Abstract
Fungi perform crucial roles in nutrient cycles, but there is limited information on how soil fungal communities vary with stand age and tree species. Eucalyptus has been extensively planted in China, which has caused severe soil erosion and water deficiency due to short rotation management. In this study, the fungal community structure and potential function in Eucalyptus plantations with different ages (1-5+ years) and species (Eucalyptus urophylla × Eucalyptus grandis, Eucalyptus camaldulens, and Eucalyptus pellita) under a tropical monsoon climate in China were characterized by Illumina Miseq coupled with FUNGuild analysis. The results showed that the fungal alpha diversity decreased with an increase in the age of the plantation. Plantations of different ages and species formed distinct fungal communities and potential functional structures, respectively (p < 0.05), in which the age of the plantation contributed more to the variations. At high taxonomic levels, the soil fungal community changed from the dominance of orders belonging to Ascomycota (Pleosporales, Chaetothyriales, and Eurotiales) to orders belonging to Basidiomycota (Agaricales, Sebacinales, Cantharellales, and Russulales) with increasing plantation age. The community potential function shifted from the dominance of plant pathogens to a higher abundance of saprotrophs and symbiotrophs. The organic carbon of the soil was the key environmental driver to both the fungal community and potential functional structure. The results provide useful information on the importance of fungi for the management of Eucalyptus plantations.
Highlights
Eucalyptus, belonging to the genera of Myrtaceae, is originally from Australia and nearby islands (Grattapaglia et al, 2012)
Previous studies have shown that the indirect influence between fungal community structure and soil pH is mediated by fungal and bacterial communities (Rousk et al, 2010), which is in line with the findings that the FB:bacterial biomass (BB) ratio was positively correlated with fungal biomass (FB) and showed a negative correlation with pH (Supplementary Figure 6)
How Eucalyptus root exudates affect the soil fungal community and the influence of Eucalyptus species on the compositions of root exudates need to be further investigated. Both the age of the Eucalyptus plantations and species contributed to the shifts in fungal community and functional structures, in which the age of the plantations had stronger effects than the Eucalyptus species
Summary
Eucalyptus, belonging to the genera of Myrtaceae, is originally from Australia and nearby islands (Grattapaglia et al, 2012) It has been extensively planted on over ∼20 million hectares in subtropical and tropical regions because of its fast growth, strong adaptability, and short rotation cycle (Cook et al, 2016). Long-term Eucalyptus plantations with short rotations and human disturbance have led to a decrease in the quality of soil due to the demand for nutrients, resulting in soil ecological issues, e.g., soil erosion and water deficiency (Laclau et al, 2010; Yang et al, 2017) Allelochemicals, such as phenolic acids and terpenoids, are normally released from Eucalyptus tissues and accumulate under natural conditions to produce allelopathic effects that can reduce the native biological diversity in Eucalyptus plantations (Qin et al, 2018). The essential oil from Eucalyptus can inhibit the proliferation of pathogenic fungi and pupation and feeding of pest insects (Nakahara et al, 2003; Liu et al, 2008; Kaur et al, 2012)
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