with poplar and 84 OTUs with pine
We identified several indigenous ectomycorrhizal fungal (EMF) resources associated with Po. simonii and Pi. tabuliformis in the Loess Plateau of China (LPC), and highlighted the changes in pine EMF community richness and composition along arid eco-zones

Summary

Introduction

Ectomycorrhizal symbioses formed between special groups of fungi and plant fine roots, which are essential for plant growth through improving water uptake and nutrient acquisition[1]. To improve our understanding of how EMF communities are affected by drought and confounding factors in arid regions, we require more data, especially in Asian regions where few data are available so far. For a comprehensive understanding of EMF communities in the LPC, the study of EMF communities in other host species from a wider region is needed. Such studies may be important for the reforestation of these degraded sites, given the massive impact of the degrading LPC on nature and human society in East Asia. (2) How do EMF community composition and structure change from the forest zone to the forest-steppe zone along the precipitation gradient?

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