Soil temperature gradient gathers a distinct root-associated fungal community in tomato

Climate change is increasing the overall temperature of the planet, as well as forming more frequent and extreme heat waves. Our results show that, in response to heat, different tomato root compartments assemble a different set of fungi, showing a great degree of diversity and abundance in the rhizospheric fraction, and an enrichment in fewer but selected taxa in the root-associated fraction. These analyses were done in an enclosed environment, but taking advantage of the TGRooZ (Temperature Gradient Root Zone) system, which mimics field conditions by generating a temperature gradient in the soil when the atmospheric temperature is high.