Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal community structure and diversity are affected by host plant species and soil depth in the Mu Us Desert, northwest China

The vertical diversity and distribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi were investigated in the Mu Us Desert, northwest China. Soils were sampled to 50 cm in depth in the rhizospheres of Hedysarum laeve, Artemisia ordosica, and Psammochloa villosa and 44 AM fungal species belonging to 10 genera were isolated. Several of these species have peculiar morphological features, which are distinct from other habitats. AM fungal diversity and distribution differed significantly among the three host plants and the five soil layers. Spore density, species richness, and the Shannon-Wiener index of AM fungi were 0.55–4.3 spores g⁻¹ soil, 7–36 and 1.78–2.89, respectively. Spore density and species richness had a significant positive correlation with soil total phosphorus content (0.0377–0.1129 mg g⁻¹), and a negative correlation with soil pH (7.19–7.64). Nonmetric multidimensional scaling, PerMANOVA, and structural equation model analysis demonstrated that host plant species and soil depth significantly and directly influenced the structure of AM fungal communities. We concluded that diversity and distribution of AM fungi might be influenced by plant species, soil depth patterns, and soil nutrient availability in desert ecosystems. This research into AM fungal communities may lead to the development of AM fungi treatment for the mitigation of soil erosion and desertification using mycorrhizal plants, such as H. laeve, A. ordosica, and P. villosa.