Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal community assembly in the Brazilian tropical seasonal dry forest

Introduction: Here, we compare the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) community composition in soils from the root zone of the exotic invasive species Prosopis juliflora (EXO soils) and soils from the root zone of the native species Mimosa tenuiflora (NAT soils) from five locations in the Brazilian tropical seasonal dry forest, Paraiba, Brazil, using morphological analyses. Results: AMF community composition in EXO and NAT soils were dissimilar. Available phosphorus, diversity index, spore abundance, and species richness were the main factors differing between the EXO and NAT soils. In general, the most dominant order present in the soils were Glomerales (44.8%) and Gigasporales (41.4%). The most abundant AMF genus in all studied soils was Funneliformis. Conclusions: Differences in AMF community composition were associated with (1) differences in the dominant plant species (P. juliflora vs. M. tenuiflora) and (2) changes in soil chemical factors (soil, pH, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, and available P) in EXO soils. These results contribute to a deeper view of the AMF communities in exotic soils and open new perspectives for ecological processes involving AMF species and exotic plant species in the Brazilian tropical seasonal dry forest.