Root associated fungi metagenome Metagenome. Root associated fungi metagenome

We studied the biogeography and community structure of root-associated andectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal communities in two closely related species of tropicalJuglandaceae that have disjunct distributions in Asia and Mesoamerica. We tested theeffects of host identity, environmental and dispersal factors in structuring rootassociated fungi at a subcontinental scale. We used Illumina sequencing to documentfungi on the roots of Oreomunnea mexicana in Panama and Mexico and Alfaropsisroxburghiana in China. ECM fungi dominated the fungal communities with both speciesbut we detected a more diverse root-associated fungal community in Alfaropsis buthigher ECM richness in Oreomunnea. Geographic distance was the best predictor ofvariation in fungal species composition, when including both host species and whenanalyzing each host independently. Our results indicate that closely related trees canhost distinct root-associated fungal communities, therefore highlighting the importanceof dispersal limitation, speciation and habitat filtering in structuring root-associatedfungal communities.