Fungal diversity associated with salt marsh plants spartina alterniflora and juncus roemerianus in Florida

Abstract EN

Fungi are .a, critical component of marsh ecosystems, facilitating the, decomposition of standing- dead .plant material, yet relatively few data exist regarding small-scale patterns of fungal taxonomic composition and diversity in these communities.

We examined whether fungal taxonomic richness varies across two dominant host plant species (Spartina alterniflora and Juncus roemerianus) and due to the following factors: - the portion of the plant sampled, live versus dead plant stems, and the single versus mixed species patches.

Fungal richness did not vary by host plant species or across live versus dead stems.

However, there was a strong effect of the portion of the plant sampled, with lower stems and leaves harboring the greatest numbers of fungal taxa.

D espite the similarity in overall richness across host species, there were differences in fungal composition by plant species, field site, and portion of the plant sampled.

Root fungal communities showed the greatest divergence across both host plant species and field sites, consistent with expectations of lower dispersal in belowground communities.

Our results confirm that salt marsh plants host diverse fungal communities both above- and belowground.