Diversity and Functional Roles of Root-Associated Endophytic Fungi in Two Dominant Pioneer Trees Reclaimed from a Metal Mine Slag Heap in Southwest China

The utilization of fast-growing, economically valuable woody plants with strong stress resistance, such as poplar and willow, to revegetate severely metal-contaminated mine tailings not only offers a productive and profitable use of abandoned polluted soil resources but also facilitates the phytoremediation of these polluted soils. This study examines the diversity and functional roles of endophytic fungi naturally colonizing the roots of an artificially established