The occurrence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi of the phylum Glomeromycota in Israeli soils

In December 1997 and June-July 2000, 49 and 113 rhizosphere soil and root mixtures were collected, respectively, to determine the occurrence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) of the phylum Glomeromycota in different sites of Israel. Except for five samples taken from under cultivated plants, all the others came from under Ammophila arenaria and Oenothera drummondii colonizing sand dunes adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea. After a continuous cultivation of the mixtures in pot trap cultures with Plantago lanceolata as the plant host up to 2006 and their examination at least twice a year, spores of AMF were found in 41 and 103 cultures with the 1997 and 2000 soil and root mixtures, respectively. The spores represented 30 species and 8 undescribed morphotypes in 7,genera of the Glomeromycota. The AMF most frequently found in Israeli soils were Glomus aurantium and G. constriction, followed by G. coronatum, G. gibbosum, an undescribed Glomus 178, and Scutellospora dipurpurescens. Up to 2001, 21 species of AMF were known to occur in Israel, and this paper increases this number to 33, of which 11 are new fungi for this country. Moreover, four species, G. aurantium, G. drummondii, G. walkeri and G. xanthium, were recently described as new for science based on spores isolated from Israeli soils. Additionally, the general distribution in the world of the formally described species found in Israel was presented.