Stochastic processes dominate the community assembly of ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with Betula platyphylla in Inner Mongolia, China

The maintenance and driving mechanisms of microbial community structure have become important research focuses in microbial ecology. Therefore, clarifying the assembly of ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungal communities can provide a relevant basis for studying forest diversity, ecological diversity, and eco...

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Main Authors: Min Li, Zhaoyun Meng, Jinyan Li, Xuan Zhang, Yonglong Wang, Xinyu Li, Yuze Yang, Yue Li, Xunjue Yang, Xiuli Chen, Yongjun Fan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PeerJ Inc. 2025-05-01
Series:PeerJ
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Online Access:https://peerj.com/articles/19364.pdf
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author Min Li
Zhaoyun Meng
Jinyan Li
Xuan Zhang
Yonglong Wang
Xinyu Li
Yuze Yang
Yue Li
Xunjue Yang
Xiuli Chen
Yongjun Fan
author_facet Min Li
Zhaoyun Meng
Jinyan Li
Xuan Zhang
Yonglong Wang
Xinyu Li
Yuze Yang
Yue Li
Xunjue Yang
Xiuli Chen
Yongjun Fan
author_sort Min Li
collection DOAJ
description The maintenance and driving mechanisms of microbial community structure have become important research focuses in microbial ecology. Therefore, clarifying the assembly of ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungal communities can provide a relevant basis for studying forest diversity, ecological diversity, and ecological evolution. Betula platyphylla is a typical EM dependent tree species with characteristics such as renewal ability and strong competitive adaptability, and it plays a crucial ecological function in Inner Mongolia. However, the research on EM fungi’s diversity and community assembly is very limited. We investigated EM fungal communities associated with B. platyphylla from 15 rhizosphere soil samples across five sites in Inner Mongolia. The fungal rDNA ITS2 region was sequenced using Illumina Miseq sequencing. A total of 295 EM fungal OTUs belonging to two phyla, three classes, nine orders, 20 families, and 31 genera were identified, of which Russula, Cortinarius, and Sebacina were the most dominant taxa. Significant differences existed in the composition of dominant genera of EM fungi across the five sites, and the relative abundances of dominant genera also showed significant differences among the sites. The β NTI and NCM fitting analyses suggest that stochastic processes mainly determine the EM fungal community assembly. Our study indicates that B. platyphylla harbors a high EM fungal diversity and highlights the important role of the stochastic process in driving community assembly of mutualistic fungi associated with B. platyphylla in north China.
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spelling doaj-art-f0f0f73523bd4c07bf402c8a2d8cd7482025-08-20T03:13:04ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592025-05-0113e1936410.7717/peerj.19364Stochastic processes dominate the community assembly of ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with Betula platyphylla in Inner Mongolia, ChinaMin Li0Zhaoyun Meng1Jinyan Li2Xuan Zhang3Yonglong Wang4Xinyu Li5Yuze Yang6Yue Li7Xunjue Yang8Xiuli Chen9Yongjun Fan10College of Life Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Huhhot, ChinaCollege of Life Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Huhhot, ChinaSchool of Life Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, Baotou, ChinaFaculty of Biological Science and technology, Baotou Teacher’s College, Baotou, ChinaFaculty of Biological Science and technology, Baotou Teacher’s College, Baotou, ChinaSchool of Energy and Environment, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, Baotou, ChinaCollege of Life Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Huhhot, ChinaCollege of Life Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Huhhot, ChinaCollege of Life Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Huhhot, ChinaFaculty of Biological Science and technology, Baotou Teacher’s College, Baotou, ChinaSchool of Life Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, Baotou, ChinaThe maintenance and driving mechanisms of microbial community structure have become important research focuses in microbial ecology. Therefore, clarifying the assembly of ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungal communities can provide a relevant basis for studying forest diversity, ecological diversity, and ecological evolution. Betula platyphylla is a typical EM dependent tree species with characteristics such as renewal ability and strong competitive adaptability, and it plays a crucial ecological function in Inner Mongolia. However, the research on EM fungi’s diversity and community assembly is very limited. We investigated EM fungal communities associated with B. platyphylla from 15 rhizosphere soil samples across five sites in Inner Mongolia. The fungal rDNA ITS2 region was sequenced using Illumina Miseq sequencing. A total of 295 EM fungal OTUs belonging to two phyla, three classes, nine orders, 20 families, and 31 genera were identified, of which Russula, Cortinarius, and Sebacina were the most dominant taxa. Significant differences existed in the composition of dominant genera of EM fungi across the five sites, and the relative abundances of dominant genera also showed significant differences among the sites. The β NTI and NCM fitting analyses suggest that stochastic processes mainly determine the EM fungal community assembly. Our study indicates that B. platyphylla harbors a high EM fungal diversity and highlights the important role of the stochastic process in driving community assembly of mutualistic fungi associated with B. platyphylla in north China.https://peerj.com/articles/19364.pdfEctomycorrhizal fungiBetula platyphyllaFungal diversityCommunity assemblyStochastic process
spellingShingle Min Li
Zhaoyun Meng
Jinyan Li
Xuan Zhang
Yonglong Wang
Xinyu Li
Yuze Yang
Yue Li
Xunjue Yang
Xiuli Chen
Yongjun Fan
Stochastic processes dominate the community assembly of ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with Betula platyphylla in Inner Mongolia, China
PeerJ
Ectomycorrhizal fungi
Betula platyphylla
Fungal diversity
Community assembly
Stochastic process
title Stochastic processes dominate the community assembly of ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with Betula platyphylla in Inner Mongolia, China
title_full Stochastic processes dominate the community assembly of ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with Betula platyphylla in Inner Mongolia, China
title_fullStr Stochastic processes dominate the community assembly of ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with Betula platyphylla in Inner Mongolia, China
title_full_unstemmed Stochastic processes dominate the community assembly of ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with Betula platyphylla in Inner Mongolia, China
title_short Stochastic processes dominate the community assembly of ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with Betula platyphylla in Inner Mongolia, China
title_sort stochastic processes dominate the community assembly of ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with betula platyphylla in inner mongolia china
topic Ectomycorrhizal fungi
Betula platyphylla
Fungal diversity
Community assembly
Stochastic process
url https://peerj.com/articles/19364.pdf
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