We characterized the composition and diversity of AM fungal and plant communities in a dry Mediterranean scrubland taxonomically and phylogenetically, using DNA metabarcoding and a spatially explicit sampling design at the plant neighbourhood scale.
The above- and below-ground plant community attributes, soil physicochemical properties and spatial variables explained unique fractions of AM fungal diversity and composition. Mainly, variations in plant composition affected the AM fungal composition and diversity. Our results also showed that particular AM fungal taxa tended to be associated with closely related plant species, suggesting the existence of a phylogenetic signal. Although soil texture, fertility and pH affected AM fungal community assembly, spatial factors had a greater influence on AM fungal community composition and diversity than soil physicochemical properties.
Our results highlight that the more easily accessible above-ground vegetation is a reliable indicator of the linkages between plant roots and AM fungi. We also emphasize the importance of soil physicochemical properties in addition to below-ground plant information, while accounting for the phylogenetic relationships of both plants and fungi, because these factors improve our ability to predict the relationships between AM fungal and plant communities.
方法:我们对地中海干燥灌木丛中AM真菌和植物群落的组成和多样性进行了分类学和系统学表征,在植物邻域尺度上使用DNA元编码和空间显式采样设计。
结果:地上和地下植物群落属性,土壤理化性质和空间变量解释了AM真菌多样性和组成的独特部分。主要是,植物组成的变化会影响AM真菌的组成和多样性。我们的结果还表明,特定的AM真菌分类群往往与密切相关的植物物种有关,提示系统发育信号的存在。虽然土壤质地,肥力和pH影响AM真菌群落组装,空间因子对AM真菌群落组成和多样性的影响大于土壤理化性质。
结论:我们的结果强调,更容易获得的地上植被是植物根与AM真菌之间联系的可靠指标。我们还强调了土壤理化性质以及地下植物信息的重要性,同时考虑植物和真菌的系统发育关系,因为这些因素提高了我们预测AM真菌与植物群落之间关系的能力。