Variation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities along an altitudinal gradient in rupestrian grasslands in Brazil

• Published in: Mycorrhiza Vol. 25; no. 8; pp. 627 - 638
• Main Authors: Coutinho, Etiene Silva, Fernandes, G. Wilson, Berbara, Ricardo Luís Louro, Valério, Henrique Maia, Goto, Bruno Tomio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.11.2015; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Altitude; Biodiversity; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Brazil; Cluster Analysis; Community composition; community structure; Ecology; Elevation; Forestry; fungal communities; Grassland; Grasslands; Life Sciences; Microbiology; Mycorrhizae - classification; Mycorrhizae - isolation & purification; mycorrhizal fungi; Original Paper; Plant Sciences; Soil - chemistry; Soil Microbiology; Soil properties; Species composition; species diversity; Spores, Fungal; vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae; Brazil; Serra do Cipó; Soil characteristics; Mountain ecosystems; Espinhaço mountains; Fungal diversity
• ISSN: 0940-6360; 1432-1890
• DOI: 10.1007/s00572-015-0636-5

Variation in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) communities is described for the first time in rupestrian grasslands in Brazil along an altitudinal gradient of 700 m (800 to 1400 m a.s.l.). Hypotheses tested were that soil properties influence the variation in AMF communities and that the frequency of the most common species of AMF is inversely influenced by the richness of other AMF. Field and laboratory data were collected on AMF community composition, richness, density, and frequency in the altitudinal gradient, and the relationships with several physical–chemical soil properties and altitude were evaluated. Fifty-one species of AMF were recorded, with 14 species being reported as possibly new to science and nine species representing new records for Brazil. This single elevation gradient alone contains 22 % of the known world diversity of AMF. Soil properties and AMF community density and richness varied significantly along the elevation (p < 0.05). AMF density and richness were higher at the intermediate altitude, while AMF species composition differed statistically among the altitudes.