Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal spores associated with Sorbus torminalis (L.) Crantz

This study aimed to investigate the diversity and types of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) associated with the wild service tree, Sorbus torminalis (L.) Crantz in spring and autumn followed by identifying similarities among the different study sites. Three different sites were selected including Kheiroud, Lalis, and Tarkin, in the Hyrcanian forests, north of Iran. Five rhizosphere soil samples were collected from each site, and the spores were extracted. Based on their morphological features, five species of AMF belonging to two families, i.e., Claroideoglomeraceae (two species) and Glomeraceae (three species) were identified. The species richness of the studied sites was identical with only the Kheiroud site presenting an additional species. Glomus badium was the most common AMF species in Kheiroud and Lalis in spring and autumn. However, the most common species in Tarkin was Septoglomus constrictum. The Shannon–Wiener indices of diversity and evenness and Simpson’s index of dominance (Ds) showed no significant differences among the studied sites in the two seasons. In sum, it is recommended that the colonized wild service tree seedlings be produced with the more relevant species identified in this study than with commercial sources.