Fungi stabilize multi-kingdom community in a high elevation timberline ecosystem
Teng Yang1,2, Leho Tedersoo3, Xu Liu1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science Chinese Academy of Sciences Nanjing China.
Imeta
|June 13, 2024
Summary
Fungi act as crucial connectors in multi-kingdom soil networks, enhancing stability and linking diverse organisms like plants and microbes. This reveals fungi
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Microbiology
- Soil Science
Background:
- Microbes are essential for terrestrial ecosystems, driving biogeochemical cycles and forming symbiotic relationships.
- Understanding multi-kingdom interactions within soil communities is crucial for ecosystem function.
- Previous studies have largely focused on single-kingdom networks, leaving cross-kingdom roles unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To infer and analyze multi-kingdom biotic associations in high-elevation timberline soils.
- To investigate the roles of different kingdoms, particularly fungi, in community network structure and stability.
- To reveal the integrative functions of plants, nematodes, fungi, bacteria, and archaea in soil ecosystems.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the SPIEC-EASI method to infer multi-kingdom biotic associations from soil samples.
- Surveyed biotic interactions at both community and network levels, encompassing plants, nematodes, fungi, bacteria, and archaea.
- Employed structural equation modeling and multiple regression to corroborate fungal roles.
Main Results:
- Multi-kingdom networks significantly increased within- and cross-kingdom associations compared to single-kingdom networks.
- Fungal presence enhanced network stability and connectivity while reducing modularity.
- Fungi acted as key connectors, linking different modules and bridging plants with other soil biota.
Conclusions:
- Fungi play a pivotal role in stabilizing the self-organization of multi-kingdom soil networks.
- Findings highlight the importance of studying multi-kingdom interactions to understand ecosystem linkages.
- This research supports the initiation of integrative studies on natural multi-kingdom communities.
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