Deterministic processes played more important roles than stochastic processes in driving community assembly of ectomycorrhizal fungal associated with Pinus tabuliformis - an endemic Pinaceae species in China

Pinus tabuliformis represents a typical and essential woody ectomycorrhizae (EM) host plant growing in North China. EM fungi contribute to the host healthy and the stability of the forest ecosystem. However, EM fungal community associated with this tree is less documented. We examined EM fungal diversity and composition of P. tabuliformis from three sites in Inner Mongolia, China by using Illumina MiSeq sequencing on the rDNA ITS2 region. Our results showed that a total of 105 EM fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified from 15 composite root samples, and the dominant lineages were /suillus-rhizopogon, /tomentella-thelephora, /tricholoma, /amphinema-tylospora, /wilcoxina, /inocybe and /Sebacina. A high proportion of unique EM fungal OTUs were detected and some abundant OTUs preferred to exist in specific sites. EM fungal communities were significantly different among the sites, with soil, climatic and spatial variables being responsible for the community variations. The EM fungal community assembly was mainly governed by deterministic processes. These findings suggest that this endemic Pinaceae species in China also harbored a rich and distinctive EM fungal community and deterministic processes played more important roles than stochastic in shaping the symbiotic fungal community. Our study improves our understanding of EM fungal diversity and community structure from the perspective of a single host plant that has not been investigated exclusively before.