Diversity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Disturbed and Undisturbed Forests of Karbi Anglong Hill District of Assam

Conversion of tropical forests to agricultural lands is one of the leading causes of biodiversity loss. To assess the impact of such forest conversion on microbial diversity, the present study investigated the diversity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) in undisturbed forests (UF), Slash-and-Burn Fields (SBF) and Monoculture Forests (MF). The study sites are located adjacently on a hilly slope. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) fungal spores were extracted by wet-sieving and decanting technique from the three sites. A total of 12 AM fungal taxa belonging to 4 different genera were extracted and identified. Glomus was the dominant genus in all three sites. Spore density was highest in UF, lower in SBF, and lowest in MF. The high diversity of AM fungi in undisturbed forest with naturally higher plant species diversity suggested that disturbance affect the abundance and richness of arbuscular mycorrhizal spores. Our results show that the forests of Karbi Anglong Hill District of Assam contained a high AM fungal diversity and species richness. The AMF diversity is significantly affected by the land use practices practiced by the people and no step has been initiated to restore this important group of microorganisms by forest management practices.