Association of ectomycorrhizal fungi with Picea crassifolia (Pinaceae, Piceoidae) from high-altitude stands in Mount Helan Nature Reserve, China

Abstract

ABSTRACT. We investigated the diversity of ectomycorrhiza associated with the endemic Picea crassifolia in Mount Helan National Nature Reserve in Inner Mongolia, China. Toward this objective, we conducted morphological and molecular identification of ectomycorrhizae in soil cubes taken from pure P. crassifolia stands. Eleven types of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) organisms were separated, briefly described, and identified. Nine morphotypes belonged to the The diversity of ECM organisms in P. crassifolia was lower than that reported by other studies on spruce or pine forests, or on sporocarp diversity in the high-mountain forests of China. Most of the fungi in the rhizosphere did not correspond to species previously recorded as sporocarps above ground. Here, several new ectomycorrhiza morphotypes are proposed and described. We also confirmed the ectomycorrhizal status of the genus Sebacina (order Sebacinales).

A Closer Examination of the ‘Abundant-Center’ for Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Community Associated With Picea crassifolia in China

“…High-throughput sequencing technology has greatly facilitated the acquisition of genome data (Li et al, 2020), which allows us to investigate the ecophysiology of uncultured microbes (Wagner, 2009). In our study, the number of ECM species (196 OTUs) detected that were associated with P. crassifolia from the region of Inner Mongolia (NM group) is much higher than 11 OTUs at the same site (Fan et al, 2016). A total of 10 ECM species (all except 1) were found using both methods (Table 4).…”

“…Our results clearly showed Tomentella was the most species-rich genus ahead of Cortinarius , Inocybe , and Sebacina . However, none of Tomentella species was detected using Sanger sequencing ( Fan et al, 2016 ). Thus, relative to Sanger sequencing, high-throughput sequencing can capture a greater proportion of species, which is considered to be more effective in the field of community ecology ( Paul et al, 2018 ).…”

Contrasting Responses of Multispatial Soil Fungal Communities of Thuja sutchuenensis Franch., an Extremely Endangered Conifer in Southwestern China

“…The high abundance of Piloderma indicated that it might contribute to the initial establishment of T. sutchuenensis in mountainous areas, and the differentiation pattern of topsoil fungal communities with altitude might be a strategy for habitat adaptation of T. sutchuenensis . Some members of Cortinarius play a key role in mobilizing nutrients from organic matter and accelerating N cycling at high altitudes ( 58 , 59 ). With elevation, the soil physicochemical properties (i.e., OM, WC, N, and K) increased, so that the fungal community changed from stress-resistant taxa (i.e., Tomentella ) to vegetative taxa (i.e., Piloderma and Cortinarius ).…”

Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Communities Associated with Dominant Tree Species in a Subarctic Limestone Area

“…Fan et al examined the ECM fungi associated with Picea crassifolia in Mt. Helan [25], however the soil type was uncertain. Hence, the distribution of ECM fungal species in Asian subarctic limestone areas remains poorly known.…”