A preliminary study on AM fungal spores in three plant communities in Guangdong Province

The composition of Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in the three plant communities, evergreen broad-leaf forests, plantations (Acacia confusa, Pinus elliottii, and Eucalyptus leizhou), and cassava croplands in Guangdong Province were surveyed. Trifolium repens was used as a bait plant to trap the AMF spores in the soil sample. The spores were isolated from the soil by sieving and decanting procedure and centrifugation using sucrose. Based on the shape, color, size, wall ornamentation and the structure of subtending hypha, a total of 20 morphotypes of AM fungal spores, belonging to 3 families and 5 genera, were recognized. Of these, 10 types are in Glomus, 5 in Acaulospora, 1 in Gigaspora and Scutellospora respectively and 1 in Entrophospora. Among the 20 spore types, Glomus is the most widespread genus, cf. Glomus versiforme, cf. G. dolichosporum, cf. G. eburneum, and Acaulospora scrobiculata are found in 3 studied communities. The other types are only confined to a few soil samples.