Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Mar 14;11(3):222.
doi: 10.3390/jof11030222.

Variation of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Communities Between Root and Rhizosphere Soil of Endangered Plant Heptacodium miconioides Along Elevation Gradient

Yueling Li  1   2 , Guangyu Luo  1   2 , Shijie Wu  1   2 , Dang Yang  1   2 , Pengpeng Lv  1   2 , Zexin Jin  1   2 , Junmin Li  1   2
Affiliations

Variation of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Communities Between Root and Rhizosphere Soil of Endangered Plant Heptacodium miconioides Along Elevation Gradient

Yueling Li et al. J Fungi (Basel). .

Abstract

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are considered crucial for the survival of many endangered plant species. However, the dynamics of AMF communities in the roots and rhizosphere soil of Heptacodium miconioides, particularly along elevation gradients, remain underexplored. This study investigates AMF colonization, spore density, and community structure in the root and rhizosphere soil of H. miconioides across an elevation range from 306 to 1028 m a.s.l., employing high-throughput sequencing. Our results show that AMF colonization and spore density in H. miconioides increased with elevation. Glomus was the dominant genus in both root and rhizosphere samples. Elevation significantly influenced the AMF community structure and diversity in the root, with alpha diversity decreasing linearly with elevation. In contrast, no significant elevation-related changes were observed in the rhizosphere soil alpha diversity. The difference in AMF beta diversity between the root and rhizosphere soil was lowest at the highest elevation. Compared to the rhizosphere soil, the degree and degree centralization of AMF community co-occurrence networks in the root showed a significant increase at higher elevations. Variations in soil properties, particularly soil pH, available phosphorus, and total nitrogen levels strongly influenced AMF communities in rhizosphere soil, while nitrate nitrogen, available potassium, and acid phosphatase were correlated with AMF communities in the root. These findings highlight the impact of elevation on AMF communities in both root and rhizosphere soil, providing valuable insights for the habitat restoration and conservation efforts for this species.

Keywords: arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; diversity; elevation gradient; endangered plant; root and rhizosphere soil.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors claim to have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The location of the study area of the Heptacodium miconioides population on Dongbai Mountain, Zhuji City, Zhejiang Province, China.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Linear correlations between elevation and AMF colonization rate (A) and spore density (B) of H. miconioides.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relative abundance of AMF community composition in root and rhizosphere soil of H. miconioides along elevation gradients. (A) Venn diagram showing number of common and unique OTUs between root and rhizosphere soil. (B) Bar graphs representing total number of OTUs between root and rhizosphere soil. Relative abundance of AMF community composition at genus level in root (C) and rhizosphere soil (D).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Linear correlations between elevation and alpha diversity indices (Shannon and Chao1) in root (A,D), rhizosphere soil (B,E), and their differences (C,F) in H. miconioides. Data are presented as means ± SD. Significant differences are denoted by lowercase letters (p < 0.05).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordinations of AMF community compositions (Bray–Curtis) in root (A), rhizosphere soil (B), and their differences (C) based on OTU abundance along elevation gradients. Data are presented as means ± SD. Significant differences are denoted by lowercase letters (p < 0.05).
Figure 6
Figure 6
The co-occurrence networks analysis of AMF community along elevation gradients. The changes in the AMF community co-occurrence networks in the root at 306 m (A), 518 m (B), 644 m (C), 840 m (D), and 1028 m (E) elevation. The changes in the AMF community co-occurrence networks in the rhizosphere soil at 306 m (F), 518 m (G), 644 m (H), 840 m (I), and 1028 m (J) elevation. Linear correlations between elevation and topological parameters of the AMF community co-occurrence networks in the root (K,L) and rhizosphere soil (M,N) of H. miconioides. The positive and negative correlations are indicated by red and blue lines, respectively.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) plots of AMF community compositions and soil properties in root (A) and rhizosphere soil (B) based on OTU abundance along elevation gradients.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Pearson correlations between AMF communities at genus level in root (A) and rhizosphere soil (B) along elevation gradients. * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Boonman C.C.F., Serra-Diaz J.M., Hoeks S., Guo W.Y., Enquist B.J., Maitner B., Malhi Y., Merow C., Buitenwerf R., Svenning J. More than 17,000 tree species are at risk from rapid global change. Nat. Commun. 2024;15:166. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-44321-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Thomas C.D., Cameron A., Green R.E., Bakkenes M., Beaumont L.J., Collingham Y.C., Erasmus B.F.N., de Siqueira M.F., Grainger A., Hannah L., et al. Extinction risk from climate change. Nature. 2004;427:145–148. doi: 10.1038/nature02121. - DOI - PubMed
    1. de Vries F., Lau J., Hawkes C., Semchenko M. Plant-soil feedback under drought: Does history shape the future? Trends Ecol. Evol. 2023;8:708–718. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.03.001. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Willing C.E., Wan J., Yeam J.J., Cessna A.M., Peay K.G. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi equalize differences in plant fitness and facilitate plant species coexistence through niche differentiation. Nat. Ecol. Evol. 2024;8:2058–2071. doi: 10.1038/s41559-024-02526-1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Smith S., Facelli E., Pope S., Andrew Smith F. Plant performance in stressful environments: Interpreting new and established knowledge of the roles of arbuscular mycorrhizas. Plant Soil. 2010;326:3–20. doi: 10.1007/s11104-009-9981-5. - DOI

LinkOut - more resources