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Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities along a pedo-hydrological gradient in a Central Amazonian terra firme forest

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An Erratum to this article was published on 20 August 2013

Abstract

Little attention has been paid to plant mutualistic interactions in the Amazon rainforest, and the general pattern of occurrence and diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in these ecosystems is largely unknown. This study investigated AMF communities through their spores in soil in a ‘terra firme forest’ in Central Amazonia. The contribution played by abiotic factors and plant host species identity in regulating the composition, abundance and diversity of such communities along a topographic gradient with different soils and hydrology was also evaluated. Forty-one spore morphotypes were observed with species belonging to the genera Glomus and Acaulospora, representing 44 % of the total taxa. Soil texture and moisture, together with host identity, were predominant factors responsible for shaping AMF communities along the pedo-hydrological gradient. However, the variability within AMF communities was largely associated with shifts in the relative abundance of spores rather than changes in species composition, confirming that common AMF species are widely distributed in plant communities and all plants recruited into the forest are likely to be exposed to the dominant sporulating AMF species.

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Acknowledgments

Research was supported by grants from the Brazilian National Council of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq) to ROF (PCI-DC 311812/2011-2) and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) to EB (SFRH/BPD/77795/2011). The Biodiversity Programme (PPbio) of the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology is thanked for financial help.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Coordenação de Biodiversidade (CBIO), Av. Efigênio Sales, 2239, Campus III CP 478, CEP 69011-970, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil

    Rejane de Oliveira Freitas, Alex Bruno dos Santos Maciel & Regina C. C. Luizão

  2. Escritório Central do LBA, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Av. André Araújo, 2936, Campus II, Aleixo, CEP 69060-001, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil

    Erika Buscardo & Laszlo Nagy

  3. Centro de Ecologia Funcional, Departamento de Ciências da Vida, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade de Coimbra, Apartado 3046, 3001-401, Coimbra, Portugal

    Erika Buscardo

  4. Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, Campus Universitário, 87020-900, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil

    Rosilaine Carrenho

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  1. Rejane de Oliveira Freitas
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  2. Erika Buscardo
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  3. Laszlo Nagy
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  4. Alex Bruno dos Santos Maciel
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  5. Rosilaine Carrenho
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  6. Regina C. C. Luizão
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Correspondence to Erika Buscardo.

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Alex Bruno dos Santos Maciel is deceased.

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de Oliveira Freitas, R., Buscardo, E., Nagy, L. et al. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities along a pedo-hydrological gradient in a Central Amazonian terra firme forest. Mycorrhiza 24, 21–32 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-013-0507-x

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