Research Note: Spatial Variation of AM Fungal Spore Numbers under Canopies ofAcacia raddiana

Abstract

The spatial variation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal spores under the canopy of Acacia raddiana was studied in a desert system. Soils samples from the base of the stem, its canopy radius, and outside its canopy at four stations in the Negev desert were collected from a 0 to 50 cm depth at sections of 10 cm each. The mean spore density was found to fluctuate between 265 100 g⁻¹ to 105 100 g⁻¹ in fluvisols and calcaric fluvisols, respectively. Our results suggest that spore density and spore distribution were found to be directly correlated with soil type, elucidating the importance of soil physical composition on AM fungi distribution in desert soil ecosystems.