Host fragmentation maintains dispersal limitation and promotes lineage divergence: evidence from ectomycorrhizal fungi

Host fragmentation maintains dispersal limitation and promotes lineage divergence: evidence from ectomycorrhizal fungi | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL Ecography This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 12 May 2026 V1 Latest version Share on Host fragmentation maintains dispersal limitation and promotes lineage divergence: evidence from ectomycorrhizal fungi Authors : Hirotoshi Sato 0000-0003-4489-6569 [email protected] , Takafumi Mizuno [email protected] , Natsuki Komada [email protected] , Musa Muliati [email protected] , Ajuwin Lain [email protected] , Jamilah Hassan [email protected] , Khairunnisa Othman [email protected] , and Takao Itioka [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/authorea.15003160/v1 14 views 6 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Dispersal shapes the balance between range expansion and population divergence, forming the basis of the intermediate-dispersal hypothesis (IDH), which predicts peak diversity at intermediate dispersal. However, this framework assumes that dispersal is determined by intrinsic traits, which may not hold for microorganisms with broadly comparable dispersal ability. In such systems, host-associated ecological constraints on establishment may more strongly shape biogeographic structure, especially where host lineages are widespread yet spatially fragmented, such as Fagaceae-dominated systems. We extend the IDH by proposing that intermediate host-associated constraint—balancing range expansion and isolation—can generate patterns analogous to those predicted under intermediate dispersal. We test this idea using ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi with genus- or family-level host preference, in comparison with plant-saprotrophic/root-endophytic (PS/RE) fungi with weaker host preference. We defined operational taxonomic units (OTUs) from fungal barcode sequences obtained from Fagaceae roots collected in a tropical montane forest in Borneo, where Fagaceae-rich communities persist in fragmented habitats. We complemented these with highly similar sequences from public databases and estimated global occurrence probability of each OTU using a two-step binomial model accounting for country-level registration rates. ECM fungi showed a strong positive association with Fagaceae richness and a pronounced decline in occurrence with geographic distance. In contrast, PS/RE fungi exhibited weaker host associations, with effects comparable to distance, precipitation, and non-host plant lineages. Estimated occurrence probability was consistently lower for ECM fungi, particularly across distant regions, and this contrast became more pronounced under higher query–hit sequence identity thresholds, indicating stronger spatial structuring at finer genetic resolution. These results demonstrate that host-linked ecological constraints can maintain dispersal limitation despite substantial dispersal potential. More broadly, they support intermediate host-associated constraint as a general mechanism reconciling dispersal and divergence, extending the IDH to systems where intrinsic dispersal is unlikely to be the primary limiting factor. Supplementary Material File (supporting information.docx) supporting information Download 1.34 MB File (data and code statement.docx) data and code statement Download 13.86 KB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 12 May 2026 Collection Ecography Keywords fungi evolution ecology systematics interaction diversity metacommunity food web spatial ecology theoretical ecology biogeography dispersal limitation endemism host preference intermediate-dispersal hypothesis mutualism biogeography community ecology interaction networks biogeography community ecology biogeography landscape ecology biodiversity community ecology global change ecology mycorrhizal ecology Spatial ecology temporal ecology biogeography macroecology fungi evolution ecology systematics interaction diversity aves diversification environmental science human-nature interactions metacommunity food web spatial ecology theoretical ecology Authors Affiliations Hirotoshi Sato 0000-0003-4489-6569 [email protected] Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan View all articles by this author Takafumi Mizuno [email protected] Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan View all articles by this author Natsuki Komada [email protected] Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan View all articles by this author Musa Muliati [email protected] Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan View all articles by this author Ajuwin Lain [email protected] Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan View all articles by this author Jamilah Hassan [email protected] Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan View all articles by this author Khairunnisa Othman [email protected] Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan View all articles by this author Takao Itioka [email protected] View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 14 views 6 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Hirotoshi Sato, Takafumi Mizuno, Natsuki Komada, et al. Host fragmentation maintains dispersal limitation and promotes lineage divergence: evidence from ectomycorrhizal fungi. Authorea . 12 May 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/authorea.15003160/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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