Drivers and adaptive strategies of DSE colonization in reed roots in Baiyang Lake under heavy metal stress.

DSE colonization in reed roots reaches up to 66.7% at heavily contaminated sewage sites under severe heavy metal stress.

• Why it matters: Heavy metal pollution from industrial and agricultural sources threatens ecosystems and requires sustainable remediation strategies, but how DSE fungi respond to such stress remains unclear.
• What they did: Researchers analyzed soil properties, microbial communities, and DSE colonization in reed roots across four sites with varying heavy metal levels, using amplicon sequencing and microscopic root examination.
• The result: DSE colonization rates are positively linked to soil moisture and Pb levels and negatively associated with soil pH, nitrogen, Cr, and Proteobacteria abundance, revealing site-specific colonization patterns under metal stress.