Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities associated with Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.) in Pb–Zn mine sites of central south China

Abstract

To advance our understanding of ectomycorrhizal fungal communities in mining areas, the diversity and composition of ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.) and soil chemistry were investigated in Taolin lead-zinc (Pb-Zn) mine tailings (TLT), two fragmented forest patches in a Huayuan Pb-Zn mineland (HY1 and HY2), and a non-polluted forest in Taolin in central south China. Ectomycorrhizal fungal species were identified by morphotyping and sequence analyses of the internally transcribed spacer regions of ribosomal DNA. The two study sites in the Huayuan mineland (HY1 and HY2) were significantly different in soil Pb, Zn, and cadmium (Cd) concentrations, but no significant difference was observed in ectomycorrhizal colonization, ectomycorrhizal fungal richness, diversity, or rank-abundance. In addition, the similarity of ectomycorrhizal fungal communities between HY1 and HY2 was quite high (Sørensen similarity index = 0.47). Thus, the concentration of heavy metals may not be determining factors in the structure of these communities. In the tailings, however, significantly lower ectomycorrhizal colonization and ectomycorrhizal fungal richness were observed. The amounts of Pb and Zn in the tailing sand were higher than the non-polluted forest but far lower than in HY1. Thus, these heavy metals did not account for the reduced colonization and ectomycorrhizal fungal richness in TLT. The ectomycorrhizal fungal community in TLT was dominated by four pioneer species (Rhizopogon buenoi, Tomentella ellisii, Inocybe curvipes, and Suillus granulatus), which collectively accounted for 93.2 % of root tip colonization. The immature soil conditions in tailing (low N and P, sand texture, and lack of organic matter) may only allow certain pioneer ectomycorrhizal fungal species to colonize the site. When soil samples from four sites were combined, we found that the occurrences of major ectomycorrhizal fungal taxa were not clearly related to the concentrations of Pb, Zn, and Cd. In conclusion, our results suggest that ectomycorrhizal fungal communities in mining areas are not necessarily affected by heavy metals themselves but could be largely determined by soil maturity.

Impact of metal pollution on fungal diversity and community structures

“…This OTU corresponds to the ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete I. lacera , a typical basidiomycete of primary successions (Jumpponen et al ., ). Even though some reports indicated the presence of Inocybe species on metal‐polluted mine spoils (Huang et al ., ), OTUs corresponding to I. lacera in our study were more abundant in samples with lower Zn, Cd and OM concentrations. Overall, it is noteworthy that the fungal communities in the studied site were dominated by biotrophic species and in particular by ectomycorrhizal fungi, testifying to the importance of these fungal symbionts in disturbed pioneer pine forests.…”

Ectomycorrhizas with Paxillus involutus enhance cadmium uptake and tolerance in Populus × canescens

“…In EMs, the fungi provide water and mineral nutrients to the plants and are rewarded with photosynthates by their hosts (Martin & Nehls 2009). Accumulating evidence suggests that EMs can modify physiological and molecular responses of hosts to abiotic and biotic stresses including Cd stress Bellion et al 2006;Krznaric et al 2009;Luo et al 2009aLuo et al ,b, 2011Huang et al 2012;Mrnka et al 2012;Sousa et al 2012). EMs can result in elevated, decreased or unchanged Cd concentrations of host plants depending on host species and fungal isolates (Sell et al 2005;Baum et al 2006;Krpata et al 2009;Mrnka et al 2012;Sousa et al 2012).Therefore, choosing appropriate hosts and fungal partners is essential for remediation of Cd polluted soils.…”

The Effects of Suillus Luteus Inoculation on Rhizospheric Fungal Community Diversity and Structure of Pinus Massoniana in Mining Area

“…Some of these fungal genera are the important mycobiont with plants and enforce adaptability of plant for grow in stress conditions, such as metal-contaminated soils. Previous studies showed that Pinus massoniana seedlings were signi cantly resistant to heavy metals than non-mycorrhizal plants when inoculated with S. luteus [15]. Besides Suillus luteus, some mycorrhizal fungi (Suillus bovinus) inoculated plants (e.g.…”

“…Shi et al [10] showed that Pinus thunbergii inoculated with Pisolithus sp1 combined remediation system had higher tolerance index, and the total accumulated chromium (Cr) were 2.83-27.75 fold higher than nonectomycorrhizal (NM) seedlings in pot experiments. As one of 'early stage' ECM fungi that commonly coexist in pioneer coniferous species [11], Suillus species have also proved to be independently evolving in resistance to excessive concentrations of heavy metals, such as zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) [12,13,14,15]. However, how those 'early-stage' ECM fungal species help the hosts to adapt to heavy metal polluted areas and shape the rhizospheric environment remains unclear.…”