Ectomycorrhizal fungi diversity in a white sand forest in western Amazonia

Abstract

The genera Dicymbe and Aldina (Fabaceae) host ectomycorrhizal fungi (EcM) and are common in white sand forests (WSFs), a highly specialized habitat with a high level of plant endemism compared with terra-firme forests. In this study, we visited four times a 1-ha permanent plot established in a small patch of a WSF in the south of Colombia Amazonia. Forty-eight species of EcM fungi were recovered from sporocarps and 15 ITS species-level were detected from root tips. Seventeen species were new reports to Colombia and seven corresponded to undescribed species. These results confirm that this WSF supports a significant EcM fungal diversity. Most of the species found in this study have been previously reported to be associated with other legume and/or dipterocarp species from geographically distant forests. The long-distance occurrence combined with low host specificity, suggest the possibility of gene flow between geographically distant populations of EcM fungi in neotropical lowland rainforests.