Daniel Janowski

Soil fungi are crucial microorganisms in the functioning of ecosystems. They shape the soil properties, facilitate nutrient circulation, and assist with plant growth. However, their biogeography and distribution studies are limited compared to other groups of organisms. This review aims to provide an overview of the main factors shaping the spatial distribution of soil fungi (with a special focus on mycorrhizal fungi). The review also tries to identify the field frontier where further studies ar

Abstract Mycorrhiza is a mutualistic symbiosis between some plant species and a diverse group of soil fungi. Mycorrhizal symbiosis is categorized into discrete types based on the structural differences and the taxonomic position of involved plants and fungi. The main types of mycorrhiza include arbuscular, ericoid, orchid, monotropoid and ectomycorrhiza, the latter being the main focus of this review. Identifying ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) is crucial for understanding the ecology and preservati

A better understanding of ectomycorrhizal symbiosis leads to numerous advancements in forest management and environmental protection. The morphological identification of the ectomycorrhizae often proves to be misleading. For this reason, in order to study the ectomycorrhizal fungi communities, a number of molecular methods that require the isolation of nucleic acids are being used. However, ectomycorrhizal root tips, low mass heterogenic material rich in inhibitors, are a recalcitrant substrate

<i>Tilia</i> (Malvaceae) is a genus of deciduous trees widespread in the northern hemisphere. <i>Tilia</i> species native to Japan include three endemic species, <i>T. japonica</i>, <i>T. maximowicziana</i>, and <i>T. kiusiana</i>, as well as the more widespread <i>T. mandshurica</i>. Other species were also introduced, the most important being <i>T. miqueliana</i>, brought to Japan with the arrival of Buddhism and planted on temple grounds as Bodaiju. Both historically and at present, <i>Tilia<

Soil fungi play an indispensable role in the functioning of terrestrial habitats. Most landscape-scale studies of soil fungal diversity try to identify the fungal taxa present at a study site and define the relationships between their abundance and environmental factors. The specific spatial distribution of these fungi over the site, however, is not addressed. Our study's main objective is to propose a novel approach to landscape-scale mapping of soil fungi distribution using next generation seq

Trees of the genus Tilia (Malvaceae) are known to establish symbiosis with ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi, however, most of what is known about their EM relations is based on few European Tilia species, despite the highest diversity of the genus found in the Asian subcontinent. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report on EM fungal communities hosted by Tilia in Japan. Three study sites, on Hokkaido (H) where Tilia was a dominant forest component, Honshu (C) and Kyushu (K) islands where Ti

Adaptations among Pinus sylvestris populations to diverse climatic conditions have been studied primarily in the species' aboveground traits, while their belowground adaptations remain underexplored. Belowground traits are also crucial for shaping the communities of bacteria that affect tree development. To date, climate effects on intraspecific differentiation, belowground traits, and bacterial communities have been studied separately; here we integrate these aspects to better understand tree g

Asia is the center of Tilia (Malvaceae) species diversity. However, the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) relations of Asian Tilia are scarcely studied. This study provides the first description of ECM communities of Tilia kiusiana , a rare tree endemic to southwestern Japan. Across the natural distribution of T. kiusiana, ECM fungal communities hosted by the species were investigated in three study sites: Hyōgo (H) and Yamaguchi (Y) on Honshu Island, and Ōita (O) on Kyushu Island. Using molecular methods,

Provenance effects in forest trees are well known for growth and productivity, but their influence on below-ground microbial partners remains underexplored. We investigated fungal communities associated with Scots pine from ten European provenances grown for 40 years in a common garden in Poland. Using high-throughput sequencing, we characterized both bulk-soil fungi and root endophytes and tested whether provenance identity shapes their taxonomic and functional composition. Additionally, to tes