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. 2024 Jan 14;10(1):65.
doi: 10.3390/jof10010065.

The Diverse Mycorrizal Morphology of Rhododendron dauricum, the Fungal Communities Structure and Dynamics from the Mycorrhizosphere

Jin Liu  1 , Yang Xu  1 , Yan-Ji Si  1 , Bin-Qi Li  1 , Peng Chen  1 , Ling-Ling Wu  1 , Pu Guo  1 , Rui-Qing Ji  1
Affiliations

The Diverse Mycorrizal Morphology of Rhododendron dauricum, the Fungal Communities Structure and Dynamics from the Mycorrhizosphere

Jin Liu et al. J Fungi (Basel). .

Abstract

It is generally believed that mycorrhiza is a microecosystem composed of mycorrhizal fungi, host plants and other microscopic organisms. The mycorrhiza of Rhododendron dauricum is more complex and the diverse morphology of our investigated results displays both typical ericoid mycorrhizal characteristics and ectomycorrhizal traits. The characteristics of ectendoomycorrhiza, where mycelial invade from the outside into the root cells, have also been observed. In order to further clarify the mycorrhizal fungi members and other fungal communities of R. dauricum mycorrhiza, and explore the effects of vegetation and soil biological factors on their community structure, we selected two woodlands in the northeast of China as samples-one is a mixed forest of R. dauricum and Quercus mongolica, and the other a mixed forest of R. dauricum, Q. mongolica, and Pinus densiflor. The sampling time was during the local growing season, from June to September. High-throughput sequencing yielded a total of 3020 fungal amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), which were based on sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer ribosomal RNA (ITS rRNA) via the Illumina NovaSeq platform. In the different habitats of R. dauricum, there are differences in the diversity of fungi obtained from mycorrhizal niches, and specifically the mycorrhizal fungal community structure in the complex vegetation of mixed forests, where R. dauricum is found, exhibits greater stability, with relatively minor changes over time. Soil fungi are identified as the primary source of fungi within the mycorrhizal niche, and the abundance of mycorrhizal fungi from mycorrhizal niches in R. dauricum is significantly influenced by soil pH, organic matter, and available nitrogen. The relationship between soil fungi and mycorrhizal fungi from mycorrhizal niches is simultaneously found to be intricate, while the genus Hydnellum emerges as a central genus among mycorrhizal fungi from mycorrhizal niches. However, there is currently a substantial gap in the foundational research of this genus, including the fact that mycorrhizal fungi from mycorrhizal niches have, compared to fungi present in the soil, proven to be more sensitive to changes in soil moisture.

Keywords: ecological niches; ericoid mycorrhiza; forest type; fungi community; mycorrhiza.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Habitat map of two sampling sites. (a,b) sampling point A (SA) is covered by R. dauricum mixed Q. mongolica forest. (c,d) sampling point B (SB) is covered by R. dauricum mixed Q. mongolica and P. densiflora forest.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mycorrhizal Morphology of R. dauricum: (a) Overall view of the root tips under a dissecting microscope. (b) Intracellular mycelial coil. (c) Mycorrhizal mantle. (d) Intracellular invading mycelium from outside.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) Alpha diversity box plots of fungal community in mycorrhizal ecological niches of R. dauricum babitats, “*” indicates significant differences between two samples. (b) NMDS analysis of fungal communities in mycorrhizal ecological niches of R. dauricum habitats. (c) heat map of the fungi composition of the first 20 genera. (d) Functional guild cluster diagram of fungi of the first 20 genera. ECMF: ectomycorrhizal fungi; SAF, saprotrophic fungi; ERMF, ericoid mycorrhizal fungi; ORMF: Orchid mycorrhizal fungi. (e) Venn map of fungi from mycorrhizal ecological niches. Note: SAQG represents mycorrhizal samples from SA site in June to July, SAHG represents mycorrhizal samples from SA site in August to September; SBQG represents mycorrhizal samples from SB site in June to July, SBHG represents mycorrhizal samples from SB site in August to September, and so forth.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) Relationship between soil physical and chemical factors and fungal community in mycorrhiza root tip samples collected from different locations in the habitat of R. dauricum; (b) Triangular diagram (USDA) of soil texture in the habitat of R. dauricum.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Bar chart depicting the relative abundance of fungal genera in the soil of the R. dauricum habitat. Note: SAQT represents soil samples from SA site in June to July; SAHT represents soil samples from SA site in August to September; SBQT represents soil samples from SB site in June to July; and SBHT represents soil samples from SB site in August to September.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Network diagram depicting the interactions between mycorrhizal fungi from the top 20 fungal in mycorrhizal ecological niches and soil fungal community of the R. dauricum habitat.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Relationships between climate elements and mycorrhizal fungi in mycorrhizal ecological niches of the habitat of R. dauricum.
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