Diversity Survey of Macrofungal Resources in the Niyang River Basin Based on Soil High-Throughput Sequencing and Traditional Field Investigation

This study conducted a comprehensive survey of macrofungal diversity in the Niyang River Basin by integrating soil high-throughput sequencing (HTS) with a traditional field investigation (TFI), aiming to evaluate the potential species pool and to assess the methodological complementarity of the two approaches. Compared with the TFI, the soil HTS method compensates for the impacts of climate and the growth phenology of macrofungi, and achieves a broader coverage in the investigation of macrofungal species. TFI is proven to be more effective in identifying conspicuous and parasitic fungi, whereas soil HTS is particularly advantageous in uncovering rare and previously unrecorded taxa. These findings highlight the necessity of methodological integration for accurately characterizing macrofungal diversity in complex ecosystems. The results not only establish a robust scientific foundation for the conservation and sustainable utilization of macrofungal resources on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, but also provide valuable methodological insights for future biodiversity assessments and conservation planning.