Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities associated with Carpinus betulus trees across urban areas of British Columbia

Despite diminished health and richness of ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungal communities compared with those in undisturbed environments, the drivers of diversity in urban EcM fungal communities are poorly understood. Studies of diversity in mycorrhizal fungal communities often overlook fundamental ecological theories used to explain diversity in plant and animal communities. In this study, I used Illumina next-generation sequencing to characterize EcM fungal communities associated with a common urban tree species, Carpinus betulus, in three British Columbian cities, Vancouver, Victoria, and Kelowna. Species diversity was compared across the three cities and related to ecological theory to investigate mechanisms that modulate diversity. Furthermore, soil chemical properties were analyzed at each site to identify specific soil characteristics associated with changes in community structure. I found that gamma diversity of the fungal communities was not positively correlated with environmental heterogeneity, as would be predicted by the habitat-heterogeneity hypothesis. Community composition, however, was significantly distinct in each of the three cities. A small number of species were found to be indicative of fungal communities in each city. Soil chemical properties were significantly associated with changes in community structure, with soil acidity and nitrogen content being the primary associated variables. No significant correlations were found, however, between individual soil properties and the most abundant taxa. While more research is required to determine the driving forces of EcM fungal diversity, this study serves as an example of applying ecological theory to understand diversity in urban EcM fungal communities.Science, Irving K. Barber Faculty of (Okanagan)Biology, Department of (Okanagan)Graduat