Community composition of phytopathogenic fungi significantly influences ectomycorrhizal fungal communities during subtropical forest succession

In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing to investigate fungal communities in young, intermediate, and old subtropical forests. At the genus level, EMF communities were dominated bySebacina,Russula, andLactarius, whileMycena was the most abundant genus in pathogenic fungal communities. The relative abundances of EMF and phytopathogenic fungi in different stages showed no significant difference with the regulation of different factors. We discovered that interactions between phytopathogenic fungi and EMF maintained a dynamic balance under the influence of the differences in soil quality attributed to each forest successional stage. The community composition of phytopathogenic fungi is one of the strong drivers in shaping EMF communities over successions. In addition, the EMF diversity was significantly related to plant diversity, and these relationships varied among successional stages. Despite the regulation of various factors, the positive relationship between the diversity of phytopathogenic fungi and EMF remained unchanged. However, there is no significant difference in the  ratio of the abundance of EMF and phytopathogenic fungi over the course of successions. These results will advance our understanding of the biodiversity–ecosystem functioning during forest succession.Key points•Community composition of both EMF and phytopathogenic fungi changed significantly over forest succession.•Phytopathogenic fungi is a key driver in shaping EMF community.•The ef...

Source: European Journal of Applied Physiology - January 10, 2024 Category: Physiology Source Type: research