The biogeography of fungal communities in paddy soils is mainly driven by geographic distance

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to answer how the biogeographic patterns of fungi are affected by spatial and environmental factors in paddy soils characterized by unique field management. Given the generally low C/N ratios of paddy soils, we also want to test a hypothesis that the dominant fungi in paddy soils are Ascomycota, which reportedly prefer habitats with low soil C/N ratios. Materials and methods: Using quantitative PCR and barcoded pyrosequencing, we investigated the abundance, diversity, and community composition of fungal communities in 30 surface paddy soil samples collected from 10 rice cultivation regions of China. Pearson’s correlation, analysis of variance, partial least ..