Impact of Plant Genetic Structure on Differentiation in Phyllosphere Fungal Communities between Mainland and Island Populations of Mussaenda kwangtungensis. Impact of Plant Genetic Structure on Differentiation in Phyllosphere Fungal Communities between Mainland and Island Populations of Mussaenda kwangtungensis

The processes influencing phyllosphere fungal communities in island-mainland systems remain understudied and poorly understood. In present study, we compared community composition and co-occurrence patterns of phyllosphere fungi within a single plant species (Mussaenda kwangtungensis) between island and mainland populations using high-throughput sequencing technology. The island host populations displayed a significant difference in community structure of phyllosphere fungi from mainland counterparts. Co-occurrence network topological features showed geographic patterns wherein fungal assemblages in the island regions had less complex and coherent, but more modular relationships than those in the mainland ones. Moreover, host genetic differentiation was found to be the primary cause of these differentiation in community composition and microbial interactions. This study could advance our understanding in assembly principles and ecological interactions of phyllosphere fungal communities and may improve our ability to manipulate this fungal microbiome for human advantage.