Title : Communities of Arbuscular mycorrhize Fungi (HFMA) associated wild plants of Agraz (Vaccinium meridionale Swartz) in the Colombian Andes
Abstract:
The tropical Andes of Colombia and Ecuador are recognized for their high biodiversity, this region is native to the agraz (Vaccinium meridionale Swartz). This plant grows in acidic soils and it has an incipient radical system that favors its association with HFMA in symbiosis to adapt to stress conditions. The purpose of this research was to characterize the diversity of AMF communities associated with wild agraz plants. The methodology consisted of: 1) identifying the present morphospecies of HFMA, 2) comparing their communities through diversity indices, 3) determining the chemical properties of the soil, and 4) their relationship with species richness. In the results, 752 AMF spores were identified in 10 g of soil from 26 samples, with 18 morphospecies represented in 7 families and 18 genera. Four predominant morphospecies were characterized: Glomus microcarpum (IF = 50.0%, RD = 43.5%), Rhizoglomus fasciculatum (IF = 20.8%, RD = 13.9%), Glomus australe (IF = 4.2%, RD = 13.2%) and Glomus atrouva (IF = 4.2%, RD = 5.5%). The highest values in the diversity indices were found in San Miguel de Sema, with Shannon and Simpson indices (1.94 and 0.77, respectively), while in the municipality of Chinquinquirá the highest uniformity values of Pileou were obtained, with a value of 0.99.
