Changes in an Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Community Along an Environmental Gradient
Larissa Cardoso Vieira,
Danielle Karla Alves da Silva,
Indra Elena Costa Escobar,
Julyana Maria da Silva,
Ingrid Andrêssa de Moura,
Fritz Oehl,
Gladstone Alves da Silva
Affiliations
Larissa Cardoso Vieira
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia de Fungos, Departamento de Micologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco. Avenida da Engenharia, s/n, Recife 50740-600, PE, Brazil
Danielle Karla Alves da Silva
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Monitoramento Ambiental, Departamento de Engenharia e Meio Ambiente, Universidade Federal da Paraíba. Av. Santa Elisabete, s/n, Centro, Rio Tinto 58297-000, PB, Brazil
Indra Elena Costa Escobar
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia de Fungos, Departamento de Micologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco. Avenida da Engenharia, s/n, Recife 50740-600, PE, Brazil
Julyana Maria da Silva
Departamento de Micologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco. Avenida da Engenharia, s/n, Recife 50740-600, PE, Brazil
Ingrid Andrêssa de Moura
Departamento de Micologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco. Avenida da Engenharia, s/n, Recife 50740-600, PE, Brazil
Fritz Oehl
Agroscope, Competence Division for Plants and Plant Products, Ecotoxicology, Müller-Thurgau-Strasse 29, CH-8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland
Gladstone Alves da Silva
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia de Fungos, Departamento de Micologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco. Avenida da Engenharia, s/n, Recife 50740-600, PE, Brazil
Gradual environmental changes are determining factors in the disposition of plants and associated organisms, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). The objective of this study was to evaluate the AMF species communities in a tropical semi-arid region of NE Brazil under decreasing clay content at a mountain top area forming a vegetative mosaic of dry forests, savanna-like shrubland and humid montane forests. Through field and trap culture samples, 80 species of AMF were identified belonging to 25 genera, of which Acaulospora and Glomus were the most representative. In general, representatives of the order Gigasporales were indicators of sites with lower clay content and showed greater abundance in these sites. As expected, less richness was found in the site with higher clay content, but there was no variation in the Shannon-Weaver index in the gradient studied. The areas showed different assemblies of AMF among the sites with higher and lower clay content, and the main factors structuring the species were carbon, clay and potential acidity. In addition, field samples and trap cultures showed different assemblies; through the use of cultures it was possible to detect additional species. Soil properties have been found to be determinants for the distribution of these microorganisms and further studies in different vegetation types can help to understand the ecological preferences of AMF species.
