Open AccessAnthropogenic land use shapes the composition and phylogenetic structure of soil arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities
Author(s) -
Moora Mari,
Davison John,
Öpik Maarja,
Metsis Madis,
Saks Ülle,
Jairus Teele,
Vasar Martti,
Zobel Martin
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
fems microbiology ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.377
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1574-6941
pISSN - 0168-6496
DOI - 10.1111/1574-6941.12420
Subject(s) - biology , habitat , ecology , biodiversity , species richness , community structure , indicator species , ecosystem , taxon , ecological succession , grassland
Arbuscular mycorrhizal ( AM ) fungi play an important role in ecosystems, but little is known about how soil AM fungal community composition varies in relation to habitat type and land‐use intensity. We molecularly characterized AM fungal communities in soil samples ( n = 88) from structurally open (permanent grassland, intensive and sustainable agriculture) and forested habitats (primeval forest and spruce plantation). The habitats harboured significantly different AM fungal communities, and there was a broad difference in fungal community composition between forested and open habitats, the latter being characterized by higher average AM fungal richness. Within both open and forest habitats, intensive land use significantly influenced community composition. There was a broad difference in the phylogenetic structure of AM fungal communities between mechanically disturbed and nondisturbed habitats. Taxa from Glomeraceae served as indicator species for the nondisturbed habitats, while taxa from Archaeosporaceae , Claroideoglomeraceae and Diversisporaceae were indicators for the disturbed habitats. The distribution of these indicator taxa among habitat types in the Maarj AM global database of AM fungal diversity was in accordance with their local indicator status.