Assemblages of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in tropical humid and dry forests in the Northeast of Brazil

Abstract

Tropical forests concentrate most of the world’s biodiversity. In the Northeast of Brazil it is possible to record mosaics of tropical dry and moist forests growing nearby but with completely different biotic and abiotic characteristics. These forests are constantly threatened by intense environmental devastation that affect not only above-ground communities but also those hidden below-ground, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which act in maintaining ecosystem balance. This work aimed to determine the composition of native AMF communities in areas of humid forest (HF) and dry forest (DF) in northeastern Brazil. A total of 70 taxa of AMF were identified in the study areas, with Acaulospora (17) and Glomus (16) being the most representative genera. The sampling effort allowed the evaluation of 70%–73% of the species estimated for the areas. AMF communities differed between HF and DF areas. Species of the genus Glomus occurred predominantly in humid forest areas, whereas representatives of the order Gigasporales were associated more specifically with the dry forest area. Four soil attributes showed approximately 50% correlation with the composition of the AMF community (silt, clay, K, and CEC). Humid and dry forest areas presented a high diversity of AMF, and the soil properties were an important factor for the community composition of these fungi.