High richness of ectomycorrhizal fungi and low host specificity in a coastal sand dune ecosystem revealed by network analysis.

ABSTRACT: Ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi are ubiquitous in temperate and boreal forests, comprising over 20,000 species forming root symbiotic associations with Pinaceae and woody angiosperms. As much as 100 different EM fungal species can coexist and interact with the same tree species, forming complex multispecies networks in soils. The degree of host specificity and structural properties of these interaction networks (e.g., nestedness and modularity) may influence plant and fungal community assembly and species coexistence, yet their structure has been little studied in northern coniferous forests, where trees depend on EM fungi for nutrient acquisition. We used high-throughput sequencing to characterize the composition and diversity of bulk soil and root-associated fungal communities in four co-occu

SUBMITTER: Roy-Bolduc A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4716518 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature