Nitogen inputs reduce fungal diversity and alter community composition in a chinese fir plantation

Abstract

Soil fungi are pivotal drivers of nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. Nitrogen (N) input is projected to increase with global climate change, but the effect of N addition on fungal diversity and community composition in subtropical forests remains unclear. Here, we used high-throughput sequencing of the ITS region to quantify the changes in fungal diversity and community composition in response to an eight years of simulated N addition in subtropical forest ecosystems. Soil nutrient concentrations (NH4+, NO3-, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and Total N) increased, but pH and fungal alpha diversity decreased with N addition compared to control treatments. Ascomycota and Zygomycota were stimulated by N addition, while Basidiomycota decreased. Principal coordinates analysis showed that fungal community composition in the control treatment was significantly different from various N addition treatments. N additions increased available N concentrations which overwhelmed other factors and played a key role in decreasing fungal diversity and skewing community composition. Thus, simulated N deposition reduced fungal biodiversity and altered fungal community composition, likely mediated via changes in available nutrients in the soil.