Can nitrogen supersede host identity in shaping the community composition of foliar endophytic fungi in an alpine meadow ecosystem?

ABSTRACT: The availability of limiting nutrients plays a crucial role in shaping communities of endophytes. Moreover, whether fungal endophytes are host-specific remains controversial. We hypothesized that in a harsh and nitrogen (N)-deficient area, diversity and community composition of foliar endophytic fungi (FEFs) varied substantially among plots with experimentally elevated levels of macronutrients, and thus, N availability, instead of host species identity, would have a greater influence in structuring fungal communities at different scales. We also expected an important subset of taxa shared among numerous host species and N gradients to form a community-wide core microbiome. We measured the leaf functional traits and community structures of FEFs of three commonly seen species in an alpine me

SUBMITTER: Meng Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9441931 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature