Dryland fungi are spatially heterogeneous and resistant to global change drivers

Abstract Fungi are considered particularly important in regulating the structure and function of dryland ecosystems, yet the response of dryland fungal communities to global change remains notably understudied. Without a clear understanding of how fungi respond to global change drivers, mitigation p...

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Main Authors: Andrea Lopez, Mark Anthony, Jovani Catalan‐Dibene, Scott Ferrenberg, Samuel E. Jordan, Brooke Osborne, Sasha Reed, Adriana L. Romero‐Olivares
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-12-01
Series:Ecosphere
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.70031
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author Andrea Lopez
Mark Anthony
Jovani Catalan‐Dibene
Scott Ferrenberg
Samuel E. Jordan
Brooke Osborne
Sasha Reed
Adriana L. Romero‐Olivares
author_facet Andrea Lopez
Mark Anthony
Jovani Catalan‐Dibene
Scott Ferrenberg
Samuel E. Jordan
Brooke Osborne
Sasha Reed
Adriana L. Romero‐Olivares
author_sort Andrea Lopez
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Fungi are considered particularly important in regulating the structure and function of dryland ecosystems, yet the response of dryland fungal communities to global change remains notably understudied. Without a clear understanding of how fungi respond to global change drivers, mitigation plans—required for biodiversity and ecosystem service conservation and restoration—are impossible to develop. In this study, we asked the following: (1) How does the fungal community respond to the individual and interactive effects of physical disturbance and drought in a heterogeneous dryland landscape comprised of drought‐adapted shrubs separated by adjacent open areas of soil? (2) What are the larger scale impacts of this response? We assessed fungal communities (using fungal‐specific DNA metabarcoding analyses) of surface soil samples in an in situ global change experiment that included disturbance and drought in a full factorial design in the northern extent of the Chihuahuan Desert. We found that the fungal community was spatially heterogenous and remarkably resistant to disturbance and drought. We also show that dryland soils harbor high shares of facultative pathogenic and obligately pathogenic fungal taxa, with several concerning taxa reaching high relative abundances under drought. Our results suggest that the fungal community is highly influenced by microclimatic conditions associated with the presence or absence of vegetation. Moreover, our results imply that the fungal community in our experiment was already adapted to the magnitude of stress imposed by two years of experimental disturbance and drought treatments. Overall, our study shows that the fungal community is spatially heterogeneous and resistant to global change drivers and houses many fungal species known for being stress tolerant and pathogenic.
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spelling doaj-art-8d54443a7a724cecb13d3093a59a0e902025-01-27T14:51:33ZengWileyEcosphere2150-89252024-12-011512n/an/a10.1002/ecs2.70031Dryland fungi are spatially heterogeneous and resistant to global change driversAndrea Lopez0Mark Anthony1Jovani Catalan‐Dibene2Scott Ferrenberg3Samuel E. Jordan4Brooke Osborne5Sasha Reed6Adriana L. Romero‐Olivares7Department of Biology New Mexico State University Las Cruces New Mexico USADivision of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Snow, and the Landscape University of Vienna Vienna AustriaDepartment of Biology New Mexico State University Las Cruces New Mexico USADepartment of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences University of Montana Missoula Montana USASchool of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe Arizona USADepartment of Environment and Society Utah State University Moab Utah USAU.S. Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center Moab Utah USADepartment of Biology New Mexico State University Las Cruces New Mexico USAAbstract Fungi are considered particularly important in regulating the structure and function of dryland ecosystems, yet the response of dryland fungal communities to global change remains notably understudied. Without a clear understanding of how fungi respond to global change drivers, mitigation plans—required for biodiversity and ecosystem service conservation and restoration—are impossible to develop. In this study, we asked the following: (1) How does the fungal community respond to the individual and interactive effects of physical disturbance and drought in a heterogeneous dryland landscape comprised of drought‐adapted shrubs separated by adjacent open areas of soil? (2) What are the larger scale impacts of this response? We assessed fungal communities (using fungal‐specific DNA metabarcoding analyses) of surface soil samples in an in situ global change experiment that included disturbance and drought in a full factorial design in the northern extent of the Chihuahuan Desert. We found that the fungal community was spatially heterogenous and remarkably resistant to disturbance and drought. We also show that dryland soils harbor high shares of facultative pathogenic and obligately pathogenic fungal taxa, with several concerning taxa reaching high relative abundances under drought. Our results suggest that the fungal community is highly influenced by microclimatic conditions associated with the presence or absence of vegetation. Moreover, our results imply that the fungal community in our experiment was already adapted to the magnitude of stress imposed by two years of experimental disturbance and drought treatments. Overall, our study shows that the fungal community is spatially heterogeneous and resistant to global change drivers and houses many fungal species known for being stress tolerant and pathogenic.https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.70031disturbancedroughtdrylandfungiglobal changeshrub encroachment
spellingShingle Andrea Lopez
Mark Anthony
Jovani Catalan‐Dibene
Scott Ferrenberg
Samuel E. Jordan
Brooke Osborne
Sasha Reed
Adriana L. Romero‐Olivares
Dryland fungi are spatially heterogeneous and resistant to global change drivers
Ecosphere
disturbance
drought
dryland
fungi
global change
shrub encroachment
title Dryland fungi are spatially heterogeneous and resistant to global change drivers
title_full Dryland fungi are spatially heterogeneous and resistant to global change drivers
title_fullStr Dryland fungi are spatially heterogeneous and resistant to global change drivers
title_full_unstemmed Dryland fungi are spatially heterogeneous and resistant to global change drivers
title_short Dryland fungi are spatially heterogeneous and resistant to global change drivers
title_sort dryland fungi are spatially heterogeneous and resistant to global change drivers
topic disturbance
drought
dryland
fungi
global change
shrub encroachment
url https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.70031
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AT jovanicatalandibene drylandfungiarespatiallyheterogeneousandresistanttoglobalchangedrivers
AT scottferrenberg drylandfungiarespatiallyheterogeneousandresistanttoglobalchangedrivers
AT samuelejordan drylandfungiarespatiallyheterogeneousandresistanttoglobalchangedrivers
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