Effects of prosulfocarb and hydrogels on soil fungal communities.

Impacts of Spartina alterniflora invasion on fractions and fungal communities of mineral-associated organic carbon in subtropical coastal wetlands of China

Solid waste dumping differentially impacts soil prokaryotic, fungal, and viral communities: Insights from metagenomics.

Post-fire Succession and Soil Chemical Properties Shape Soil Fungal Community Structure and Diversity in Hemiboreal Scots Pine Forests in Estonia.

Balancing agricultural productivity with environmental sustainability is a major challenge, highlighting the critical role of soil health in enhancing agroecosystem resilience against soil-borne diseases. This study investigates the differential effects of three nematicides, Fluazaindolizine, Fluopyram, and Metam sodium, on soil prokaryotic, fungal, and nematode communities, as well as the ecosystem services they provide within intensive vegetable cultivation systems. Prokaryotic diversity remained stable across all treatments and sampling periods throughout the crop cycle, whereas fungal diversity was more sensitive to nematicide application. Both Metam sodium and Fluopyram significantly reduced fungal species richness and diversity, while Fluazaindolizine exhibited only transient effects. Distinct prokaryotic and fungal biomarkers were identified for each nematicide, indicating treatment-specific shifts in soil microbiomes. Fluazaindolizine promoted prokaryotic functions related to chitinolysis and hydrocarbon degradation, whereas Metam sodium and Fluopyram partially suppressed fungal pathways involved in organic matter degradation, compared to Fluazaindolizine and untreated controls. Fluazaindolizine was less disruptive to soil functions involving fungi. Metam sodium exerted the most pronounced reduction in nematode abundance and diversity, followed by Fluopyram and Fluazaindolizine. Fluazaindolizine is a less aggressive alternative for maintaining soil biodiversity compared to Metam sodium and Fluopyram, both of which have more substantial and lasting impacts on soil fungal communities. These findings underscore the necessity of considering the broader ecological consequences of nematicide use in agricultural practices. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Island area is widely known to affect taxonomic richness across different trophic levels. However, the impact of island size on taxonomic evenness, which quantifies the species abundance distribution, has yet to be explored, especially in tropical island ecosystems. In this study, twenty representative tropical islands with areas ranging from 2 ha to 406 ha and minimal human disturbance were selected. Then we measured the taxonomic evenness of aboveground plants, belowground soil bacterial and fungal communities, as well as a series of soil properties (i.e. pH, salinity, organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium and carbon/nitrogen ratio). We found that, like the positive area‐richness relationship, the taxonomic evenness of the plant community also increased with island area, indicating more stable plant communities on the larger islands. However, the island area did not affect the taxonomic evenness of soil bacterial and fungal communities. Furthermore, the effects of island area on the taxonomic evenness of the plant and soil bacterial communities were mediated through soil factors (e.g. soil pH and salinity). Together, the contrasting area–evenness relationships among plant and soil microbe groups highlight the importance of dissecting potential mechanisms underlying community dynamics of different organisms.

Long-term farming systems shape soil fungal diversity and community structure in Kenyan tropical agroecosystems

In the context of global climate change, overgrazing has impacted ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF). However, the influence of different characteristics of microbial communities on EMF under grazing pressures remains unclear. In this study, we examined how microbial community diversity, co-occurrence network structure, and assembly processes influence ecosystem function and multifunctionality under three grazing pressures: light grazing, heavy grazing, and grazing exclusion. Our results show that light grazing significantly increased microbial community diversity, richness, network complexity, and stability compared to heavy grazing. Soil bacterial and fungal communities were predominantly shaped by stochastic processes. As grazing pressure increased, the proportion of deterministic processes in both bacterial and fungal communities also grew. Furthermore, light grazing significantly reduced both ecosystem functions and multifunctionality compared to heavy grazing. We observed that microbial community assembly processes under grazing disturbance can directly or indirectly regulate EMF by shaping community diversity and network structure. The relationship with EMF appears to depend more on diversity than on network structure. Moreover, we emphasize that the complexity and stability of community networks are stronger predictors of EMF changes than diversity alone. In conclusion, the protection and careful management of microbial communities are crucial for enhancing ecosystem resilience and supporting sustainable development.

Corrigendum to “Variations in soil fungal communities: Comparative insights from coniferous and mixed broadleaf-conifer forests” [Pedobiol. - J. Soil Ecol. 107 (2024) 151007

Correlation analysis of heavy metal, antibiotics accumulation, and antibiotic resistance genes induced by long-term biogas slurry application.

