Characterization of root fungal community of European beech saplings

Nitrogen (N) is one of the most important nutrients required for plant growth. Diverse ectomycorrhizal fungi living in symbiotic association with tree roots play an important role in acquiring and delivering N to the roots, obtaining carbohydrates in return. Increased levels of ammonium and nitrate have been previously found to negatively affect ectomycorrhizal fungi diversity and abundance, but the molecular-level responses are unknown. By targeting the fungal ITS2 region, we characterized the entire root-associated fungal community from the roots of European beech saplings that were collected with the surrounding soil at a natural regeneration forest, grown for four months, and supplied with either ammonium solution, nitrate solution, or demineralized water over 2 days.