Alien ectomycorrhizal plants differ in their ability to interact with co-introduced and native ectomycorrhizal fungi in novel sites

Abstract

Alien plants represent a potential threat to environment and society. Understanding the process of alien plants naturalization is therefore of primary importance. In alien plants, successful establishment can be constrained by the absence of suitable fungal partners. Here, we used 42 independent datasets of ectomycorrhizal fungal (EcMF) communities associated with alien Pinaceae and Eucalyptus spp., as the most commonly introduced tree species worldwide, to explore the strategies these plant groups utilize to establish symbioses with EcMF in the areas of introduction. We have also determined the differences in composition of EcMF communities associated with alien ectomycorrhizal plants in different regions. While alien Pinaceae introduced to new regions rely upon association with co-introduced EcMF, alien Eucalyptus often form novel interactions with EcMF species native to the region where the plant was introduced. The region of origin primarily determines species composition of EcMF communities associated with alien Pinaceae in new areas, which may largely affect invasion potential of the alien plants. Our study shows that alien ectomycorrhizal plants largely differ in their ability to interact with co-introduced and native ectomycorrhizal fungi in sites of introduction, which may potentially affect their invasive potential.

Increasing flavonoid concentrations in root exudates enhance associations between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and an invasive plant

“…Mutualisms (e.g., mycorrhizae, rhizobia) are key plant biotic interactions with large impacts on plant fitness [1][2][3]. The strength and direction of these interactions, however, could be altered under global environmental change, such as species invasions, which often create novel biotic interactions [4,5]. Specifically, enhanced plant-arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal associations with introduced plants have been implicated in plant invasion success [6,7].…”

A Closer Examination of the ‘Abundant-Center’ for Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Community Associated With Picea crassifolia in China

“…The distribution of some Pinaceae species, which is certainly the oldest extant plant family symbiotic with ECM fungi (Hibbett and Matheny, 2009), have found evidence for the abundant-center hypothesis (Mimura and Aitken, 2007;Gugerli et al, 2009). Previous studies have found that ECM communities are more concentrated on species of Pinaceae and showed stronger host effects than on broadleaf species (Ishida et al, 2007;Vlk et al, 2020). However, for ECM fungal distribution modeling, it appears important to consider not only the distribution of individual species but also the ECM fungal richness and biodiversity of the whole community.…”

Recommendations for connecting molecular sequence and biodiversity research infrastructures through ELIXIR

“…The utility of such a centralised resource connecting sequencing data to biodiversity research infrastructures is demonstrated generally through the characterisation of global patterns of fungal biodiversity (Ve ˇtrovský et al 2019) or predicting the global biodiversity of fungi (Baldrian et al 2021) and specifically through the ability to identify fungi that are carried across continents along with introduced plants (Vlk et al 2020). Moreover, the metadata-rich resource helped to show that symbiotic fungi are more vulnerable to climate change than pathogens and that climate change thus represents a considerable threat for forestry production, agriculture, and food security (Ve ˇtrovský et al 2019).…”