Abstract:
Fungal partners play a crucial role in forest ecosystems, forming mycorrhizal associations with the roots of trees and facilitating nutrient uptake. However, the mechanisms that structure these fungal communities across large spatial scales remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated how tree species influence the composition and diversity of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal communities across a 100-hectare temperate forest in the northeastern United States. We collected soil samples from 9600 locations and identified ECM fungal species using DNA sequencing. Our results revealed that tree species had a significant influence on ECM fungal community composition, with each tree species supporting a distinct assemblage of fungal partners. Furthermore, we found that the spatial distribution of ECM fungal communities was structured by tree species composition, with fungal communities becoming more similar in composition as the distance between trees decreased. These findings suggest that tree species play a key role in structuring ECM fungal communities across large-scale forest ecosystems, with implications for nutrient cycling, plant-soil interactions, and forest ecosystem functioning.
Keywords: Ectomycorrhizal fungi, Forest ecosystem, Fungal diversity, Mycorrhizal associations, Spatial distribution, Tree species
