In: Sydowia 74, (2021): 143-159; ISSN 0082-0598, DOI 10.12905/0380.sydowia74-2021-0143, Published online on August 30, 2021

Drivers of the taxonomic and functional diversity,
and functional composition of fungal endophyte
communities in crucifers

Junhui Chen, Hafiz Sohaib Ahmed Saqib, Komivi Senyo Akutse, Feiying Yang, Xiaolu Wu,
Xiaofeng Xia, Liande Wang, Mark S. Goettel, Minsheng You & Geoff M. Gurr*

State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control of Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture
and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Joint International Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou 350002, China
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research Centre, Lethbridge, AB, Canada (Retired)
Graham Centre, Charles Sturt University, Orange, NSW 2800, Australia

* e-mail: GGurr@csu.edu.au

Chen J.H., Saqib H.S.A., Akutse K.S., Yang F.Y., Wu X.L., Xia X.F., Wang L.D., Goettel M.S., You M.S. & Gurr G.M. (2021)
Drivers
of the taxonomic and functional diversity, and functional composition of fungal endophyte communities in crucifers. –
Sydowia 74: 143–152.

Ecological traits that filter the occurrence of species and functional groups responding to environmental and other variables
are keys to the assembly processes of communities, but little is currently known about these processes for endophytic fungi. A
trophic-based joint species distribution model was applied to endophyte occurrence by 110 crucifer-inhabiting fungal species
isolated from Brassica rapa, Raphanus sativus and Brassica olerocea, from 21 sites with different landscape compositions and
pesticide use over four seasons. We investigated the responses of taxonomic diversity, function diversity and functional composition.
Season, plant identity and plant part were significant factors in shaping all indices. Elevation and grassland shaped taxonomic
diversity and functional composition but not functional diversity. RLQ and fourth corner analysis showed that pathotroph,
symbiotroph, dung saprotroph, endophyte, epiphyte and plant pathogen were positively correlated with autumn and summer
seasons, white cabbage, leaf tissues and elevation; while saprotroph, animal pathogen, fungal parasite, undefined saprotroph,
wood saprotroph and yeast-like were positively correlated with spring and winter seasons, root tissues, grassland and water in
the landscape. Our results show that taxonomic diversity, functional diversity and functional composition are partially coupled,
indicating that variable filters could influence cruciferous fungal endophytes at species and trait levels.

Keywords: functional dispersion; environmental filter; landscape; Brassicaceae; fungal community