Effects of stand age and niche on community assembly of belowground fungi in Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica plantations

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2024.0118

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica, an evergreen coniferous tree species, plays a pivotal role in ecological restoration efforts in the deserts of northern China. This study aimed to elucidate the community assembly of belowground fungi and the intricate relationships between P. sylvestris var. mongolica and fungi in P. sylvestris var. mongolica plantations. The findings would provide the novel microbial perspectives for sustainable management strategies of P. sylvestris var. mongolica plantations.
Methods Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica plantations of different stand ages (26, 37, and 46 a) in the Hulun Buir Sandy Land were selected to examine the diversity, composition and assembly pattern of root-associated fungi (RAF), rhizosphere soil fungi (RhSF) and non-rhizosphere soil fungi (NRhSF).
Important findings (1) Stand ages and niches significantly influenced fungal diversity. The fungal community richness and diversity indices ranked as follows: 46 a > 26 a > 37 a, and the dissimilarity gradually increased with the increase of the stand age. Among the different niches, the richness, diversity indexes, and dissimilarity were the highest in NRhSF, the middle in RhSF and the lowest in RAF. (2) The belowground fungi were assigned to 14 phyla and 592 genera. The belowground fungal communities of 26, 37, and 46 a plantations had 3, 1, and 5 abundant genera respectively, and they had symbiotic capability of endophytic or ectomycorrhizal fungi. RAF, RhSF, and NRhSF had 3, 8, and 5 abundant genera, respectively, and the proportions of Mortierellomycota and saprotrophic fungi increased from root to soil. (3) The primary assembly processes of belowground fungal communities were the dispersal limitation (63.54%), drift (22.06%) and homogeneous selection (12.90%). Stand age significantly correlated with structure of belowground fungi. Soil total phosphorus content, soil total nitrogen and phosphorus contents, and soil organic matter content were the main factors influencing RAF, RhSF, and NRhSF, respectively. This study highlights temporal and spatial heterogeneity of fungal community diversity and composition in P. sylvestris var. mongolica plantations. Stochastic processes mainly were dispersal limitations, shaping these communities, while the deterministic processes were influenced by host selection and environmental filtering.

Key words: Pinus syivestris var. mongolica, plant-microbiome interactions, stand age, niche, fungal function

ZHAO Pei-Shan, GAO Guang-Lei, DING Guo-Dong, ZHANG Ying. Effects of stand age and niche on community assembly of belowground fungi in Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica plantations[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2025, 49(9): 1472-1484.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2024.0118

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2025/V49/I9/1472

Figures/Tables 6

Fig. 1 Venn diagrams of belowground fungal operational taxonomic unit (OTU) in Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica plantations. A, Distribution of fungal OTUs in 26, 37 and 46 a plantations among the different niches. B, Distribution of fungal OTUs in root, rhizosphere soil (RhS) and non-rhizosphere soil (NRhS) among the different stand ages.

Fig. 2 Diversity and structure of belowground fungal community in Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica plantations. A, Chao1 index. B, Shannon-Wiener index. C, Phylogenetic diversity (PD). D, Mean phylogenetic distance (MPD). E, Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) of fungal community structure. Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences (p < 0.05). NRhS, non-rhizosphere soil; RhS, rhizosphere soil.

Fig. 3 Distribution and relative abundances of belowground fungal taxonomic groups in Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica plantations. A, Phylum level. B, Genus level (genera with abundances > 1.00% are listed). NRhS, non-rhizosphere soil; RhS, rhizosphere soil.

Fig. 4 Specialist operational taxonomic unit (OTU) of belowground fungal community in Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica plantations. A, Distribution of specialists in 26, 37 and 46 a plantations among the different niches. B, Distribution of specialists in root, rhizosphere soil (RhS) and non-rhizosphere soil (NRhS) among the different stand ages. Point shape indicates non-specialist OTUs and specialist OTUs in different niches or stand ages, point size indicates the average relative abundance of OTUs, and point color indicates different fungal functional groups of OTUs.

Fig. 5 Variations in assembly processes of belowground fungal community in Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica plantations. A, Assembly processes of fungal community in 26, 37 and 46 a plantations. B, Assembly processes of fungal community in root, rhizosphere soil (RhS) and non-rhizosphere soil (NRhS).

Fig. 6 Correlations between belowground fungal community and environmental factors (soil factors and stand age) in Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica plantations. A, Correlations between fungal community in root, rhizosphere soil (RhS) and non-rhizosphere soil (NRhS) and environmental factors based on Mantel test. Pairwise comparisons of environmental factors based on Spearman’s correlation. B, Correlations between fungal specialist and non-specialist operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and environmental factors in the different niches. AN, available nitrogen content; AP, available phosphorus content; pH, soil pH; SA, stand age; SOM, soil organic matter content; TN, total nitrogen content; TP, total phosphorus content. *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001.

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