Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Sandy Soils in Iceland

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) were extracted from samples of eight different sites of sandy soils in Iceland. Eleven species of AMF were identified directly from original soil samples or trap culture using the host plant Allium porrum. Six AMF species were successfully subcultured in pots with the host plant Plantago lanceolata. Species from four genera of the order Glomerales (Acaulospora, Entrophospora, Glomus, and Scutellospora) were identified. The AMF species identified from subcultured pots included Glomus hoi, G. clarum, and a species of Scutellospora resembling S. dipurpurascens. Three other, as yet unidentified, species of Glomus were also isolated. AMF root colonization was estimated on Leymus arenarius (lymegrass), the main dune-building grass in Iceland during the growing season. Total AMF root colonization did not depend upon the season. However, percentage root colonization of arbuscules was significantly highest in July, indicating the highest peak of functional AMF activity. This survey of AMF is the first conducted in Iceland. The importance of this work is discussed in relation to occurrence of AMF species in polar regions and in relation to sand dune reclamation.