Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1007/s00248-022-01973-2
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) FungalTraits vs. FUNGuild: Comparison of ecological functional assignments of leaf- and needle-associated fungi across 12 temperate tree species
Author Tanunchai, B.; Ji, L.; Schroeter, S.A.; Wahdan, S.F.M.; Hossen, S.; Delelegn, Y.; Buscot, F.; Lehnert, A.-S.; Gomes Alves, E.; Hilke, I.; Gleixner, G.; Schulze, E.-D.; Noll, M.; Purahong, W.
Source Titel Microbial Ecology
Year 2023
Department BOOEK; iDiv
Volume 85
Issue 2
Page From 411
Page To 428
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Supplements https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art%3A10.1007%2Fs00248-022-01973-2/MediaObjects/248_2022_1973_MOESM1_ESM.pdf
https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art%3A10.1007%2Fs00248-022-01973-2/MediaObjects/248_2022_1973_MOESM2_ESM.xlsx
Keywords Amplicon sequence variants; Endophytes; Functional assignment; Fungal amplicon sequencing; ITS; Lichenized fungi; Plant pathogens; Saprotrophs
Abstract Recently, a new annotation tool “FungalTraits” was created based on the previous FUNGuild and FunFun databases, which has attracted high attention in the scientific community. These databases were widely used to gain more information from fungal sequencing datasets by assigning fungal functional traits. More than 1500 publications so far employed FUNGuild and the aim of this study is to compare this successful database with the recent FungalTraits database. Quality and quantity of the assignment by FUNGuild and FungalTraits to a fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS)–based amplicon sequencing dataset on amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were addressed. Sequencing dataset was derived from leaves and needles of 12 temperate broadleaved and coniferous tree species. We found that FungalTraits assigned more functional traits than FUNGuild, and especially the coverage of saprotrophs, plant pathogens, and endophytes was higher while lichenized fungi revealed similar findings. Moreover, ASVs derived from leaves and needles of each tree species were better assigned to all available fungal traits as well as to saprotrophs by FungalTraits compared to FUNGuild in particular for broadleaved tree species. Assigned ASV richness as well as fungal functional community composition was higher and more diverse after analyses with FungalTraits compared to FUNGuild. Moreover, datasets of both databases showed similar effect of environmental factors for saprotrophs but for endophytes, unidentical patterns of significant corresponding factors were obtained. As a conclusion, FungalTraits is superior to FUNGuild in assigning a higher quantity and quality of ASVs as well as a higher frequency of significant correlations with environmental factors.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=25693
Tanunchai, B., Ji, L., Schroeter, S.A., Wahdan, S.F.M., Hossen, S., Delelegn, Y., Buscot, F., Lehnert, A.-S., Gomes Alves, E., Hilke, I., Gleixner, G., Schulze, E.-D., Noll, M., Purahong, W. (2023):
FungalTraits vs. FUNGuild: Comparison of ecological functional assignments of leaf- and needle-associated fungi across 12 temperate tree species
Microb. Ecol. 85 (2), 411 - 428 10.1007/s00248-022-01973-2