Rhizotypes of plant-root fungal biome

Here we show that diverse root-associated fungi form highly-compartmentalized networks of coexistence within host roots and that the structure of the fungal symbiont communities is partitioned into semi-discrete types even within a single host plant population. Intensive DNA-barcoding of root-associated fungi in a monodominant beech forest reveals that the network representing symbiont-symbiont co-occurrence pattern is compartmentalized into clear modules, which consist of diverse functional groups of mycorrhizal and endophytic fungi. As a result, each terminal root of the host plant is colonized by either of the two largest fugal species sets, forming rhizotypes. Thus, species-rich root microbiome can have alternative stable states as recently shown in relationship between gut microbiome type and human health.