Management practices may lead to loss of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal diversity in protected areas of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

The symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are among the ecologically most significant organisms in terrestrial ecosystems, but little is known about how soil AM fungal community composition responds to conservation management and different degrees of human impact on natural ecosystems. The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of the management practices on the AM fungi community structure in protected areas of the Atlantic Forest in Northeast Brazil. During two seasons we assessed AM fungal diversity and mycorrhizal root colonization status in five strict-protected and five sustainable use areas along a 900 km transect. The sampling effort was sufficient to recover more than 85% of the AM fungal species present in the protected areas. Fifty-six AM fungal species and morphotypes were identified. Most species belonged to Glomerales and Gigasporales, but all orders of Glomeromycotina were registered. Species diversity and mycorrhizal colonization were significantly higher in the strict protection management areas, though the areas had the same richness and spore density. Seasonality and spatial distances did not affect the AM fungal community composition. Our results show that the conservation management, vegetation and soil characteristics are important local factors influencing AM fungal communities. This work provides a better understanding of AM fungal community structure in natural ecosystems and provides insight into distribution patterns at a broad landscape scale. (C) z 2018 Elsevier Ltd and British Mycological Society. All rights reserved.