A 60-year journey of mycorrhizal research in China: Past, present and future directions

Alterations to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal community composition is driven by warming at specific elevations

Background

Global warming can alter plant productivity, and community composition which has consequences for soil-plant associated microorganisms. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are distributed widely and form symbiotic relationships with more than 80% of vascular plants and play a key role in nutrient cycling processes at the ecosystem scale.

Methods

A simulated warming experiment at multiple elevations (3,000, 3,500, 3,800, and 4,170 m) was conducted utilizing an in-situ open-top chamber (OTC) for exploring the effect of global warming on AMF community structure in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). This region has been identified as one of the most sensitive areas to climatic changes. Soil DNA was extracted and sequenced using next the Mi-Seq platform for diversity profiling.

Results

AMF richness was higher under the simulated warming chamber, however this only occurred in the elevation of 3,500 m. Warming did not alter other AMF alpha diversity indices (e.g. Shannon, Ace, and Simpson evenness index). Glomus and Acaulospora were the dominate AMF genera as assessed through their relative abundance and occurrence in control and warming treatments at the different elevations.

Conclusion

Warming changed significantly AMF community. The effects of warming on AMF community structure varied depend on elevations. Moreover, the occurrences of AMF in different genera were also presented the different responses to warming in four elevations.

Drivers of Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Community Structure Associated with Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica Differ at Regional vs. Local Spatial Scales in Northern China

Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica, a widely planted tree species, is facing long-lasting, unresolved degradation in desertified Northern China. Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) are closely related to the stand status, because they substantially participate in ecological processes of terrestrial forest ecosystems. EMF may be key to solving the introduction recession. Therefore, we performed DNA sequencing of P. sylvestris root samples from plantations and natural forests as control to characterize the EMF from semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions, using ITS Illumina sequencing and conventional soil physicochemical index determination. The results indicated that (1) the dominant EMF genera were Suillus, Rhizopogon, and Wilcoxina in the Hulunbuir, Mu Us, and Horqin Sandy Lands, respectively. Their dominance retained with stand ageing. (2) Plantation EM fungal diversity differs significantly among the three sandy lands and was significantly lower than in natural forest. The diversity varied with stand age, showing distinct trends at the local scale. (3) At the regional scale, the mean annual sunshine times and the soil organic carbon content affect EMF diversity. The community composition and structure were more characterized by temperature and precipitation. At the local scale, besides the soil organic carbon content, the EM fungal community composition and structure were correlated with total nitrogen and phosphorus content (Hulunbuir), the total phosphorus content (Mu Us), and the pH and total soil porosity (Horqin). The EM fungal community composition and structure have the obvious geographical distribution variation; they were strongly correlated with the meteorological elements and soil nutrients at the regional scale. At the local scale, they were jointly driven by stand age and soil properties. This improved information contributes to increasing the understanding of the interaction between EMF and forest ecosystems and guides sustainable forest management of degraded P. sylvestris plantations.

Presidential address: recent advance of mycorrhizal research in China

I am honoured to address as the seventh president of the Mycological Society of China. Mycorrhizal research has a long history in China, including taxonomy, diversity, ecology, molecular biology, and application. Particularly in the past four decades, great progress in mycorrhizal field has been made by Chinese mycologists and ecologists. In this paper, through my own experience, I summarised the main and important advance of recent mycorrhizal researches in terms of mycorrhizal fungal diversity, community, responses to global environmental changes, molecular biology, and function in China. Some perspectives are also proposed for future mycorrhizal studies in China.