scholarly journals Precipitation shapes communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in Tibetan alpine steppe

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Fang Wang ◽  
Rongxiao Che ◽  
Ping Wang ◽  
Hanke Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Tibetan Plateau is one of the largest and most unique habitats for organisms including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). However, it remains unclear how AMF communities respond to key environmental changes in this harsh environment. To test if precipitation could be a driving force in shaping AMF community structures at regional scale, we examined AMF communities associated with dominant plant species along a precipitation gradient in Tibetan alpine steppe. Rhizosphere soils were collected from five sites with annual precipitation decreasing from 400 to 50 mm. A total of 31 AMF operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified. AMF community composition varied significantly among sites, whereas AMF community composition did not vary among plant species. Path analysis revealed that precipitation directly affected AMF hyphal length density, and indirectly influenced AMF species richness likely through the mediation of plant coverage. Our results suggested that water availability could drive the changes of AMF communities at regional scale. Given the important roles AMF could play in the dynamics of plant communities, exploring the changes of AMF communities along key environmental gradients would help us better predict the ecosystem level responses of the Tibetan vegetation to future climate change.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhouying Xu ◽  
Yichao Lv ◽  
Yinghe Jiang ◽  
Xiaodong Luo ◽  
Xuelin Gui ◽  
...  

Abstract An increasing number of investigations have demonstrated the universal existence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in aquatic ecosystems. However, little is known about the accurate distribution and functions of AMF inhabiting aquatic ecosystems, especially ecological floating bed (EFB) which was constructed for the remediation of polluted waterbodies.In this study, we collected root samples of Canna generalis, Cyperus alternifolius and Eichhornia crassipes from three EFBs floating on two eutrophic lakes in Wuhan, China, to investigate the resources and distribution of AMF in EFBs using Illumina Mi-seq technology. A total of 229 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and 21 taxon from 348,799 Glomeromycota sequences were detected. Glomus was the most dominant AMF in the three EFBs while the second dominant AMF was related to Acaulospora. Different aquatic plant species exhibited varying degrees of AMF colonization (3.83%~71%), diversity (6~103 OTUs, 3~15 virtual taxa) and abundance (14~57551 sequences). Low AMF abundance but relatively high AMF diversity were found in C. alternifolius which is usually considered as non-mycorrhizal, demonstrating the high accuracy of Illumina sequencing. In addition, results from this study suggested a lognormal species abundance distribution was observed across AMF taxa in the three plant species, and the AMF community composition was closely related to pH, nitrogen and phosphorus.Overall, our data demonstrated that diverse and abundant AMF communities were living in EFBs, and the AMF community composition was closely related to the water quality of eutrophic lakes treated by EFBs, providing potential possibility for the applications of AMF in plant-based bioremediation of wastewater.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie- Noëlle Binet ◽  
Camille Marchal ◽  
Justine Lipuma ◽  
Roberto A. Geremia ◽  
Olivier Bagarri ◽  
...  

AbstractWe investigated root communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in relation to lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and lavandin (Lavandula intermedia) health status from organic and conventional fields affected by Phytoplasma infection. The intensity of root mycorrhizal colonization was significantly different between diseased and healthy plants and was higher in the latter regardless of agricultural practice. This difference was more pronounced in lavender. The root AMF diversity was influenced by the plant health status solely in lavender and only under the conventional practice resulting in an increase in the AMF abundance and richness. The plant health status did not influence the distribution of root AMF communities in lavandin unlike its strong impact in lavender in both agricultural practices. Finally, among the most abundant molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs), four different MOTUs for each plant species were significantly abundant in the roots of healthy lavender and lavandin in either agricultural practice. Our study demonstrated that the plant health status influences root colonization and can influence the diversity and distribution of root AMF communities. Its effects vary according to plant species, can be modified by agricultural practices and allow plants to establish symbiosis with specific AMF species.


2004 ◽  
Vol 70 (10) ◽  
pp. 6240-6246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanja R. Scheublin ◽  
Karyn P. Ridgway ◽  
J. Peter W. Young ◽  
Marcel G. A. van der Heijden

ABSTRACT Legumes are an important plant functional group since they can form a tripartite symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing Rhizobium bacteria and phosphorus-acquiring arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). However, not much is known about AMF community composition in legumes and their root nodules. In this study, we analyzed the AMF community composition in the roots of three nonlegumes and in the roots and root nodules of three legumes growing in a natural dune grassland. We amplified a portion of the small-subunit ribosomal DNA and analyzed it by using restriction fragment length polymorphism and direct sequencing. We found differences in AMF communities between legumes and nonlegumes and between legume roots and root nodules. Different plant species also contained different AMF communities, with different AMF diversity. One AMF sequence type was much more abundant in legumes than in nonlegumes (39 and 13%, respectively). Root nodules contained characteristic AMF communities that were different from those in legume roots, even though the communities were similar in nodules from different legume species. One AMF sequence type was found almost exclusively in root nodules. Legumes and root nodules have relatively high nitrogen concentrations and high phosphorus demands. Accordingly, the presence of legume- and nodule-related AMF can be explained by the specific nutritional requirements of legumes or by host-specific interactions among legumes, root nodules, and AMF. In summary, we found that AMF communities vary between plant functional groups (legumes and nonlegumes), between plant species, and between parts of a root system (roots and root nodules).


Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina S. C. Calheiros ◽  
Sofia I.A. Pereira ◽  
Albina R. Franco ◽  
Paula M. L. Castro

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are biological wastewater treatment systems that comprise several components where plants and associated organisms play an important role in water depuration. Microbial studies emphasize bacterial dynamics, whereas studies of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are scarce and the functional role of AMF in aquatic and wetland plants is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to analyze the AMF communities colonizing the roots of Canna indica, Canna flaccida, and Watsonia borbonica inhabiting a CW treating wastewater of a tourism unit. The dynamics of the AMF communities were evaluated by Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) of 18S rRNA gene amplification products along cold (C) and hot (H) seasons for three consecutive years. DGGE profiles allowed the estimation of AMF species richness (S), and Shannon-Wienner (H) and Pielou (J) indexes, for the different plant species, showing differences between species and along the years. Excised bands from DGGE were analyzed and identified through sequencing for arbuscular mycorrhiza, revealing the presence of AMF strains closely related to Glomus sp., Rhizophagus sp. and Acaulospora sp. genera. Concomitant water quality analyses showed that the system was effective in organic and nutrient removal during the sampling period. Findings from this study suggest that AMF diversity found in the CW is influenced by the water constituents, season, and plant species.


2007 ◽  
Vol 73 (17) ◽  
pp. 5426-5434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zuzana Sýkorová ◽  
Andres Wiemken ◽  
Dirk Redecker

ABSTRACT The community composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was analyzed in roots of Gentiana verna, Gentiana acaulis, and accompanying plant species from two species-rich Swiss alpine meadows located in the same area. The aim of the study was to elucidate the impact of host preference or host specificity on the AMF community in the roots. The roots were analyzed by nested PCR, restriction fragment length polymorphism screening, and sequencing of ribosomal DNA small-subunit and internal transcribed spacer regions. The AMF sequences were analyzed phylogenetically and used to define monophyletic sequence types. The AMF community composition was strongly influenced by the host plant species, but compositions did not significantly differ between the two sites. Detailed analyses of the two cooccurring gentian species G. verna and G. acaulis, as well as of neighboring Trifolium spp., revealed that their AMF communities differed significantly. All three host plant taxa harbored AMF communities comprising multiple phylotypes from different fungal lineages. A frequent fungal phylotype from Glomus group B was almost exclusively found in Trifolium spp., suggesting some degree of host preference for this fungus in this habitat. In conclusion, the results indicate that within a relatively small area with similar soil and climatic conditions, the host plant species can have a major influence on the AMF communities within the roots. No evidence was found for a narrowing of the mycosymbiont spectrum in the two green gentians, in contrast to previous findings with their achlorophyllous relatives.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anurag Chaturvedi ◽  
Joaquim Cruz Corella ◽  
Chanz Robbins ◽  
Anita Loha ◽  
Laure Menin ◽  
...  

AbstractEarly-diverging fungi (EDF) are distinct from Dikarya and other eukaryotes, exhibiting high N6-methyldeoxyadenine (6mA) contents, rather than 5-methylcytosine (5mC). As plants transitioned to land the EDF sub-phylum, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF; Glomeromycotina) evolved a symbiotic lifestyle with 80% of plant species worldwide. Here we show that these fungi exhibit 5mC and 6mA methylation characteristics that jointly set them apart from other fungi. The model AMF, R. irregularis, evolved very high levels of 5mC and greatly reduced levels of 6mA. However, unlike the Dikarya, 6mA in AMF occurs at symmetrical ApT motifs in genes and is associated with their transcription. 6mA is heterogeneously distributed among nuclei in these coenocytic fungi suggesting functional differences among nuclei. While far fewer genes are regulated by 6mA in the AMF genome than in EDF, most strikingly, 6mA methylation has been specifically retained in genes implicated in components of phosphate regulation; the quintessential hallmark defining this globally important symbiosis.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maede Faghihinia ◽  
Yi Zou ◽  
Yongfei Bai ◽  
Martin Dudáš ◽  
Rob Marrs ◽  
...  

Abstract Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are the predominant type of mycorrhizal fungi in roots and rhizosphere soil of grass species worldwide. Grasslands are currently experiencing increasing grazing pressure, but it is not yet clear how grazing intensity and host plant grazing preference by large herbivores interact with soil- and root-associated AMF communities. Here, we tested whether the diversity and community composition of AMF in the roots and rhizosphere soil of two dominant perennial grasses grazed differently by livestock change in response to grazing intensity. We conducted a study in a long-term field experiment in which seven levels of field-manipulated grazing intensities were maintained for 13 years in a typical steppe grassland in northern China. We extracted DNA from the roots and rhizosphere soil of two dominant grasses, Leymus chinense (Trin.) Tzvel. and Stipa grandis P. Smirn, with contrasting grazing preference by sheep. AMF DNA from root and soil samples were then subjected to molecular analysis. Our results showed that AMF α-diversity (richness) at the virtual taxa (VT) level varied as a function of grazing intensity. Different VTs showed completely different responses along the gradient, one increasing, one decreasing and others showing no response. Glomeraceae was the most abundant AMF family along the grazing gradient, which fits well with the theory of disturbance tolerance of this group. In addition, sheep grazing preference for host plants did not explain a considerable variation in AMF α-diversity. However, the two grass species exhibited different community composition in their roots and rhizosphere soils. Roots exhibited a lower α-diversity and higher β-diversity within the AMF community than soils. Overall, our results suggest that long-term grazing intensity might have changed the abundance of functionally-diverse AMF taxa in favor of those with disturbance-tolerant traits. We suggest our results would be useful in informing the choice of mycorrhizal fungi indicator variables when assessing the impacts of grassland management choices on grassland ecosystem functioning.


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