title: Modularity reveals the tendency of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to interact differently with generalist and specialist plant species in gypsum soils.
abstract: Patterns in plant-soil biota interactions could be influenced by the spatial distribution of species due to soil conditions or by the functional traits of species. Gypsum environments usually constitute a mosaic of heterogeneous soils where gypsum and nongypsum soils are imbricated at a local scale. A case study of the interactions of plants with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in gypsum environments can be illustrative of patterns in biotic interactions. We hypothesized that (i) soil characteristics might affect the AMF community and (ii) there are differences between the AMF communities (modules) associated with plants exclusive to gypsum soils (gypsophytes) and those associated with plants that show facultative behavior on gypsum and/or marly-limestone soils (gypsovags). We used indicator species and network analyses to test for differences between the AMF communities harbored in gypsophyte and gypsovag plants. We recorded 46 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) belonging to nine genera of Glomeromycota. The indicator species analysis showed two OTUs preferentially associating with gypsum soils and three OTUs preferentially associating with marly-limestone soils. Modularity analysis revealed that soil type can be a major factor shaping AMF communities, and some AMF groups showed a tendency to interact differently with plants that had distinct ecological strategies (gypsophytes and gypsovags). Characterization of ecological networks can be a valuable tool for ascertaining the potential influence of above- and below-ground biotic interactions (plant-AMF) on plant community composition.
authors: CSIC-Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura, Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Campus de Espinardo, Murcia, Spain.
authors: Emma
authors: E
authors: Torrecillas
authors: CSIC-Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura, Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Campus de Espinardo, Murcia, Spain.
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: del Mar Alguacil
authors: CSIC-Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura, Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Campus de Espinardo, Murcia, Spain.
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Roldán
authors: Departamento de Biología Aplicada, Área de Botánica, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, Alicante, Spain.
authors: Gisela
authors: G
authors: Díaz
authors: Departamento de Ecología de la Biodiversidad, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors: Alicia
authors: A
authors: Montesinos-Navarro
authors: Departamento de Biología Aplicada, Área de Botánica, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, Alicante, Spain mp.torres@umh.es.
authors: Maria Pilar
authors: MP
authors: Torres
mesh_terms: D058448:Biota; D002133:Calcium Sulfate; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000145:classification* / Q000254:growth & development*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012988:Soil Microbiology
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D002133:Calcium Sulfate