Alien plants represent a potential threat to environment and society. Understanding the process of alien plants naturalization is therefore of primary importance. In alien plants, successful establishment can be constrained by the absence of suitable fungal partners. Here, we used 42 independent datasets of ectomycorrhizal fungal (EcMF) communities associated with alien Pinaceae and Eucalyptus spp., as the most commonly introduced tree species worldwide, to explore the strategies these plant groups utilize to establish symbioses with EcMF in the areas of introduction. We have also determined the differences in composition of EcMF communities associated with alien ectomycorrhizal plants in different regions. While alien Pinaceae introduced to new regions rely upon association with co-introduced EcMF, alien Eucalyptus often form novel interactions with EcMF species native to the region where the plant was introduced. The region of origin primarily determines species composition of EcMF communities associated with alien Pinaceae in new areas, which may largely affect invasion potential of the alien plants. Our study shows that alien ectomycorrhizal plants largely differ in their ability to interact with co-introduced and native ectomycorrhizal fungi in sites of introduction, which may potentially affect their invasive potential.

Department of Biology King Saud University Riyadh 11451 Saudi Arabia

Department of Botany and Zoology Stellenbosch University Matieland 7602 South Africa

Faculty of Science Charles University Viničná 7 CZ 128 44 Prague Czech Republic

Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences Zámek 1 CZ 252 43 Průhonice Czech Republic

Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Vídeňská 1083 CZ 142 20 Prague Czech Republic

Natural History Museum University of Tartu 14a Ravila 50411 Tartu Estonia

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