Richness, species composition and functional groups in Agaricomycetes communities along a vegetation and elevational gradient in the Andean Yungas of Argentina

EDUARDO, NOUHRA; FLORENCIA, SOTERAS; NICOLÁS, PASTOR; JÓZSEF, GEML

BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION

SPRINGER

Año: 2018

0960-3115

The Neotropics are among the least explored regions from a mycological perspective.A few recent molecular studies in South America have shown high fungal diversityas well as numerous groups of mostly undescribed taxa. Through soil metabarcodinganalysis we compared richness and species composition among macrofungal communities,belonging to Agaricales, Russulales, Boletales and Phallomycetidae groups, in three elevationalforests types in the subtropical Yungas of Northwestern Argentina (Piedmont forest;Montane forest, Montane cloud forest). The aims of this study were to assess richnessof taxonomic and functional groups along the elevation gradient and to assess the relationshipsbetween environmental variables and species composition in the studied fungalcommunities. The results have shown rich Agaricomycetes communities, diversely structuredamong forests habitats. The elevation gradient differentially affected the richness anddistribution of Agaricales, Russulales, Boletales and Phallomycetidae. Based on fungaltrophic modes and guilds, the gradient also affected the ectomycorrhizal taxa distribution.When considering the basidiomata growth forms (agaricoid, boletoid, gasteroid, etc.), onlythe secotioid type showed significant elevational differences. Additional analyses indicatedthat saprotrophic nutritional mode was dominant along the entire gradient, being partiallyreplaced by biotrophic modes at higher elevations. Fungal communities in the Montanecloud forests are most dissimilar when compared with communities at the Piedmont forestand Montane forest, which is consistent with the different biogeographic origins of these forests. DNA metabarcoding sequence analysis provided detailed information on the diversityand taxonomic and functional composition of macrofungal communities