Soil Nutrient Dynamics and Fungal Community Shifts Drive the Degradation of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> var. <i>mongholica</i> Plantations in the Loess Plateau
The degradation of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> var. <i>mongholica</i> plantations in Youyu County on the Loess Plateau has caused major ecological issues, though the mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study explores the effects of stand age and soil properties on the rhizo...
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2025-04-01
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| author | Jiaxing Wang Xiaotian Su Yimou Luo Yue Zhang Yihan Wang Jing Gao Defu Wang |
| author_facet | Jiaxing Wang Xiaotian Su Yimou Luo Yue Zhang Yihan Wang Jing Gao Defu Wang |
| author_sort | Jiaxing Wang |
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| description | The degradation of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> var. <i>mongholica</i> plantations in Youyu County on the Loess Plateau has caused major ecological issues, though the mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study explores the effects of stand age and soil properties on the rhizosphere fungal community and their potential roles in plantation degradation. Soil samples were collected from plantations of different stand ages (13, 20, 25, and 35 years), and their fungal diversity and composition were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that soil organic carbon and total nitrogen declined with stand age due to high nutrient demand and limited litter input. The available phosphorus and available potassium (AK) contents were identified as key limiting factors, influencing ectomycorrhizal fungi abundance and the overall soil fungal diversity. With an increasing stand age, the fungal diversity decreased, the ectomycorrhizal fungi declined, and the pathogenic fungi increased, exacerbating plantation degradation. Regression analysis further indicated a significant negative correlation between AK content and stand age, suggesting potassium deficiency as a critical driver of tree health decline. This study highlights the pivotal role of soil nutrient availability in shaping rhizosphere fungal communities and sustaining <i>P. sylvestris</i> plantations, offering insights into degradation mechanisms and strategies to enhance forest resilience on the Loess Plateau. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj-art-83d0f54553224dfe90eef43e0c8d228c2025-08-20T03:53:01ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-04-01149130910.3390/plants14091309Soil Nutrient Dynamics and Fungal Community Shifts Drive the Degradation of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> var. <i>mongholica</i> Plantations in the Loess PlateauJiaxing Wang0Xiaotian Su1Yimou Luo2Yue Zhang3Yihan Wang4Jing Gao5Defu Wang6College of Life Sciences, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, ChinaCollege of Tropical Crops, Yunnan Agricultural University, Pu’er 665099, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, ChinaThe degradation of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> var. <i>mongholica</i> plantations in Youyu County on the Loess Plateau has caused major ecological issues, though the mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study explores the effects of stand age and soil properties on the rhizosphere fungal community and their potential roles in plantation degradation. Soil samples were collected from plantations of different stand ages (13, 20, 25, and 35 years), and their fungal diversity and composition were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that soil organic carbon and total nitrogen declined with stand age due to high nutrient demand and limited litter input. The available phosphorus and available potassium (AK) contents were identified as key limiting factors, influencing ectomycorrhizal fungi abundance and the overall soil fungal diversity. With an increasing stand age, the fungal diversity decreased, the ectomycorrhizal fungi declined, and the pathogenic fungi increased, exacerbating plantation degradation. Regression analysis further indicated a significant negative correlation between AK content and stand age, suggesting potassium deficiency as a critical driver of tree health decline. This study highlights the pivotal role of soil nutrient availability in shaping rhizosphere fungal communities and sustaining <i>P. sylvestris</i> plantations, offering insights into degradation mechanisms and strategies to enhance forest resilience on the Loess Plateau.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/9/1309<i>Pinus sylvestris</i>soil nutrientsfungal communityplantation degradationLoess Plateauhigh-throughput sequencing |
| spellingShingle | Jiaxing Wang Xiaotian Su Yimou Luo Yue Zhang Yihan Wang Jing Gao Defu Wang Soil Nutrient Dynamics and Fungal Community Shifts Drive the Degradation of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> var. <i>mongholica</i> Plantations in the Loess Plateau Plants <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> soil nutrients fungal community plantation degradation Loess Plateau high-throughput sequencing |
| title | Soil Nutrient Dynamics and Fungal Community Shifts Drive the Degradation of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> var. <i>mongholica</i> Plantations in the Loess Plateau |
| title_full | Soil Nutrient Dynamics and Fungal Community Shifts Drive the Degradation of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> var. <i>mongholica</i> Plantations in the Loess Plateau |
| title_fullStr | Soil Nutrient Dynamics and Fungal Community Shifts Drive the Degradation of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> var. <i>mongholica</i> Plantations in the Loess Plateau |
| title_full_unstemmed | Soil Nutrient Dynamics and Fungal Community Shifts Drive the Degradation of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> var. <i>mongholica</i> Plantations in the Loess Plateau |
| title_short | Soil Nutrient Dynamics and Fungal Community Shifts Drive the Degradation of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> var. <i>mongholica</i> Plantations in the Loess Plateau |
| title_sort | soil nutrient dynamics and fungal community shifts drive the degradation of i pinus sylvestris i var i mongholica i plantations in the loess plateau |
| topic | <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> soil nutrients fungal community plantation degradation Loess Plateau high-throughput sequencing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/9/1309 |
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