Contrasting patterns of functional diversity in coffee root fungal communities associated with organic and conventionally-managed fields.

Contrasting patterns of functional diversity in coffee root fungal communities associated with organic and conventionally-managed fields. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2020 Mar 27;: Authors: Sternhagen EC, Black KL, Hartmann EDL, Shivega WG, Johnson PG, McGlynn RD, Schmaltz LC, Asheim Keller RJ, Vink SN, Aldrich-Wolfe L Abstract The structure and function of fungal communities in the coffee rhizosphere is shaped by crop environment. Because coffee can be grown along a management continuum from conventional application of pesticides and fertilizers in full sun to organic management in a shaded understory, we used coffee fields to hold host constant while comparing rhizosphere fungal communities in markedly different environmental conditions with regard to shade and inputs. We characterized the shade and soil environment in 25 fields under conventional, organic or transitional management in two regions of Costa Rica. We amplified the ITS2 region of fungal DNA from coffee roots in these fields and characterized the rhizosphere fungal community via high-throughput sequencing. Sequences were assigned to guilds to determine differences in functional diversity and trophic structure among coffee field environments. Organic fields had more shade, a greater richness of shade tree species, more leaf litter, and were less acidic, with lower soil nitrate availability and higher soil copper, calcium, and magnesium than conventionally-managed fields, alt...
Source: Applied and Environmental Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: Appl Environ Microbiol Source Type: research