title: Habitat conditions and phenological tree traits overrule the influence of tree genotype in the needle mycobiome-Picea glauca system at an arctic treeline ecotone.
abstract: Plant-associated mycobiomes in extreme habitats are understudied and poorly understood. We analysed Illumina-generated ITS1 sequences from the needle mycobiome of white spruce (Picea glauca) at the northern treeline in Alaska (USA). Sequences were obtained from the same DNA that was used for tree genotyping. In the present study, fungal metabarcoding and tree microsatellite data were compared for the first time. In general, neighbouring trees shared more fungal taxa with each other than trees growing in further distance. Mycobiomes correlated strongly with phenological host traits and local habitat characteristics contrasting a dense forest stand with an open treeline site. Genetic similarity between trees did not influence fungal composition and no significant correlation existed between needle mycobiome and tree genotype. Our results suggest the pronounced influence of local habitat conditions and phenotypic tree traits on needle-inhabiting fungi. By contrast, the tree genetic identity cannot be benchmarked as a dominant driver for needle-inhabiting mycobiomes, at least not for white spruce in this extreme environment.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany und Landscape Ecology, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald, Soldmannstr. 15, 17487, Greifswald, Germany.|Institute of Forest Genetics, Thünen Institute, Eberswalder Chaussee 3a, 15377, Waldsieversdorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eusemann
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany und Landscape Ecology, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald, Soldmannstr. 15, 17487, Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schnittler
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 461, 405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: R Henrik
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.affiliation: Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 433 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA.
authors.forename: Ari
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jumpponen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany und Landscape Ecology, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald, Soldmannstr. 15, 17487, Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Mathilde B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Dahl
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany und Landscape Ecology, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald, Soldmannstr. 15, 17487, Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Würth
authors.affiliation: Chair of Ecoclimatology, TU Munich, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz Platz 2, 85354, Freising, Germany.
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buras
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany und Landscape Ecology, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald, Soldmannstr. 15, 17487, Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilmking
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany und Landscape Ecology, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald, Soldmannstr. 15, 17487, Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Unterseher
mesh_terms: D001110:Arctic Regions; D044822:Biodiversity; D017753:Ecosystem; D005838:Genotype; D000072761:Mycobiome; D028222:Picea / Q000382:microbiology*; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014197:Trees / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology*
keywords: Illumina high-throughput sequencing; biodiversity; internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA; metabarcoding; microsatellites; needle-inhabiting fungal phytobiome; plant-fungus interactions; tree phenotypic plasticity