Culture-based inventory and functional guild analysis of root-invading fungi associated with grassland plants across multiple regions in China
Tong Tong Wang, Bo Yang, Yue Yang Zhang, Hua Qi Liu, Long Bing Zhang, Yan Zhong Li · 2026
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Description
Tong Tong Wang and colleagues catalog the fungi living inside the roots of grassland plants across four regions of China. Teams sampled discolored roots and stem bases from 33 herbaceous species in 17 counties spread over Qinghai, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Xizang, then grew what they could in culture. Their 2026 inventory preserved 273 isolates, identified by DNA barcoding and shape, spanning 40 genera and 53 species-level groups.
A few genera did most colonizing, led by Fusarium, Darksidea, and Preussia, while many others turned up rarely. Fungi occupied roots and stem bases alike, showing thorough internal colonization. Isolation rates differed between grasses and sedges and between tissue types. Sorting by lifestyle found endophytes, decomposers, and pathogens in proportions varying by host group, and a strong statistical link, Cramer's V of 0.850, tied particular fungi to particular hosts, with eight clear host-associated taxa. The collection now serves as a baseline for grassland ecology work.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Tong Tong Wang, Bo Yang, Yue Yang Zhang, Hua Qi Liu, Long Bing Zhang, Yan Zhong Li |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 32 KB |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |