Nothofagus species are the only widespread ectomycorrhizal (ECM) host trees native to Southern South America (SSA). Invasion of ECM Pinaceae, native to Western North America, is a growing problem in the area and represents a threat to the biological diversity and stability of Nothofagus forests. Recent research has characterized the community of ECM fungi colonizing the roots of invasive Pinaceae trees in SSA and demonstrated that Pinaceae invasions in this region are facilitated by a community of exotic co-invasive ECM fungi. The diversity of these invading fungi is reduced compared to the communities they are derived from in their native range and as little as a single species in genus Suillus can facilitate successful Pinaceae invasions.
Given the evolutionary isolation of Nothofagus species and their associated ECM fungi in SSA, the introduction of invasive ECM taxa may have many unpredictable effects upon the structure and composition of native Nothofagus ECM fungal communities. To address this concern, we have employed a metagenomic approach to characterize the fungal communities associated with Nothofagus rhizosphere soil in sites with Pinaceae invasions.