Rhizospheric fungal diversity of Bergenia ciliata across three locations in the Kashmir Himalaya
This study investigates the diversity, community composition, and putative functional characteristics of rhizospheric fungi associated with the medicinal plant Bergenia ciliata (Sternb.) across three geographically distinct locations in the Kashmir Himalaya, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Rhizospheric soil samples were collected from Aharbal, Gulmarg, and Sinthan Pass, representing low-, mid-, and high-elevation locations, respectively. Fungal community composition was characterized using Illumina MiSeq-based metabarcoding of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. The study evaluates fungal taxonomic diversity, community composition, shared and location-associated taxa, and putative ecological guilds across the sampled locations. The resulting sequence data provide a molecular baseline for understanding rhizospheric fungal diversity associated with B. ciliata in Himalayan environments.