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Arbuscular mycorrhizal status of spring ephemerals in the desert ecosystem of Junggar Basin, China

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Abstract

A survey was made of the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) status of 73 spring ephemeral plant species that grow in the desert ecosystem of Junggar Basin, northwest China. The proportion of AM colonization ranged from 7 to 73% with a mean value of 30%. A total of 65 plant species studied were AM with coils/arbuscules or vesicles and the remaining eight species were possibly AM with no coils/arbuscules or vesicles but with fungal mycelia in the root cortex. AM fungal spores were isolated from rhizosphere samples of all 73 plant species and identified. The mean spore density was 22 per 20 ml of air-dried soil, ranging from 0 to 120. Colonization and spore density of perennials were slightly higher than of annuals and varied among different plant families. A total of 603 AM fungal spore (or sporocarp) specimens were isolated belonging to six genera, Acaulospora, Archaeopora, Entrophospora, Glomus, Paraglomus, and Scutellospora; Glomus was the dominant genus. We conclude that spring ephemerals may be highly dependent on AM associations for survival in the very infertile and arid soils of this desert ecosystem.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Professor Liyun Zhang for his valuable help in the identification of the plant species and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project 30470341) and Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, for generous financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, 2 Yuan Min Yuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China

    Z. Y. Shi, G. Feng, P. Christie & X. L. Li

  2. Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830000, People's Republic of China

    G. Feng

  3. Agricultural and Environmental Science Department, Queen’s University Belfast, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 PX, UK

    P. Christie

Authors
  1. Z. Y. Shi
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  2. G. Feng
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  3. P. Christie
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  4. X. L. Li
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Correspondence to G. Feng.

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Shi, Z.Y., Feng, G., Christie, P. et al. Arbuscular mycorrhizal status of spring ephemerals in the desert ecosystem of Junggar Basin, China. Mycorrhiza 16, 269–275 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-006-0041-1

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