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Edaphic and climatic factors drive mycorrhizal fungal diversity in the moist temperate forest, Pakistan
Abstract
Mycorrhizal fungi are vital to forest health because they form symbiotic associations with the roots of over 90% of higher plants. This study aimed to explore the influence of environmental factors on mycorrhizal fungi. This study was conducted in the Murree Forest Division, part of the lower western Himalaya, Pakistan, from April 2023 to November 2024. Fungal specimens were collected using the quantitative quadrat method (10 × 10 m). Climatic and soil data were collected using various instruments, and precipitation data were obtained from NASA's POWER Data Access Viewer. Multiple linear regression models were used for data analysis. The results identified 28 mycorrhizal fungi belonging to 12 families, with a notable diversity. The families Russulaceae (eight species) and Helvellaceae (four species) were the most species-rich, followed by Gomphaceae (three species); the other families had one to two species each. Regression analysis revealed that atmospheric humidity and phosphorus were the strongest positive predictors of mycorrhizal abundance. The soil model explained 96.78% of the variation (R² = 0.9678), whereas the environmental model explained 92.32% (adjusted R² = 0.9232). Although parameters such as EC, TDS, OM, N, brightness, and temperature showed visual trends, they were not statistically significant. This study concluded that atmospheric humidity and soil phosphorus significantly influence mycorrhizal fungal abundance. Future research should focus on long-term studies and predictive modeling to understand how climatic conditions affect mycorrhizal communities.