Soil microbial communities play a key role in terrestrial ecosystems and provide important agricultural functions. While earlier studies have shown that soil properties, such as pH and soil organic matter, are major drivers of microbial community structure, the roles of copper and synthetic pesticides are poorly understood. Here we focused on intensively managed agricultural systems studying 61 conventional and organic vineyards from three distinct winegrowing regions in Switzerland. We identified the factors shaping bacterial and fungal communities, specifically assessing the importance of copper and synthetic pesticides. Both copper and pesticides were identified as major factors shaping microbial community structure. Copper led to a pronounced reduction in bacterial diversity. Moreover, it affected bacterial and fungal community composition, to a degree comparable to pH. The relative abundances of many large taxonomic groups and functional guilds were positively or negatively impacted by copper, indicating a strong variability in copper sensitivity. Synthetic pesticide concentrations were negatively associated with fungal diversity and community composition, indicating that they are an additional stressor for soil fungi. Finally, we identified several genera negatively related to synthetic pesticides, including the biocontrol fungus Trichoderma, that could be tested for inclusion in improved risk assessments. This is the first study comparing a wide range of field sites which documents consistent negative effects of copper and synthetic pesticides on soil microbial diversity and community composition. Our work points to the need for improved risk assessments, specifically including yet overlooked effects on soil microbes.

Microplastics distribution and impacts on soil microbial communities in alpine area.

Sphaerulina musiva is a fungal pathogen responsible for defoliating leaf spots and fatal stem cankers on Populus trichocarpa and hybrid Populus trees. Although its impact on tree health is well-documented, the influence of the plant-associated microbiome on S. musiva colonization remains unknown. Despite most of the disease cycle occurring aboveground, previous surveys of belowground plant-associated microbial communities have detected S. musiva in rhizosphere soils and roots. However, its ecological role in belowground habitats is still not well understood. Thus, we conducted a growth chamber experiment in which field soils that differed in microbial diversity were inoculated with two genetically distinct S. musiva isolates. Soils and root samples were destructively sampled at 10 and 25 days postinoculation. The persistence of S. musiva in belowground niches and microbial community responses were assessed through targeted amplicon sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region and the 16S rRNA gene. S. musiva relative abundance was the highest at day 10 postinoculation in soils with reduced resident microbial diversity. By day 25, however, the pathogen was nearly undetectable in both roots and soils. Additionally, we observed shifts in soil fungal community composition, but they were dependent on resident soil microbial diversity, plant host presence, and sampling time. These findings highlight the intricate relationship between soil microbial communities and pathogen dynamics. Future research should aim to identify the factors that enable S. musiva to thrive belowground in natural environments and to elucidate the mechanisms by which the soil microbiome either inhibits or promotes the pathogen's establishment. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

This study investigated how fertilization regimes and ridge furrow planting patterns influence the soil nutrient conditions and microbial taxonomic composition and function in the rhizosphere of spring maize in Northeast China. Three treatments were compared: CK (compound fertilizer, small ridge), KF (formula fertilization, small ridge), and BMP (formula fertilization, large double-row ridge). High-throughput sequencing was used to characterize the soil bacterial and fungal community composition and diversity. The results showed that the combination of formula fertilizer and wide-ridge cultivation synergistically improved soil physicochemical properties and significantly increased maize yield (p < 0.05). Compared with CK, both BMP and KF significantly improved the composition and diversity of microbial communities. Notably, the BMP treatment increased the relative abundances of Ascomycota and Basidiomycota-key decomposers of soil organic matter, lignin, and cellulose-which suggested enhanced nutrient cycling potential under this integrated management practice. Among the three treatments, BMP (N:P2O5:K2O = 1:2:1, 130 cm wide-ridge double-row planting) achieved the highest maize yield (859 ± 14 kg ha-1), representing an 11.0% increase over conventional practices (CK, 774 ± 13 kg ha-1). We propose that integrating optimized fertilization with ridge configuration is an effective strategy for improving soil quality, microbial functionality, and crop productivity in Northeast China's black soil region.

For the western Patagonia region (Argentina), climate change models predict a 1–3 °C increase in temperature and a 10%–30% reduction in precipitation. Patagonia native forests are home to a variety of soil fungi, including ectomycorrhizal fungi (EcM), which play a crucial role in drought-tolerant trees. However, the responses of soil fungi to changes in rainfall remain poorly understood. To evaluate shifts in soil fungal communities’ response under reduced precipitation scenarios and identify potentially drought-tolerant EcM species, we took 144 composite soil samples associated with Nothofagus forests along an east–west rainfall gradient. We used environmental DNA to estimate alpha and beta diversity of soil fungi and EcM. Soil fungal richness did not differ across precipitation treatments, whereas EcM richness declined with decreasing precipitation. Shannon and inverse Simpson indices of EcM decreased under reduced precipitation, whereas no significant effects were observed on soil fungi, highlighting the EcM vulnerability to water limitation. Soil fungi community composition changes along the rainfall gradient due to species replacement. Tarzetta sp., Cortinarius sp., and Russula sp. were found in drier plots, indicating a potential association with drought tolerance. Selecting native drought-tolerant EcM for forest management and restoration can improve seedling establishment and ecosystem resilience under climate change.

