Community Structure and Maintenance Mechanisms of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi of Four Coniferous Species in Eastern Inner Mongolia

Abstract

In this study, we focused on four major coniferous species in the eastern part of Inner Mongolia, namely Larix gmelinii var. principis-rupprechtii (Mayr) Pilg., Larix gmelinii (Rupr.) Kuzen., Pinus tabuliformis Carrière and Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica Litv. and carried out a systematic study on their ectomycorrhiae (EM) fungi. The present study was based on high-throughput sequencing. Based on the high-throughput sequencing data, analyzed by bioinformatics and statistical methods, the results showed that (1) a total of 150 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were obtained, which belonged to 26 evolutionary branches of Basidiomycota and Ascomycota, respectively. Among them, Tricholoma, Tomentella-thelephora, Suillus-rhizopogon, Wilcoxina, Piloderma, Pustularia, Hygrophorus, Sebacina and Amphinema-tylospora are the EM fungi shared by four conifer species. (2) The species diversity and community composition of EM fungi differed significantly among tree species and sample plots, while soil total nitrogen (N) content and nitrogen/phosphorus (N/P) ratio were the main factors affecting community structure. (3) The Neutral Community Model (NCM) and β-Nearest Taxon Index (β-NTI) showed that stochastic processes dominated the construction of EM fungal communities. The results of this study revealed the geographical distribution pattern and maintenance mechanisms of EM fungal communities of four coniferous species in the eastern part of Inner Mongolia, which provides a scientific basis for the restoration practice of disturbed ecosystems and the sustainable development of the regional economy.