Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with Huangshan Magnolia (Magnolia cylindrica)

Root and rhizosphere soil samples of medicinal plant Huangshan Magnolia (Magnolia cylindrica) from Chinese famous national forest park of Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) were studied to determine the root colonization and the diversity of spore populations of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. The results showed that AM fungal colonization structures including hyphae, hyphal coils and vesicles were present in all root samples. Paris-type AM were identified in the roots according to the morphological structure.Seventeen species of AM fungi were isolated and identified from the rhizosphere soil samples. The species were of the genera Acaulospora (6 species), Glomus (8 species),Gigaspora (1 species) and Scutellospora (2 species). Based on importance value, 3 species from Acaulospora and 3 from Glomus were dominant. The AM fungi spore density ranged from 157 to 448 (average 315) per 100 g soil and the species richness ranged from 4 to 8 (average 6.5) per soil sample. Shannon-Wiener index and Evenness were calculated to evaluate the diversity of the AM fungi community associated with M. cylindrica.   Key words: Magnolia cylindrica, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, diversity.