Led by Associate Prof. LIANG Yu from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, this study integrates transcriptomic data from seedlings of 103 woody species, species-level functional traits, and long-term seedling dynamic monitoring data from the Gutianshan forest plot. By extracting and functionally annotating transcripts from foliar endophytic fungi (FEF), this study bridges microbial functional genomics and modern coexistence theory, clarifying the pathway "FEF molecular functions—host fitness/niche—seedling survival and species coexistence."

In this study, the researchers propose that FEF transcript diversity is jointly shaped by host phylogenetic divergence time and maximum tree height. FEF functions significantly promote seedling survival through fitness-related and niche-related processes, with 118 Gene Ontology (GO) terms showing a significant association with seedling survival. A dual regulatory mode was identified: GO terms with high host-phylogeny dependence enhance seedling survival through fitness differences associated with multi-organism interactions, whereas those with high host-trait dependence facilitate seedling survival through niche differentiation related to basic life processes.