Responses of soil fungal communities to changes in different land use types in the Yellow River wetland.

Land-use changes and economic development have degraded the Yellow River wetland (WL), replacing them with forestland (FL), bare land (BL), and cropland (CL). Soil fungi, crucial to nutrient cycling and ecosystem stability, play a vital role in wetland restoration. As ecological restoration efforts, particularly CL-to-WL conversion, gain momentum, understanding fungal diversity and coexistence is essential for effective wetland conservation and management. This study examined fungal communities across different land-use types in the Yellow River wetland using high-throughput sequencing and FunGuild functional predictions. Fungal diversity, community composition, functional diversity, and network stability were compared across land types. Ascomycota dominated all land-use types, with the lowest diversity in CL and the lowest abundance in BL. Saprotrophic fungi were the most abundant functional group, with WL exhibiting the highest functional diversity. Specialists and generalists responded differently to soil physicochemical properties, with stochastic processes primarily shaping community assembly. Among deterministic processes, heterogeneous selection had a stronger impact on specialists. Network analyses showed the most intensive fungal interactions in BL, where specialists played a key role in maintaining network stability across land-use types. This study examines how fungal communities respond to environmental factors and interspecific interactions, emphasizing the profound impact of land-use changes on fungal diversity and functional diversity. It also highlights the critical role of specialists in maintaining network stability. These findings improve our understanding of land-use effects on fungal communities and provide a scientific basis for informed wetland conservation and management strategies.