Fungal communities associated with Hazel, Oak, and Pine seedlings at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, Minnesota, USA
To identify the ectomycorrhizal fungi present on hazel, oak, and pine host roots, total genomic DNA was extracted using the chloroform extraction method detailed in Fernandez et al. (2017). The ITS2 rDNA subunit was PCR amplified using a barcoded fungal-specific ITS5.8SFUn-ITS4Fun primer set under cycling conditions detailed in Taylor et al. (2016). Amplified products were magnetically cleaned using the Agencourt AMPure XP kit (Beckman Coulter, Brea, CA, USA) and quantified using a Qubit dsDNA HS Fluorometer (Life Technologies, Carlsbad, CA, USA). Each of the root samples were pooled into a single library and sequenced at the University of Minnesota Genomics Center using the 2 x 300 bp paired-end MiSeq Illumina platform.