Landscape effects on global soil pathogenic fungal diversity across spatial scales

Author(s): Yawen Lu, Nico Eisenhauer, Guillaume Patoine, Ying Chen, Anna Heintz-Buschart, Kirsten Küsel, Carl Eric Wegner, François Buscot, Xiang Liu, Ademir S.F. Araujo, Beat Frey, Fernando T. Maestre, Matthew Vadeboncoeur, Liesbeth van den Brink, Quentin Ponette, Markus Didion, Georg Wohlfahrt, Aurora Gaxiola, Cristina Branquinho, Henning Meesenburg, Karibu Fukuzawa, E. Carol Adair, Andrijana Andrić, Milan Barna, Qicheng Bei, Helge Bruelheide, Adriano Caliman, Rafaella Canessa, Michele Carbognani, Roberto Cazzolla Gatti, Chiling Chen, Casper T. Christiansen, Michaël Danger, Evgeny A. Davydov, Marie Anne de Graaff, Christine Delire, Valter Di Cecco, Luciano Di Martino, Ika Djukic, Simon Drollinger, Tsutomu Enoki, István Fekete, Petra Fransson, Martin Freitag, Mark Frenzel, Rosario G. Gavilán, Stephan Glatzel, Maria Glushkova, Grizelle González, Anderson da R. Gripp, Peter Haase, Ute Hamer, Takuo Hishi, Tsutom Hiura, Elisabeth Hornung, Kazuhiko Hoshizaki, Heinke Jäger, Juan J. Jiménez, Megan J. Kelly-Slatten, Sebastian Kepfer-Rojas, Zsolt Kotroczó, Kaie Kriiska, Hiroko Kurokawa, Kate Lajtha, John Loehr, Stefan Löfgren, Vincent Maire, Rodrigo L. Martins, Florence Maunoury-Danger, Inara Melece, Victoria Ochoa, Ivika Ostonen, Alain Paquette, William C. Parker, Pablo Luis Peri, Rebecca Mast, Alessandro Petraglia, Petr Petřík, Mihai Pușcaș, Corinna Rebmann, Peter B. Reich, Matthias C. Rillig, Martin Schädler, Marcus Schaub, Anja Schmidt, Julia Seeber, Helena Cristina Serrano, Ana I. Sousa, Stefan Scheu, Artur Stefanski, Marcello Tomaselli, Zsolt Tóth, Stacey M. Trevathan-Tackett, Stefan Trogisch, Pavel Dan Turtureanu, Tudor M. Ursu, Susanna E. Venn, Arne Verstraeten, Jeyanny Vijayanathan, Dušanka Vujanović, Markus Wagner, Martin Weih, Franz Zehetner, Carlos A. Guerra
Abstract: Growing evidence has shown that, apart from local environmental factors, changes in landscape-level factors by accelerated land-use change can also shape soil pathogenic fungal diversity. However, the global representativeness of such patterns remains unclear. Here, we assess how pathogenic fungal diversity in 511 soil samples worldwide responds to landscape factors, including landscape complexity index based on eight landscape metrics and quantity of different land cover types across six spatial scales (i.e., surrounding landscape, 250 m to 10,000 m radii from the sampling coordinate). We find that while soil variables explain over half of the variance, pathogenic fungal alpha diversity increases with landscape complexity and crop cover proportion, but decreases with grass and tree cover proportion, together explaining 23.4% of the total variance. Landscape factors have weaker impacts on beta diversity, explaining 13.0% of the variance. Across spatial scales, grassland ecosystems exhibit increasingly stronger responses to landscape variables compared to forest ecosystems. Landscape factors have a higher relative contribution to root-associated fungi than leaf/fruit/seed-associated fungi. Our results emphasize the importance of local factors and the complementary role of landscape patterns in shaping global soil pathogenic fungal distributions, highlighting scale-dependent effects across ecosystems and fungal functional groups.
Organisation(s): Department of Classical Archaeology, Department of Geography and Regional Research, Department of Government
External organisation(s): Suzhou University of Science and Technology, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Fudan University, Universität Leipzig, Peking University, University of Amsterdam (UvA), Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung, Lanzhou University, Federal University of Piaui, Eidgenössische Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft, King Abdullah University for Science and Technology, University of New Hampshire, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Universidad de Concepción, Université catholique de Louvain, Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Universidade de Lisboa, Nordwestdeutsche Forstliche Versuchsanstalt, Hokkaido University, University of Vermont, University of Novi Sad (UNS), Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Philipps Universität Marburg, Università degli studi di Parma, University of Bologna, Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute, University of Copenhagen, Université de Lorraine, Altai State University, Barnaul, Boise State University, Meteo-France/CNRS, Maiella National Park, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Kyushu University, University of Nyíregyháza, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Universität Münster, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), United States Forest Service, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Universität Duisburg-Essen, University of Tokyo, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Akita Prefectural University, Charles Darwin Foundation, Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (CSIC), Széchenyi István University, University of Tartu, Graduate School of Agriculture, Oregon State University, University of Helsinki, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, University of Latvia (LU), Universidad de Jaén, University of Montreal, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Babeș-Bolyai University, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Michigan, Freie Universität Berlin (FU), Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Eurac Research, University of Aveiro, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network, RMIT University Vietnam, National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences, Deakin University, Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Forest Research Institute Malaysia, GLORIA Coordination, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Galápagos National Park Directorate, Universidade de Coimbra
Journal: Nature Communications
Volume: 17
ISSN: 2041-1723
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-67929-5
Publication date: 12-2026
Peer reviewed: Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012: 105405 Geoecology, 106026 Ecosystem research
ASJC Scopus subject areas: General Chemistry, General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology, General, General Physics and Astronomy
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 15 - Life on Land
Portal url: https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/8186c4bf-72fe-4778-b9d7-0414c09f7ced

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