Wang Xingzhe, Zhang Yan, Li Jingpeng, Ding Yiteng, Ma Xiaodan, Zhang Peng, Liu Haijing, Wei Jie, Bao Yuying
Key Laboratory of Forage and Endemic Crop Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010010, China.
State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulatory and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010010, China.
J Fungi (Basel). 2025 Jan 4;11(1):30. doi: 10.3390/jof11010030.
Arid desert regions are among the harshest ecological environments on Earth. Halophytes, with their unique physiological characteristics and adaptability, have become the dominant vegetation in these areas. Currently, research on halophytes in this region is relatively limited, particularly concerning studies related to their root endophytic fungi, which have been rarely reported on. Therefore, investigating the diversity and composition of endophytic fungi in halophytes is crucial for maintaining ecological balance in such an arid environment. This study focuses on eight representative angiosperm halophytes from the West Ordos Desert in China (including , , , , , , , and ), utilizing Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing technology combined with soil physicochemical factor data to analyze the diversity, composition, and ecological functions of their root-associated fungal communities. Ascomycota dominated the fungal composition in most halophytes, particularly among the recretohalophytes, where it accounted for an average of 88.45%, while Basidiomycota was predominant in . A Circos analysis of the top 10 most abundant genera revealed , , , , and other dominant genera. Co-occurrence network analysis showed significant differences in fungal networks across halophyte types, with the most complex network observed in excreting halophytes, characterized by the highest number of nodes and connections, indicating tighter fungal symbiotic relationships. In contrast, fungal networks in pseudohalophytes were relatively simple, reflecting lower community cohesiveness. Redundancy analysis (RDA) and Mantel tests demonstrated that soil factors such as organic matter, available sulfur, and urease significantly influenced fungal diversity, richness, and evenness, suggesting that soil physicochemical properties play a critical role in regulating fungal-plant symbiosis. Functional predictions indicated that endophytic fungi play important roles in metabolic pathways such as nucleotide biosynthesis, carbohydrate degradation, and lipid metabolism, which may enhance plant survival in saline-alkaline and arid environments. Furthermore, the high abundance of plant pathogens and saprotrophs in some fungal communities suggests their potential roles in plant defense and organic matter decomposition. The results of this study provide a reference for advancing the development and utilization of halophyte endophytic fungal resources, with applications in desert ecosystem restoration and halophyte cultivation.
干旱沙漠地区是地球上最恶劣的生态环境之一。盐生植物凭借其独特的生理特性和适应性，已成为这些地区的优势植被。目前，该地区盐生植物的研究相对有限，尤其是关于其根内生真菌的研究，相关报道很少。因此，研究盐生植物内生真菌的多样性和组成对于维持这种干旱环境中的生态平衡至关重要。本研究聚焦于中国西鄂尔多斯沙漠的八种代表性被子植物盐生植物（包括 、 、 、 、 、 、 、 ），利用Illumina MiSeq高通量测序技术结合土壤理化因子数据，分析其根际真菌群落的多样性、组成和生态功能。子囊菌门在大多数盐生植物的真菌组成中占主导地位，尤其是在泌盐盐生植物中，平均占88.45%，而担子菌门在 中占优势。对最丰富的10个属进行的Circos分析揭示了 、 、 、 等优势属。共现网络分析表明，不同类型盐生植物的真菌网络存在显著差异，泌盐盐生植物中观察到的网络最为复杂，其节点和连接数量最多，表明真菌共生关系更紧密。相比之下，假盐生植物中的真菌网络相对简单，反映出群落凝聚力较低。冗余分析（RDA）和Mantel检验表明，土壤有机质、有效硫和脲酶等因素显著影响真菌的多样性、丰富度和均匀度，这表明土壤理化性质在调节真菌 - 植物共生关系中起着关键作用。功能预测表明，内生真菌在核苷酸生物合成、碳水化合物降解和脂质代谢等代谢途径中发挥重要作用，这可能增强植物在盐碱和干旱环境中的生存能力。此外，一些真菌群落中植物病原菌和腐生菌的高丰度表明它们在植物防御和有机物分解中的潜在作用。本研究结果为推进盐生植物内生真菌资源的开发利用提供了参考，可应用于沙漠生态系统恢复和盐生植物栽培。
