Hierarchical metacommunity structure of fungal endophytes

PAN, YUANFEI; LIU, MU; SOSA, ALEJANDRO; LI, BO; SHI, MANG; PAN, XIAOYUN

NEW PHYTOLOGIST

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2023 vol. 239 p. 1464 - 1474

0028-646X

The ecological and evolutionary processes shaping community structure and functions ofmicrobial symbionts are known to be scale-dependent. Nonetheless, understanding how therelative importance of these processes changes across spatial scales, and deciphering the hierarchicalmetacommunity structure of fungal endophytes has proven challenging. We investigated metacommunities of endophytic fungi within leaves of an invasive plant(Alternanthera philoxeroides) across wide latitudinal transects both in its native (Argentina)and introduced (China) ranges to test whether metacommunities of fungal endophytes werestructured by different drivers at different spatial scales. We found Clementsian structures with seven discrete compartments (distinctive groups offungal species with coincident distribution ranges), which coincided with the distribution ofmajor watersheds. Metacommunity compartments were explicitly demarcated at three spatialscales, that is, the between-continent, between-compartment, and within-compartmentscales. At larger spatial scales, local environmental conditions (climate, soil, and host planttraits) were replaced by other geographical factors as principal determinants of metacommunitystructure of fungal endophytes and community diversity–function relationships. Our results reveal novel insights into the scale dependency of diversity and functions of fungalendophytes, which are likely similar for plant symbionts. These findings can potentiallyimprove our understanding of the global patterns of fungal diversity.