Temporal and spatial shifts in the foliar fungal endophyte community of Norway spruce (Picea abies) over 150 years in Finland.

ABSTRACT: Herbarium specimens are invaluable for studying plant. Yet their potential to reveal historical plant-associated microbiomes remains largely unexplored. To address this gap, we reconstructed the temporal and spatial dynamics of foliar fungal endophytes in Norway spruce (Picea abies) by sequencing the fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region from herbarium needle specimens collected in Finland between 1861 and 2023. We analyzed community shifts across 50-year and 20-year intervals and between southern and northern regions, assessing the influence of temperature and precipitation. The results showed that the community was dominated by Ascomycota, with Lophodermium, Ceratocystis, Yarrowia, Saccharomyces, and basidiomycete Heterobasidion as the most abundant genera. Among the 50-year in

SUBMITTER: Meng W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12892635 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature