Arbuscular mycorrhiza of plants from the Mountain Botanical Garden in Zakopane

Abstract

The mycorrhizal status of 77 plant species collected from the Mountain Botanical Garden of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Zakopane (southern Poland) was surveyed. These plants include rare, endemic and threatened species in the Tatra Mts. (the Western Carpathians) and are maintained in the botanical garden in order to develop effective methods of protection and cultivation. Plants belonging to Brassicaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Dryopteridaceae, Juncaceae, Polygonaceae, Rubiaceae and Woodsiaceae families were nonmycorrhizal. 41 species formed AM symbiosis. Spores of nine AMF spccies (Glomeromycota), including Archaeospora trappei, Glomus aggregatum, G. claroideum, G. constrictum, G. deserticola, G. geosponrum, G. microcarpum, G. mosseae and G.rubiforme were isolated for the first time from this region of Poland. In addition, the occurrence of the fine endophyte, G. tenue was detected in roots of 18 species from the study area, although formation of arbuscules by this fungus was observed rarely. AM fungi were sporadically accompanied by dark septate endophytes (DSE). 70% of nonmycorrhizal plant sepcies were devoid of DSE.

Keywords

• arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM)
• Mountain Botanical Garden
• Tatra Mts.
• rare and threatened plants
• active plant protection