# Landscape-Level Drivers of Fungal Communities in Grapevine, Fruit Trees, and Semi-Natural Shrublands in a Habitat Matrix

## TL;DR

This study explores how fungal communities vary across grapevine and neighboring plants, highlighting the role of host identity and environment in shaping these communities.

## Contribution

The study reveals that host plant identity and sampling time are key drivers of fungal community structure in a landscape-level habitat matrix.

## Key findings

- Host plant identity explained 15.7% of the variance in wood-associated fungal communities.
- Sampling time was the dominant factor shaping leaf fungal communities (16.3%).
- Pathogenic fungi linked to grapevine diseases were found across multiple host plants, suggesting shared reservoirs.

## Abstract

The grapevine microbiome is shaped by a complex interplay of biotic and abiotic factors, affecting microbial community structure and plant health. This study investigates the diversity, composition, and dynamics of fungal communities associated with grapevine (Vitis vinifera) and neighboring cultivated plants, as well as plants from semi-natural vegetation, including pear (Pyrus communis), apricot (Prunus armeniaca), dogrose (Rosa canina), and blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), in a landscape-level habitat matrix. Using metabarcoding techniques, fungal communities from leaves and woody tissues of grapevine and neighboring plants were analyzed over a growing season. Fungal richness and abundance differed significantly among host plants, with woody tissues exhibiting higher diversity. Host plant identity was the primary factor shaping wood-associated fungal communities (15.7% of explained variance), whereas sampling time dominated in leaves (16.3%), with sampling site having a weaker effect in both cases. Pathogenic fungi associated with grapevine trunk diseases, such as Diaporthe, Eutypa, and Phaeomoniella, were identified across grapevine and neighboring plants, suggesting that multiple hosts may act as reservoirs for fungal inoculum. These findings highlight the complex interactions between fungal communities, host plants, and environmental factors, underscoring the need for landscape-level approaches to plant protection that account for both cultivated and surrounding ecosystems.