Differential soil fungus accumulation and density dependence of trees in a subtropical forest

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 366; no. 6461; pp. 124 - 128
• Main Authors: Chen, Lei, Swenson, Nathan G., Ji, Niuniu, Mi, Xiangcheng, Ren, Haibao, Guo, Liangdong, Ma, Keping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Association for the Advancement of Science 04.10.2019; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Accumulation; China; Climate; Coexistence; Communities; Demographics; Density; Density dependence; Dependence; DNA sequencing; Ecosystem; Ectomycorrhizas; Forests; Fungi; Fungi - classification; Fungi - growth & development; Fungi - physiology; Guilds; Herbivores; Interspecific; Meristem - microbiology; Mycorrhizae - growth & development; Mycorrhizae - physiology; Neighborhoods; Plant Roots - microbiology; Plant species; Seedlings; Seedlings - growth & development; Seedlings - physiology; Soil Microbiology; Soil microorganisms; Soils; Species; Species Specificity; Symbiosis; Trees; Trees - anatomy & histology; Trees - growth & development; Trees - microbiology; Tropical forests; Variation; China
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.aau1361

The mechanisms underlying interspecific variation in conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD) are poorly understood. Using a multilevel modeling approach, we combined long-term seedling demographic data from a subtropical forest plot with soil fungal community data by means of DNA sequencing to address the feedback of various guilds of soil fungi on the density dependence of trees. We show that mycorrhizal type mediates tree neighborhood interactions at the community level, and much of the interspecific variation in CNDD is explained by how tree species differ in their fungal density accumulation rates as they grow. Species with higher accumulation rates of pathogenic fungi suffered more from CNDD, whereas species with lower CNDD had higher accumulation rates of ectomycorrhizal fungi, suggesting that mutualistic and pathogenic fungi play important but opposing roles.