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Correlated evolution in an ectomycorrhizal host-symbiont system
Laura G van Galen1, David A Orlovich1, Janice M Lord1
1Department of Botany, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand.
The New Phytologist
|February 8, 2023
Summary
Fungal diversification mechanisms are unclear. This study reveals that ectomycorrhizal fungi and their Nothofagus hosts exhibit correlated evolution, suggesting host-specific preferences drive fungal diversification.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Mycology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Mechanisms driving fungal diversification are poorly understood.
- Ectomycorrhizal symbionts often display host specificity, implying host-symbiont selection could be a key diversification factor.
- Correlated evolutionary patterns between ectomycorrhizal hosts and symbionts, especially within the same genus, remain largely untested.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate host-symbiont specialization in ectomycorrhizal fungi.
- To test for correlated evolutionary patterns between ectomycorrhizal fungi and their hosts.
- To understand fungal diversification drivers in Nothofagus forests.
Main Methods:
- Metabarcoding of ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with Nothofagus hosts in southern New Zealand.
- Collection of fungal communities using hyphal ingrowth bags.
- Analysis of ectomycorrhizal community differences across host species and assessment of host-symbiont cophylogeny.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in ectomycorrhizal communities were observed between different Nothofagus host taxa, including those within the same genus.
- Twenty-four percent of fungal taxa exhibited specific affiliations with particular hosts.
- Significant correlations were found between host relatedness and fungal phylogeny, extending to deep evolutionary timescales.
Conclusions:
- Ectomycorrhizal host-symbiont specialization and correlated evolution are significant drivers of fungal diversification.
- Host preferences, even among closely related species, play a crucial role in the local lineage diversification of ectomycorrhizal fungi.
- This study provides novel evidence for co-evolutionary dynamics in ectomycorrhizal systems.
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