Pyrosequencing and Taxonomic Composition of the Fungal Community from Soil of Tricholoma matsutake in Gyeongju

Abstract

Tricholoma matsutake, known as the pine mushroom, is an ectomycorrhizal fungus that has a symbiotic relationship with the root of Pinus densiflora trees. T. matsutake is used medicinally and is also one of the most famous food items in Northeast Asia because of its unique flavor and taste [1][2][3][4][5][6]. In South Korea, the yield of T. matsutake is changeable because environmental factors such as temperature and precipitation greatly affect its growth [7]. For this reason, studies have examined the possibility of creating a stable supply of the pine mushroom, but currently, artificial cultivation is not feasible. The effect of environmental factors (climate, soil condition, microbial community, and others) on its growth and interactions between T. matsutake and P. densiflora requires further research [8][9][10]. Soil microbial communities, in particular, are important to the mycelial growth of T. matsutake, however, few studies on the characteristics of the communities have been conducted [11][12][13][14].Mycorrhizal fungi are an important group of fungi in the soil ecosystem. They have a mutualistic relationship with living plants, exchanging nutrients and some important compounds [15][16][17][18][19]. The major group of mycorrhizal fungi is the ectomycorrhizae (ECM) fungi group. ECM fungi, including T. matsutake, considerably affect the growth of living plants by colonizing close by the rootlets of living plants. ECM fungi form ECM with roots of host plants and have advantageous symbiotic relationships with them. ECM are symbiotic organs between soil and roots and help the trees absorb water and nutrients, receiving carbohydrates from them in exchange to grow mycelium [20][21][22]. The fungus Arthrinium phaeospermum promotes mycorrhiza formation, similar to the effect of mycorrhization helper bacteria [23]. T. matsutake is an ectomycorrhizal symbiont that is important to the growth of host plant seedlings [24]. In addition, some bacteria and fungi have positive effects on T. matsutake [25]. The soil fungal community is positively influenced by plant species richness and diversity [26]. The interaction between plants and mycorrhizal fungi plays a key role in the circulation of nutrients and the balance of the ecosystem [27][28][29][30]. Therefore, the study of soil fungal communities near T. matsutake should be conducted constantly and persistently.Tricholoma matsutake is an ectomycorrhizal fungus that has a symbiotic relationship with the root of Pinus densiflora. Soil microbial communities greatly affect the growth of T. matsutake, however, few studies have examined the characteristics of these communities. In the present study, we analyzed soil fungal communities from Gyeongju and Yeongdeok using metagenomic pyrosequencing to investigate differences in fungal species diversity, richness, and taxonomic composition between the soil under T. matsutake fruiting bodies (Sample 2) and soil where the fairy ring of T. matsutake was no longer present (Sample 1). The same spot was investigated three times at interv...

Fungal–Bacterial Networks in the Habitat of SongRong (Tricholoma matsutake) and Driving Factors of Their Distribution Rules

“…Trichoderma can increase the success rate of ectomycorrhizal infection [ 78 ]. Umbelopsis , which has the second-highest relative abundance biomarkers in PB, was also the dominant genus in the habitat of Tricholoma in Gyeongju in Southern Korea [ 79 ]. The others that are negatively correlated with Tricholoma include some large fungi with symbiotic characteristics, such as Russula , Clitocybe or Leotia , some species of which are ectomycorrhizal fungi.…”