Abstract
This study was conducted in order to characterize the natural arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) biodiversity from Mediterranean sand dune ecosystems and to protect in a collection this biodiversity. The occurrence of AM fungi associated with sand dune plant species in three Mediterranean locations on the north-eastern coast of Spain was examined in one well preserved coastal sand dune and in two embrionary dunes recently protected from public access. Traditional taxonomy and molecular techniques were used to identify the AM fungal species present in these ecosystems. The species identified and isolated were: Scutellospora persica (Koske and Walker) Walker & Sanders, Glomus ambisporum Smith & Schenck, Glomus diaphanum Morton & Walker, Glomus clarum Nicolson & Schenck, Glomus intraradices Schenck & Smith, Glomus microaggregatum Koske, Gemma & Olexia and Gigaspora margarita Becker & Hall. Spores of Glomus were the most abundant in the direct soil extraction samples. The molecular analysis indicates that the most abundant fungi forming AM in the roots belonged to the Gigasporaceae group followed by fungi of Glomus group A and Glomus group B. The highest diversity of fungi and abundance of the AM fungal spores was found in the well preserved and undisturbed dune systems.
Highlights
Coastal sand dunes of Mediterranean geographical areas are exposed to degradation by natural causes and to the human pressure which has a negative impact on the structure and the stability of plant communities
All roots of the psammophilic plants recovered from the study site were colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi with a variable percentage depending on the plant species and the location (Table 2)
This study confirms the existence of a rich diversity of AM fungi in the rhizosphere soils of Spanish Mediterranean coastal dune vegetation
Summary
Coastal sand dunes of Mediterranean geographical areas are exposed to degradation by natural causes and to the human pressure which has a negative impact on the structure and the stability of plant communities. The environmental preservation of coastal dunes depends on the establishment and survival of Abbreviations used: AM (arbuscular mycorrhizal), MPN (most probable number), PVLG (polyvinyl-lactoglycerol). Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with psammophilic plants. Plant dunes are subjected to specific stressful conditions that include high temperatures during the day, pervasive strong salty winds and sand accretion. The psammophilic flora is adapted to these harsh abiotic conditions that limit the survival of other plant species. The plants found in sandy dunes are species tolerant to low nutrient sandy soils, to wind and salt influences, and to burial by drifting sand (RodríguezEchevarria and Freitas, 2006)
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