Abstract
ABSTRACT Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) interact symbiotically with most plant species, facilitating revegetation of areas under rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the inoculum potential, density, and diversity of AMF spores in five environments, as well as the relation of species with soil properties. Soil samples were collected in five environments in a mining area and its surroundings in the Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Minas Gerais (Brazil): tailings piles in rehabilitation with grass, canga, Cerrado, native forest, and eucalyptus plantation; these samples were subjected to chemical and physical analyses. Spores were directly extracted from field samples and from trap cultures (TCs) established in two locations in the Southeast and South regions of Brazil for taxonomic identification of the species. Species richness, the Shannon diversity index (H’), and equitability were determined. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify soil properties that most influenced AMF occurrence. Spore density showed no significant difference among the environments. A total of 59 AMF species were found. This is the first report of the occurrence of Acaulospora nivalis and Acaulospora alpina in Brazil. Higher H’ and species richness in the field were found in tailings piles and lower in canga. Canga showed higher inoculum potential. The development of TCs in two locations allowed a wider diversity of AMF species to be captured. Environments of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero are hotspots of AMF diversity, and the soil pH and exchangeable S and P contents are the properties that best explain the distribution of AMF species.
Highlights
Brazil is the third largest producer of iron ore worldwide, and approximately 70% of this ore is extracted in the state of Minas Gerais (Brasil, 2016), which has areas with high concentrations of iron (Fe)
A total of 31 Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) species distributed in 12 genera and seven families of Glomeromycota were identified (Table 2)
It is noteworthy that among the AMF species found, this is the first report of the occurrence of the species Acaulospora nivalis and Acaulospora alpina in Brazil
Summary
Brazil is the third largest producer of iron ore worldwide, and approximately 70% of this ore is extracted in the state of Minas Gerais (Brasil, 2016), which has areas with high concentrations of iron (Fe). The extraction of Fe is economically important, iron mining brings about changes in the landscape, with impacts on plant cover, on soil biodiversity, and, on the biogeochemical cycles of the elements (Siqueira et al, 2007; Xing et al, 2015) since the process of opening mining pits involves removing soil over the ore (which is sterile) and depositing it in other locations, forming piles Surrounding these mining areas in the Quadrilátero Ferrífero, there are diverse floristic domains with vestiges of secondary forest that are characteristic of the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado (Brazilian tropical savanna) biomes, both considered as worldwide hotspots of diversity (Hopper; Silveira; Fiedler, 2016). Among the habitats of the Cerrado, the canga is prominent through its association with ferruginous outcroppings and underground hardpans, its scarcity of soil volume, and the intense daily variation in temperature, which hinders establishment of plants and makes it one of the most endangered ecosystems of Brazil (Matias et al, 2009; Skirycz et al, 2014)
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