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Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Isolation of Culturable Yeasts and Molds from Soils to Investigate Fungal Population Structure
Published on: May 27, 2022
Resource availability controls fungal diversity across a plant diversity gradient
Mark P Waldrop1, Donald R Zak, Christopher B Blackwood
1School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1115, USA. mwaldrop@usgs.gov
Soil fungal diversity increases with resource supply, not plant diversity. This finding suggests resource availability is a key factor regulating microbial communities across ecosystems.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Microbiology
- Soil Science
Background:
- Ecological determinants of microbial diversity are not well understood.
- Two hypotheses explain fungal diversity: plant detritus supply vs. plant diversity influencing substrate range.
- Soil fungal communities play crucial roles in ecosystem functioning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test hypotheses on factors regulating soil fungal diversity.
- To investigate the roles of resource supply and plant diversity in shaping fungal communities.
- To determine if resource availability or plant diversity is a stronger predictor of fungal diversity.
Main Methods:
- Experimental plant communities (1-16 species) maintained for 10 years.
- Ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (RISA) for fungal community composition.
- Soil microbial biomass used as a measure of resource supply.
Main Results:
- Fungal diversity showed a unimodal relationship with resource supply.
- Plant diversity was not directly related to fungal diversity.
- Canonical correspondence analysis revealed plant diversity influenced fungal community composition.
Conclusions:
- Resource availability, not plant diversity, is the primary driver of soil fungal diversity.
- Findings align with diversity patterns observed in other ecosystems like grasslands and coral reefs.
- Resource supply mechanisms may universally regulate biodiversity across scales.
Related Concept Videos
The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
Introduction to Plant Diversity
Diversity of Protists IV
Diversity of Protists II
Diversity of Protists I
Diversity of Protists III

