Abstract
Simple SummaryThe current study reports fungal diversities in the rhizoplane (RP) and rhizosphere (RS) samples of the geographically isolated Korean bellflower (Campanula takesimana) obtained from its original habitats of the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula for the first time. The identification of specific taxa in each site may provide a better understanding of the interaction between the soil fungi and Korean bellflower.Fungal communities in the rhizoplane (RP) and rhizosphere (RS) of geographically isolated C. takesimana habitats in different environments such as oceanic (Seodo, the Dokdo Islands), coastline (Sadong, Ulleungdo Island), and inland (Taeha, Ulleungdo Island) regions were analyzed by MiSeq sequencing. In total, 1279 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were obtained and they were further classified into 185 genera belonging to five phyla. The total number of fungal taxa in the RP samples was lower than those in the RS samples in all the sampled locations, providing an indication of the existence of a certain level of the selective pressures from the host plant. The richness of the RP in the Dokdo Islands was higher than that of Ulleungdo Island, but the richness of the RS in the Dokdo Islands was lower than that of Ulleungdo Island. These results suggest evidence for strong effects of a harsh geo-climate on the RP and RS fungal diversities in the Dokdo Islands. Additionally, a total of 82 fungal genera were identified in all three RP samples and 63 genera (77%) were uniquely found in each of the geographical regions and 43 genera (52.4%) showed high dependency on the C. takesimana vegetation. It was found that the genus Mortierella was the most dominant taxon in all the samples. The geo-ecological isolation of the Korean bellflower may have caused unique formation of the RP and RS fungal communities in the natural habitats.
Highlights
There are 84 herbaceous plant species belonging to the family Campanulaceae that are native to the East Asia and the Korean Peninsula [1]
The numbers of the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and fungal genera detected in the RP of C. takesimana from the Dokdo Islands were the highest among all the RP samples
Regarding the difference between the RP and RS in the genus dominance, the most dominant genus, Mortierella, showed decreased percentages in the RPs of the sites: (1) the Dokdo Islands (Seodo) and Taeha samples compared to the RSs, but the opposite result was observed in the Sadong samples
Summary
There are 84 herbaceous plant species belonging to the family Campanulaceae (bellflower family) that are native to the East Asia and the Korean Peninsula [1]. Many of them, such as Platycodon grandiflorus (Jacq.) A.DC., Codonopsis lanceolata (Siebold and Zucc.) Benth. Campanula punctata is native to the inland terrain of the Korean Peninsula, while C. takesimana, commonly known as the Korean bellflower, is endemic only to Ulleung Island, located in the East Sea of Korea [1]. Based on the internal databases of the Korean National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR), the Korean bellflower is defined as a halotolerant, herbaceous, and perennial species that only grows naturally in the maritime terrains of the Korean Peninsula [7]. Its colonies are usually found on cliffs and sloping ground adjacent to the sea and a fully grown colony is 30–100 cm tall [11]
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