Advanced research tools for fungal diversity and its impact on forest ecosystem

Abstract

Fungi are dominant ecological participants in the forest ecosystems, which play a major role in recycling organic matter and channeling nutrients across trophic levels. Fungal populations are shaped by plant communities and environmental parameters, and in turn, fungal communities also impact the forest ecosystem through intrinsic participation of different fungal guilds. Mycorrhizal fungi result in conservation and stability of forest ecosystem, while pathogenic fungi can bring change in forest ecosystem, by replacing the dominant plant species with new or exotic plant species. Saprotrophic fungi, being ecological regulators in the forest ecosystem, convert dead tree logs into reusable constituents and complete the ecological cycles of nitrogen and carbon. However, fungal communities have not been studied in-depth with respect to functional, spatiotemporal, or environmental parameters. Previously, fungal diversity and its role in shaping the forest ecosystem were studied by traditional and laborious cultural methods, which were unable to achieve real-time results and draw a conclusive picture of fungal communities. This review highlights the latest advances in biological methods such as next-generation sequencing and meta'omics for observing fungal diversity in the forest ecosystem, the role of different fungal groups in shaping forest ecosystem, forest productivity, and nutrient cycling at global scales.

Keywords: Ecosystem functions; Fungal diversity; Meta’omics; Nutrient cycling.