Pattern and drivers of soil fungal community along elevation gradient in the Abies georgei forests of Segila mountains, Southeast Tibet

Jiangrong Li; Liang Chen; Hui Wang; Shuai Ouyang; Xionghui Liu; Jie Lu

Global Ecology and Conservation (Nov 2022)

Pattern and drivers of soil fungal community along elevation gradient in the Abies georgei forests of Segila mountains, Southeast Tibet

Jiangrong Li,
Liang Chen,
Hui Wang,
Shuai Ouyang,
Xionghui Liu,
Jie Lu

Affiliations

Jiangrong Li: Institute of Tibet Plateau Ecology, Tibet Agricultural and Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi Tibet, 860000, China; National Forest Ecosystem Observation & Research Station of Tibet Linzhi, Nyingchi Tibet 860000, China; Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology in Tibet Plateau (Tibet Agricultural & Animal Husbandry University), Ministry of Education, Linzhi 860000, China; Key Laboratory of Alpine Vegetation Ecological Security in Tibet, Nyingchi Tibet 860000, China
Liang Chen: Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan 410004, China; Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology in Tibet Plateau (Tibet Agricultural & Animal Husbandry University), Ministry of Education, Linzhi 860000, China; Corresponding author at: Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan 410004, China.
Hui Wang: Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan 410004, China
Shuai Ouyang: Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan 410004, China
Xionghui Liu: Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan 410004, China
Jie Lu: Institute of Tibet Plateau Ecology, Tibet Agricultural and Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi Tibet, 860000, China; National Forest Ecosystem Observation & Research Station of Tibet Linzhi, Nyingchi Tibet 860000, China; Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology in Tibet Plateau (Tibet Agricultural & Animal Husbandry University), Ministry of Education, Linzhi 860000, China; Key Laboratory of Alpine Vegetation Ecological Security in Tibet, Nyingchi Tibet 860000, China

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 39
p. e02291

Abstract

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Soil fungi are a diverse group of organisms extremely crucial to forest nutrient cycling and carbon (C) storage. The elevational pattern of soil microbial diversity has been widely studied, but how soil properties, elevation, and their association affect fungal community in subalpine forests remain to be explored. Here, soil fungal community diversity was investigated using high-throughput sequencing along an elevation gradient (3500–4300 m a.s.l.) in the Abies georgei var. smithii forests, a typical subalpine forest type in the Segila Mountains of Southeast Tibet. Elevation significantly affected the soil properties. Available phosphorus (P), total nitrogen (N), and soil organic C (SOC) increased whereas pH decreased with elevation. A U-shaped pattern for fungal diversity was found in topsoil while a slight monotonically decreasing pattern in subsoil layer across the elevation gradient. Basidiomycota, Ascomycota, and Mortierellomycota were the top three dominant phyla, and ectomycorrhizal fungi were the dominant functional fungi group in the A. georgei forest soils. Significant negative correlations were observed between fungal OTUs richness and NO3- (r = −0.431, p < 0.01), indicating that soil N availability is an important factor for fungal diversity. Based on redundancy analysis, soil factors explained 32.1% of the total variations in composition structure of fungal community. Soil pH, moisture, and fertilities (i.e., SOC, TN, TP, NO3-) were independent factors affecting the fungal community composition. Collectively, the alterations in soil environmental factor across elevations are essential in shaping the soil fungal diversity and community composition in the A. georgei forests in Segila Mountains, Southeast Tibet.

Published in Global Ecology and Conservation

ISSN: 2351-9894 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General): Ecology
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/global-ecology-and-conservation/

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