Phylogenetic diversity and structure of sebacinoid fungi associated with plant communities along an altitudinal gradient

To study the diversity and phylogenetic structure of Sebacinales communities from eight vegetation communities along an altitudinal gradient in the Bavarian Alps (Germany), we analysed 456 thalli or roots of plants. We detected 264 sebacinoid sequences, spanning the intergenic transcribed spacer region, 5.8S and D1/D2 regions of the nuclear rRNA gene, mostly using a nested PCR approach. Based on 97% sequence similarity, 73 Sebacinales molecular taxonomic units were found from 70 host species belonging to 44 plant families. Twenty-six molecular taxonomic units represented singletons, the most frequent of these being restricted exclusively to either wooded or grassland habitats. Although Sebacinales appear to occur in low abundance in plant roots, these microorganisms are phylogenetically diverse and widely spread in the ecosystems studied. Ordination analyses showed that land use, pH and humus content strongly influence the diversity and assembly of Sebacinales. In most cases, Sebacinales communities in ecosystems with extreme soil conditions or intensive land use exhibited significant phylogenetic clustering, whereas in undisturbed plant communities no trend was observed. These results suggest that ecosystem disturbance and environmental forces have an influence on the diversity and structure of Sebacinales community assembly over local and spatial scales.