Annual Dynamics of Mycobiota in Symptomatic Century-Old Trees of Aesculus hippocastanum, Fagus sylvatica, Populus alba, and Quercus robur

Aging trees within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape exhibit dynamic and host-dependent fungal communities that significantly influence their decline. The study, conducted on century-old horse chestnut, Copper beech, poplar, and oak trees, revealed that fungal diversity and composition vary both among tree species and over time. Notably, Copper beech showed the most pronounced annual decline in fungal richness (-83%), while horse chestnut and poplar displayed significant increases (+65% and +42%, respectively). Ascomycota dominated across all hosts (72–89% of reads), with Basidiomycota contributing 8–24%. The research used ITS2 high-throughput sequencing to profile fungal assemblages, demonstrating that the wood mycobiome is neither static nor functionally neutral but actively shapes tree decline trajectories in managed historical park landscapes.

Spetik, M., Frejlichova, L., Cechová, J., Bulir, P., Miksova, L., Stefl, L., Simek, P., & Eichmeier, A. (2025). Annual Dynamics of Mycobiota in Symptomatic Century-Old Trees of Aesculus hippocastanum, Fagus sylvatica, Populus alba, and Quercus robur https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202511.0150.v1