Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities in natural and urban ecosystems: Quercus humboldtii as a study case in the tropical Andes

Worldwide urban landscapes are expanding because of the growing human population. However, studies focusing on the diversity and structure of ectomycorrhizal communities in urban settings are uncommon. In Colombia, the Andean oak is an ectomycorrhizal tree thriving in tropical montane forests hosting a high diversity of ectomycorrhizal fungi. The Andean oak is planted as an urban tree in Bogotá, Colombia. The authors studied how root-associated fungal communities of this tree change between natural and urban areas. They found that urban Andean oaks can host a high number of ectomycorrhizal fungi in their roots, but that urban pollution could be favoring stress tolerant communities that are completely different from those at rural sites.