Trends in fungal diversity related to plant diversity

Here we studied regional trends in soil fungal diversity from 1 m2 quadrats across the Tibetan Plateau, using the ITS2 region on Miseq platform. Total fungal diversity – both alpha and beta – was most closely related to plant diversity, even after controlling for shared environmental drivers and geographic distances. In addition to plant diversity, C:N ratio, MAP and plant productivity were the strongest predictors on fungal alpha and beta diversity. The diversity of Basidiomycota, Ascomycota, Glomeromycota and Zygomycota, respectively, also positively correlated with plant diversity and productivity. In terms of fungal functional guilds, the same positive diversity trends were found for saprobes, symbionts and pathogens (alpha and beta diversity).