Plants in ex situ conservation nurseries acquire diverse fungal associates that may be moved among nurseries or into the wild during outplanting, including fungal endophytes that contribute to a broad range of functions and occur in leaves, sometimes alongside pathogens. To improve understanding of fungal symbionts in a plant of high conservation concern, we characterized foliar fungal endophytes of Torreya taxifolia, one of the world's most threatened conifers, in an ex situ conservation nursery. We used culture-based and culture-free approaches to characterize fungal endophytes in leaves of T. taxifolia over 2 years and evaluated how endophytes varied spatially and as a function of environmental, plant-specific, and edaphic factors. We also contrasted them with fungi in other plants (local species and species cultivated at a regional scale) and with soil fungi. Culture-free methods revealed species-rich and phylogenetically diverse foliar fungal endophytes of T. taxifolia that vary spatially, reflecting symbiont acquisition from nearby plants, environmental factors, and plant stress. Endophyte community composition is subject to both stochasticity and temporal turnover and differs markedly from fungal communities in soils and other plants in the area. Our study provides novel insights into factors that can shape fungal endophyte communities for a critically endangered tree species. In addition to identifying local determinants of endophytic symbioses, our work illustrates that plants in conservation nurseries host rich foliar fungal communities of potential importance in plant germplasm protection.

Soil fungi play a pivotal role in maintaining ecosystem functions and regulating plant health. Although plant root traits can significantly impact the abundance and diversity of different fungal groups, the mechanism by which plant root strategies drive the assembly of soil fungal guilds remains limited. Utilizing Root Economics Space theory, this study investigates how four green manures (hairy vetch, rye, radish, and rapeseed) with contrasting root functional strategies (along the 'fast-slow' and 'outsourcing-DIY' axes) regulate the composition and functional structure of soil fungal communities. Community characteristics of three functional guilds (plant pathogens, saprophytes, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi), as well as relationships between these communities and plant root traits, were evaluated using a combination of Illumina high-throughput sequencing, functional annotation, and multivariate statistical analysis. Overall, different root strategies were associated with distinct fungal community patterns, potentially related to differences in root-derived resource inputs and soil properties. The 'slow' and 'DIY' strategies were associated with lower relative abundance of plant pathogenic fungi and higher relative abundance of saprotrophic fungi, whereas the 'fast' and 'outsourcing' strategies were associated with higher relative abundance of plant pathogens and AMF. These findings suggest that root functional strategies may help explain variation in fungal guild composition under different green manure species. From a practical perspective, the results provide a basis for selecting green manure species to help manage soil-borne disease risk, regulate beneficial soil microbial communities, and support more sustainable soil management in agricultural production.

Stochastic processes drive the soil fungal community structure in boreal forests

IntroductionThe time-response mechanism of soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) nutrients across different stand ages remains intricate and inadequately quantified, particularly unclear is the effects of rhizosphere soil microbial communities, which serve as crucial drivers on soil N and P nutrients. This study delved into the effects of soil fungal community on the shifts of soil physicochemical properties and their correlations between N-P distribution within rhizosphere of Larix kaempferi (Japanese larch) with different tree stands.MethodsThis study investigated the responses of soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) along a stand age gradient (young: <20 years; mid-aged: 20–30 years; near-mature: 30–40 years; mature: >40 years) in Larix kaempferi forests, with a focus on the associations between rhizosphere microbial communities and soil nutrient dynamics. By covering key developmental stages of forest succession, we examined age-related changes in rhizosphere soil N and P concentrations, soil physicochemical properties, and fungal community structure.ResultsThe results showed that fungal community structure gradually diversified from young to near-mature forests and became more stable in the mature forest stage. Differences in forest age were associated with changes in the availability and distribution of soil N and P nutrients, accompanied by shifts in the relative abundance of microbial functional genes related to N and P cycling. In particular, the abundance of P cycling–related functional genes showed patterns consistent with soil N and P variations, while N fixation–related functional genes exhibited the highest abundance in the middle-aged forest stage.DiscussionOverall, variations in stand development along the forest age gradient were closely linked to changes in soil nutrient distribution and rhizosphere microbial biomass, highlighting the potential role of rhizosphere microbial communities in soil N and P cycling in larch plantation ecosystems.

Deserts are home to diverse microbial communities important in many ecological processes and strategies for responding to a changing climate. We recorded the biodiversity of soil-inhabiting fungi and their predictors in Saudi Arabia via metabarcoding. Alpha diversity of the fungal communities varied greatly, with high diversity in moist montane habitats and very low diversity in hyper-arid regions. The fungal community was dominated by members of the orders Pleosporales, Pezizales, Agaricales, Glomerales, and Sordariales, most of which represented saprotrophic guilds. Modelling analyses showed that soil pH, elevation, vegetation coverage, and vegetation indices substantially impact soil fungal richness and community composition. These patterns mirror global dryland trends, with low diversity and high evenness in hyper-arid sites but higher richness and ecological differentiation in montane and vegetated regions. Our results demonstrate that vegetation cover, edaphic conditions, and altitude jointly shape fungal diversity in Saudi Arabian soils, offering mechanistic insight into community assembly and predicting ecosystem responses to climate change in arid landscapes.