Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi communities from tropical Africa reveal strong ecological structure

• DOI: 10.1111/nph.14122
• Publication Date: 2016-08-25T13:02:46Z
• Authors: Susana Rodríguez‐...; Helena Teixeira; Marta Correia; Sérgio Timóteo; Ruben Heleno; Maarja Öpik; Mari Moora
• Keywords: Edaphic; Glomeromycota

Summary Understanding the distribution and diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi ( AMF ) rules that govern assemblages has been hampered by a lack data from natural ecosystems. In addition, current knowledge on is biased towards temperate ecosystems, whereas little known about other habitats such as dry tropical We explored structure communities in grasslands, savannas, forests miombo protected area under climate (Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique) using 454 pyrosequencing. total, 147 virtual taxa VT were detected, including 22 new to science. found high turnover with ˂ 12% present all vegetation types. Forested areas supported more diverse than savannas grassland. Miombo woodlands had highest richness, number novel , exclusive indicator taxa. Our reveal sharp differentiation between forested periodically flooded grasslands. This marked ecological provides first comprehensive landscape‐scale evidence that, at background globally low endemism local are shaped regional processes environmental filtering edaphic properties disturbance.