Abstract
Study of micro-organisms ecology arose recently despite its intrinsic importance – both practical and theoretical –, but also despite its overriding role in the niches of macro-organisms. Plant-fungi interactions offer a relevant model to study the ecology of micro-organisms interacting with macro-organisms because of their considerable ecological and economical values in addition to their high taxonomic and ecological diversity. Using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and network analysis, we explore some drivers of fungal community composition in Corsica, at various scales and through three guilds: ectomycorrhizal, endophytic and saprotrophic fungi. We investigate the effect of disturbance (e.g. fire and treefall), environmental variables (e.g. soil depth), constraints due to the interacting plants (e.g. taxonomy) and dispersion on fungal communities. Some community assembly rules are similar across guilds. For instance, forests in different micro-regions of Corsica harbor dissimilar fungal communities. However relative importance of processes and the scales at which they occur vary across guilds. In Corsican pine forests, fifteen years after fire occurrence, soil fungal diversity is close to the level of diversity in unburnt stand. Despite the absence of effect on diversity, fire induces marked shifts in soil fungal community composition, in particular for soil saprobic fungi. We discuss the implication of this work for ecologists – both plant and fungal ecologist – and stakeholders.