Habitat matters: The role of spore bank fungi in early seedling establishment of Florida slash pines. Soil inhabiting fungi

Slash pine (Pinus elliottii) is among the most important tree species in the southeastern USA because of its role in timber production and natural habitats. Pinus elliottii is the dominant tree in Florida pine rocklands, a critically endangered ecosystem due to fragmentation. Here we document the community structure of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi in spore banks with two varieties of slash pine from three habitats. We used high-throughput sequencing (HTS) to assess baseline fungal communities and then greenhouse bioassay to bait ECM fungi using seedlings.