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Updated: Oct 5, 2025

Isolation of Culturable Yeasts and Molds from Soils to Investigate Fungal Population Structure
Published on: May 27, 2022
Global diversity and distribution of mushroom-inhabiting bacteria
Daniyal Gohar1, Kadri Põldmaa1,2, Leho Tedersoo1
1Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, J. Liivi St. 2, Tartu, 50409, Estonia.
Abstract:
Mushroom-forming fungi are important sources of food and medicine in many regions of the world, and their development and health are known to depend on various microbes. Recent studies have examined the structure of mushroom-inhabiting bacterial (MIB) communities and their association with local environmental variables, but global-scale diversity and determinants of these communities remain poorly understood. Here we examined the MIB global diversity and community composition in relation to climate, soil and host factors. We found a core global mushroom microbiome, accounting for 30% of sequence reads, while comprising a few bacterial genera such as Halomonas, Serratia, Bacillus, Cutibacterium, Bradyrhizobium and Burkholderia. Our analysis further revealed an important role of host phylogeny in shaping the communities of MIB, whereas the effects of climate and soil factors remained negligible. The results suggest that the communities of MIB and free-living bacteria are structured by contrasting community assembly processes and that fungal-bacterial interactions are an important determinant of MIB community structure.
Insights
A core global mushroom microbiome exists, dominated by a few bacterial genera. Host phylogeny, not climate or soil, significantly shapes these mushroom-inhabiting bacterial (MIB) communities.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Mycology
- Ecology
Background:
- Mushroom-forming fungi rely on microbial symbionts for development and health.
- Previous research on mushroom-inhabiting bacterial (MIB) communities focused on local scales, leaving global diversity and drivers unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the global diversity and community composition of MIB.
- To determine the influence of host phylogeny, climate, and soil factors on MIB communities.
Main Methods:
- Global-scale analysis of MIB communities.
- Comparative analysis of MIB composition against environmental and host variables.
Main Results:
- Identified a core global mushroom microbiome (30% of reads) dominated by genera like Halomonas, Serratia, and Bacillus.
- Host phylogeny was a significant driver of MIB community structure.
- Climate and soil factors had negligible effects on MIB composition.
Conclusions:
- MIB communities are shaped primarily by host evolutionary history, unlike free-living bacteria.
- Fungal-bacterial interactions play a crucial role in structuring MIB communities.
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