Susann Appoloni, Ylva Lekberg, Michael T. Tercek, Catherine A. Zabinski and Dirk Redecker
Abstract
To better understand adaptation of plants and
their mycorrhizae to extreme environmental conditions, we
analyzed the composition of communities of arbuscular
mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in roots from geothermal sites in
Yellowstone National Park (YNP), USA. Arbuscular
mycorrhizal fungi were identified using molecular methods
including seven specific primer pairs for regions of the
ribosomal DNA that amplify different subgroups of AMF.
Roots of Dichanthelium lanuginosum, a grass only occurring in geothermal areas, were sampled along with thermal
and nonthermal Agrostis scabra and control plants growing
outside the thermally influenced sites. In addition, root
samples of Agrostis stolonifera from geothermal areas of
Iceland were analyzed to identify possible common
mycosymbionts between these geographically isolated
locations. In YNP, 16 ribosomal DNA phylotypes belonging
to the genera Archaeospora, Glomus, Paraglomus,
Scutellospora, and Acaulospora were detected. Eight of
these phylotypes could be assigned to known morphospecies,
two others have been reported previously in molecular
studies from different environments, and six were new to
science. The most diverse and abundant lineage was Glomus
group A, with the most frequent phylotype corresponding
to Glomus intraradices. Five of the seven phylotypes
detected in a preliminary sampling in a geothermal area in
Iceland were also found in YNP. Nonthermal vegetation
was dominated by a high diversity of Glomus group A
phylotypes while nonthermal plants were not. Using
multivariate analyses, a subset of three phylotypes were
determined to be associated with geothermal conditions in
the field sites analyzed. In conclusion, AMF communities
in geothermal soils are distinct in their composition,
including both unique phylotypes and generalist fungi that
occur across a broad range of environmental conditions.
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