Woodland trees modulate soil resources and conserve fungal diversity in fragmented landscapes

Abstract

Resource islands around woody plants are thought to define the structure and function of many semiarid and arid ecosystems, but their role in patterning of soil microbial communities remains largely unexamined in dry environments. This study examined soil resource distribution and associated fungal communities in two Allocasuarina luehmannii (buloke) remnants of semiarid north-western Victoria, Australia. These savannah-like woodlands are listed as endangered due to extensive clearing for agriculture. We used the DNA-based profiling technique T-RFLP and ordination-based statistical methods to compare fungal community compositions in surface soils from two remnants (located 1.6 km apart) and ..