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Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in two mangroves in South China

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Abstract

The symbiosis between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and mangrove plant species was investigated in two mangrove swamps in south China. AMF were mostly found in the form of hyphae and were commonly associated with all the mangrove species we investigated. Six AMF species belonging to the genera Glomus or Acaulospora were identified. Multiple step-wise linear regression analyses showed that hydrological conditions and phosphorus levels in the rhizosphere were the main abiotic factors affecting the colonization of mangrove species by AMF. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of AMF inoculation on the growth and nutrient uptake of a true mangrove plant species, Sonneratia apetala B. Ham. The inoculated AMF significantly improved growth, resulting in greater plant height, diameter at ground level and plant biomass, as well as increased absorption of N, P and K. These findings suggest that AMF play important roles in mangrove ecosystems.

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Abbreviations

AMF:

arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

FT:

Futian Mangrove Area locating in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China

ZH:

Zhuhai Mangrove Area locating in Zhuhai, Guangdong, China

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Acknowledgements

This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC, U0633002; 30871475) and a research grant from the Research Grants Council of the HKSAR (Project No. CityU 1406/06M), Zhang Hong-da Science Research Fund of Sun Yat-Sen University and the Project of Science and Technology of Zhuhai City (200901022). We thank Wang You-shan (Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences) for her help with the AMF identification, and Luan Tian-gang, Xia Fang-fang, Yang Qiong, Zhong Yin and Wang Yuan-yuan (Futian-CityU Mangrove R and D Centre) for their assistance in sampling. We also thank Dr. Janice Martin (University of Wales, Aberystwyth, UK), Dr. John Blackwell (University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK), Roger T. Koide (Penn State University, University Park, USA) and Chen Bao-ming (Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China) for assistance with English grammar.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China

    Yutao Wang, Qiu Qiu, Zhongyi Yang, Zhijian Hu & Guorong Xin

  2. Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Nora Fung-Yee Tam

  3. Futian-CityU Mangrove RandD Centre, Futian, Shenzhen, China

    Nora Fung-Yee Tam

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  1. Yutao Wang
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  2. Qiu Qiu
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  3. Zhongyi Yang
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  4. Zhijian Hu
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  5. Nora Fung-Yee Tam
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  6. Guorong Xin
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Zhongyi Yang or Guorong Xin.

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Responsible Editor: Peter Christie.

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Wang, Y., Qiu, Q., Yang, Z. et al. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in two mangroves in South China. Plant Soil 331, 181–191 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-009-0244-2

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