title: Spatial structure and the effects of host and soil environments on communities of ectomycorrhizal fungi in wooded savannas and rain forests of Continental Africa and Madagascar.
abstract: Mycorrhizal fungi play a key role in mineral nutrition of terrestrial plants, but the factors affecting natural distribution, diversity and community composition of particularly tropical fungi remain poorly understood. This study addresses shifts in community structure and species frequency of ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi in relation to host taxa, soil depth and spatial structure in four contrasting African ecosystems. We used the rDNA and plastid trnL intron sequence analysis for identification of fungi and host plants, respectively. By partitioning out spatial autocorrelation in plant and fungal distribution, we suggest that African EcM fungal communities are little structured by soil horizon and host at the plant species and family levels. These findings contrast with patterns of vegetation in these forests and EcM fungal communities in other tropical and temperate ecosystems. The low level of host preference indirectly supports an earlier hypothesis that pioneer Phyllanthaceae may facilitate the establishment of late successional Fabaceae and potentially other EcM host trees by providing compatible fungal inoculum in deforested and naturally disturbed ecosystems of tropical Africa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, 40 Lai St, 51005 Tartu, Estonia. leho.tedersoo@ut.ee
authors.forename: Leho
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tedersoo
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bahram
authors.forename: Teele
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jairus
authors.forename: Eneke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bechem
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chinoya
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mpumba
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leal
authors.forename: Emile
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Randrianjohany
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Razafimandimbison
authors.forename: Ave
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sadam
authors.forename: Triin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Naadel
authors.forename: Urmas
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kõljalg
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics; D017753:Ecosystem; D007438:Introns; D008270:Madagascar; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000254:growth & development*; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D014197:Trees / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D018744:DNA, Plant; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D012987:Soil