Plant diversity increases diversity and network complexity rather than alters community assembly processes of leaf-associated fungi

This study is reported by Liang-Dong Guo’s group from the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing. Elucidating the mechanism of community assembly of leaf fungi related with tree diversity is crucial for comprehending biodiversity maintenance and community stability of leaf-associated fungi in the face of plant diversity loss. Liang-Dong Guo, Jie Li, and their colleagues investigated the community assembly of leaf epiphytic and endophytic fungi under different tree diversity levels in a Chinese subtropical tree species richness experiment (BEF-China).

The team found that tree diversity was positively correlated with the network complexity and diversity of epiphytic and endophytic fungi (Figure 1, 2).

They also found that the community assembly of epiphytic and endophytic fungi was predominantly governed by stochastic processes. By comparison, there showed a higher contribution of dispersal limitation on epiphytic but selection on endophytic fungal communities. However, the contribution of each ecological process was not associated with tree diversity (Figure 3).

The authors further noticed that with increasing tree diversity, the relative abundance of plant pathogenic fungi was decreased but saprotrophic fungi increased (Figure 4). The authors supposed that the reduced abundance of pathogenic fungi in more diverse forests may contribute to improving ecosystem health by lowering the potential for plant diseases. In contrast, the increased abundance of saprotrophic fungi may enhance the carbon and nitrogen cycles in the ecosystem by promoting the decomposition process of leaf litter, suggesting a potentially beneficial role of increased tree diversity in facilitating nutrient cycling and ecosystem functioning.

 

See the article:

Plant diversity increases diversity and network complexity rather than alters community assembly processes of leaf-associated fungi in a subtropical forest

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