Elevation Determines Fungal Diversity, and Land Use Governs Community Composition: A Dual Perspective from Gaoligong Mountains.

Abstract

Soil fungi are closely tied to their surrounding environment. While numerous studies have reported the effects of land-use practices or elevations on soil fungi, our understanding of how their community structure and diversity vary with elevation across different land-use practices remains limited. In the present study, by collecting soil samples from four different land uses in the Gaoligong Mountain area, namely shrublands (SLs), coffee plantations (CPs), cornfields (CFs), and citrus orchards (COs), and combining them with the changes in altitude gradients (low: 900 m, medium: 1200 m, high: 1500 m), high-throughput sequencing technology was used to analyze the composition and diversity of soil fungal communities based on the collected soil samples. The results showed that the interaction between land-use types and elevation significantly influenced the structure and diversity of fungal communities, although their relative importance in shaping fungal diversity or community structure varied. Specifically, elevation posed a stronger effect on fungal community alpha-diversity and functional guilds, whereas land-use types had a greater influence over fungal community composition. Our study reveals the individual and combined effects of land-use practices and elevation on the structure and diversity of soil fungal communities in the Gaoligong Mountain region, enhancing our understanding of the distribution patterns and driving mechanisms of soil fungal communities in this biodiversity-rich region.