Mycelial fungi in saline soils of the western Transbaikal region

Abstract

Mycelial fungi in a solonchakous chestnut soil, a sulfate solonchak, and a soda solonchak were studied in the western Lake Baikal basin. The humus content, the degree of salinization, and the composition of salts affected the structure of the micromycete communities. In the chestnut soil, more than half of the species identified were found. The species diversity was higher in the nonsaline and humus horizons. The eolian deposit on the soda solonchak was characterized by the presence of six species of fungi that did not occur in other soil horizons. Their occurrence in the fresh deposit seems to be related to the eolian transfer of fungi with the fine earth from the adjacent areas with the nonsaline soils. The soda solonchak fungi are dominated by the haloalkalitolerant and alkalophilic micromycetes, among which the representatives of the Acremonium (A. antarcticum and A. rutilum) and Verticillum genera and Mycelia sterilia were identified. There was also an alkalophilic ascomycete, which is an indicator of soda salinization—Heleococcum alkalinum. On the whole, the soda solonchak had the lowest number of fungal germs and the lowest species diversity of mycelial fungi among the soils compared.