Unravelling the complex relationship between Suillus bovinus and Gomphidius roseus through investigation of their sporocarps in Pinus massoniana forests

Abstract Background The co-occurrence of sporocarps has revealed many intimate associations between different ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi species. The co-occurrence of sporocarps of Suillus bovinus and Gomphidius roseus, two edible ECM fungi, is well recognized; however, the interactions between the...

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Main Authors: Deng Li, Guiyun Yuan, Xueguang Sun
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-03-01
Series:BMC Microbiology
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-03881-0
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author Deng Li
Guiyun Yuan
Xueguang Sun
author_facet Deng Li
Guiyun Yuan
Xueguang Sun
author_sort Deng Li
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background The co-occurrence of sporocarps has revealed many intimate associations between different ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi species. The co-occurrence of sporocarps of Suillus bovinus and Gomphidius roseus, two edible ECM fungi, is well recognized; however, the interactions between them remain largely unknown. This study investigated the relationship between these two fungi occurring in Pinus massoniana forests through phenological, microbiome, and metabolome analyses. Results Gomphidius roseus sporocarps were always found alongside sporocarps of S. bovinus, but not vice versa. The ECM associated with S. bovinus sporocarps exhibited a long-distance exploration type, whereas the ECM associated with G. roseus sporocarps formed a contact exploration type. Both S. bovinus and G. roseus sporocarps and ECM contained the mycelia of both fungi. In contrast, different fungal sporocarps and ECM were dominated by distinct bacterial species. Suillus bovinus sporocarps were recorded in all ages investigated, ranging from 1 to 5 years old to over 30 years old. In contrast, G. roseus sporocarps were mainly found in forests older than 10 years. Previous studies suggested that G. roseus parasitizes S. bovinus; however, the occurrence of G. roseus sporocarps did not significantly affect S. bovinus sporocarp production or P. massoniana growth, challenging this assumption. Despite their intimate interactions, the metabolic profiles of S. bovinus sporocarps more closely resembled those of S. luteus, not G. roseus. Conclusion Overall, our analyses showed both similarities and dissimilarities in phenology, microbiome, and metabolome features between the two fungi, and the genesis of G. roseus sporocarps is highly dependent on S. bovinus. These results further indicate that while the formation of ECM between G. roseus and the host may rely on ECM formed by S. bovinus and the same host, it is not parasitic.
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spelling doaj-art-f14cf89cec8241bbbcdb9835dfeddc502025-08-20T03:40:50ZengBMCBMC Microbiology1471-21802025-03-0125111410.1186/s12866-025-03881-0Unravelling the complex relationship between Suillus bovinus and Gomphidius roseus through investigation of their sporocarps in Pinus massoniana forestsDeng Li0Guiyun Yuan1Xueguang Sun2Institute for Forest Resources & Environment of Guizhou, Guizhou UniversityInstitute for Forest Resources & Environment of Guizhou, Guizhou UniversityInstitute for Forest Resources & Environment of Guizhou, Guizhou UniversityAbstract Background The co-occurrence of sporocarps has revealed many intimate associations between different ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi species. The co-occurrence of sporocarps of Suillus bovinus and Gomphidius roseus, two edible ECM fungi, is well recognized; however, the interactions between them remain largely unknown. This study investigated the relationship between these two fungi occurring in Pinus massoniana forests through phenological, microbiome, and metabolome analyses. Results Gomphidius roseus sporocarps were always found alongside sporocarps of S. bovinus, but not vice versa. The ECM associated with S. bovinus sporocarps exhibited a long-distance exploration type, whereas the ECM associated with G. roseus sporocarps formed a contact exploration type. Both S. bovinus and G. roseus sporocarps and ECM contained the mycelia of both fungi. In contrast, different fungal sporocarps and ECM were dominated by distinct bacterial species. Suillus bovinus sporocarps were recorded in all ages investigated, ranging from 1 to 5 years old to over 30 years old. In contrast, G. roseus sporocarps were mainly found in forests older than 10 years. Previous studies suggested that G. roseus parasitizes S. bovinus; however, the occurrence of G. roseus sporocarps did not significantly affect S. bovinus sporocarp production or P. massoniana growth, challenging this assumption. Despite their intimate interactions, the metabolic profiles of S. bovinus sporocarps more closely resembled those of S. luteus, not G. roseus. Conclusion Overall, our analyses showed both similarities and dissimilarities in phenology, microbiome, and metabolome features between the two fungi, and the genesis of G. roseus sporocarps is highly dependent on S. bovinus. These results further indicate that while the formation of ECM between G. roseus and the host may rely on ECM formed by S. bovinus and the same host, it is not parasitic.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-03881-0EctomycorrhizaInteractionMicrobiomePhenologyStand age
spellingShingle Deng Li
Guiyun Yuan
Xueguang Sun
Unravelling the complex relationship between Suillus bovinus and Gomphidius roseus through investigation of their sporocarps in Pinus massoniana forests
BMC Microbiology
Ectomycorrhiza
Interaction
Microbiome
Phenology
Stand age
title Unravelling the complex relationship between Suillus bovinus and Gomphidius roseus through investigation of their sporocarps in Pinus massoniana forests
title_full Unravelling the complex relationship between Suillus bovinus and Gomphidius roseus through investigation of their sporocarps in Pinus massoniana forests
title_fullStr Unravelling the complex relationship between Suillus bovinus and Gomphidius roseus through investigation of their sporocarps in Pinus massoniana forests
title_full_unstemmed Unravelling the complex relationship between Suillus bovinus and Gomphidius roseus through investigation of their sporocarps in Pinus massoniana forests
title_short Unravelling the complex relationship between Suillus bovinus and Gomphidius roseus through investigation of their sporocarps in Pinus massoniana forests
title_sort unravelling the complex relationship between suillus bovinus and gomphidius roseus through investigation of their sporocarps in pinus massoniana forests
topic Ectomycorrhiza
Interaction
Microbiome
Phenology
Stand age
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-03881-0
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