Characterization of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities associated with hedgerows.
Promoting sustainable agriculture is essential to address challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss. Hedgerows are proven to be an effective tool for promoting aboveground biodiversity and providing ecosystem services. However, little is known about their impact on belowground biodiversity. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are one of the most important forms of belowground biodiversity. The present work compared AM fungal communities at hedgerows with adjacent habitats. A hundred and twenty samples were collected out of four sites selected in Central Spain to quantify soil geochemisty and AM fungal metagenomics A number of biodiversity metrics were used to fit linear models and compared soil geochemistry and AM fungal communities in hedgerows, olive groves, vineyards, barley field, and grasslands We found that hedgerows increased AM fungal richness and diversity, especially related to unwooded habitats. In conclusion, European farmers should plant more and more hedgerows to restore belowground biodiversity.