Fungal diversity within the phyllosphere of Pinus massoniana and the possible involvement of phyllospheric fungi in litter decomposition

• Published in: Fungal biology Vol. 125; no. 10; pp. 785 - 795
• Main Authors: Sun, Xueguang, Zheng, Yang, Xu, Gang, Guo, Qiqiang, Tan, Jianhui, Ding, Guijie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2021
• Subjects: Fungal diversity; Litter decomposition; Phyllosphere; Pinus massoniana; Litter decomposition; Pinus massoniana; Phyllosphere; Fungal diversity
• ISSN: 1878-6146; 1878-6162
• DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2021.05.001

Fungi play key roles in forest ecosystems and help to shape the forest’s diverse functions. However, little is known about the diversity of phyllospheric fungi or their possible relationships with fungal communities residing in different micro-environments of Pinus massoniana forests. We investigated seven different sample types: mature needles (NM), dead needles (ND), needles falling as litter (L), fermenting needles (F), humus (H), top soil (0–20 cm) (TS), and secondary soil (20–40 cm) (SS). These seven fungal communities were examined and compared with ITS amplicons using a high-throughput sequencing technique. A total of 1213 fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were obtained at a 97% sequence similarity level. Distinct fungal communities were associated with different sample types. A greater number of OTUs were present in both NM and F samples than those shared by both NM and TS samples, indicating that phyllospheric fungi may play crucial roles in litter decomposition. Sixty OTUs (the core microbiome) were found in all sample types, and they may probably play different ecological roles in different sample types. These findings extend our knowledge of the fungal diversity of the phyllosphere and its possible interactions with fungal communities found in distinct forest micro-habitats. •Phyllospheric fungal diversity of Pinus massoniana was firstly investigated.•Fungal communities varied among differ micro-environments in P. massoniana forests.•Phyllospheric fungal community shared more OTUs with fermenting litter than soil.•A core microbiome composed of sixty OTUs was identified in P. massoniana forest.•The core microbiome may play a vital role in organic matter decomposition in forests, e.g., litter decomposition.