Root-associated fungal communities are influenced more by soils than by plant-host root traits in a Chinese tropical forest

Forest fungal communities are shaped by the interactions between host tree root systems and the associated soil conditions. We investigated how the soil environment, root morphological traits, and root chemistry influence root-inhabiting fungal communities in three tropical forest sites of varying successional status in Xishuangbanna, China.For 150 trees of 66 species, we measured root morphology and tissue chemistry. Tree species identity was confirmed by sequencing rbcL and root-associated fungal (RAF) communities were determined using high-throughput ITS2 sequencing.