Original leaf colonisers shape fungal decomposer communities of Phragmites australis in intermittent habitats

Likar, Matevž (author), Grašič, Mateja (author), Stres, Blaž (author), Regvar, Marjana (author), Gaberščik, Alenka (author)

Common reed (Phragmites australis) has high biomass production and is primarily subjected to decomposition processes affected by multiple factors. To predict litter decomposition dynamics in intermittent lakes, it is critical to understand how communities of fungi, as the primary decomposers, form under different habitat conditions. This study reports the shotgun metagenomic sequencing of the initial fungal communities on common reed leaves decomposing under different environmental conditions. We demonstrate that a complex network of fungi forms already on the plant persists into the decomposition phase. Phragmites australis leaves contained at least five fungal phyla, with abundant Ascomycota (95.7%) and Basidiomycota (4.1%), identified as saprotrophs (48.6%), pathotrophs (22.5%), and symbiotrophs (12.6%). Most of the correlations between fungi in fresh and decomposing leaves were identified as co-occurrences (positive correlations). The geographic source of litter and leaf age did not affect the structure and diversity of fungal communities. Keystone taxa were mostly moisture-sensitive. Our results suggest that habitat has a strong effect on the formation of the fungal communities through keystone taxa. Nevertheless, it can also alter the proportions of individual fungal groups in the community through indirect effects on competition between the fungal taxa and their exploitation of favourable conditions.

• Language: English
• Keywords: community networks, fungal communities, keystone species, litter decomposition, Phragmites australis, water regime
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: 14 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 8, iss. 3, art. 284
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-137539
• UDC: 574
• ISSN on article: 2309-608X
• DOI: 10.3390/jof8030284
• COBISS.SI-ID: 101081859
• Publication date in RUL: 21.06.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of Fungi
• Shortened title: J. Fungi
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2309-608X
• COBISS.SI-ID: 525300761

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 10.03.2022

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: omrežja združb, glivne združbe, ključne vrste, razgradnja opada, vodni režim, Phragmites australis

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P1-0212
• Name: Biologija rastlin

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: J1-3014
• Name: Alternativni pristopi k zagotavljanju kvalitetnega in varnega mikrobioma ajde