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| Publication Type | J |
| Authors | Sonjak, S., M. Udovic, T. Wraber, M. Likar and M. Regvar |
| Title | Diversity of halophytes and identification of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi colonising their roots in an abandoned and sustained part of Secovlje salterns |
| Source | Soil Biology & Biochemistry |
| Author Keywords | Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) Dark septate endophytes (DSEs) Glomus Halophytes Salterns Temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TTGE) dark septate endophytes soil-salinity colonization plants amplification propagules symbiosis responses alignment gradient |
| Abstract | Secovlje salterns are an important protected area of biotic diversity in the Mediterranean. They represent an extreme environment with high salinity and drought that severely influence the growth of organisms. In the present study. diversity of plant halophytes and their mycorrhizal status were screened at eight different locations, which were mostly dikes and salt ponds, and which were deliberately selected for their distinct properties (e.g. soil salinity ranging from 105 to 2627 mu S cm(-1), vegetation type and management practice of the salterns). Twelve different halophytic plant species were recorded, of which eleven are designated as vulnerable. With few exceptions, they were found at the abandoned (Fontanigge) and sustained (Lera) locations of the Secovlje salterns, distributed according to their tolerance to the salinity and waterlogging. The highest diversity of halophytes was listed at Fontanigge, in the abandoned, periodically flooded and gradually overgrown salt ponds. All of the examined species were colonised with either arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and/or dark septate endophytes (DSEs). High levels of colonisation were however detected only for species belonging to the Asteraceae and Plantaginaceae families. Higher root colonisation frequencies were generally seen for plants growing in the abandoned parts, when compared to the managed parts, whereas there was little correlation of the colonisation parameters with physicochemical parameters of rhizospheric soil properties. Molecular analysis by temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TTGE) of roots of halophytic plant species with confirmed AMF colonisation (arbuscules present) revealed the occurrence of at least six different AMF species, related to Glomus geosporum, Glomus caledonium and Glomus intraradices, and to different Glomus sp. clades and the Diversispora clade. This is to the best of our knowledge the first report of AMF and DSE mycorrhizal status of most of the halophyte plant species examined and of the brother scale identification of AMF species based on molecular analyses of roots of diverse halophytes from high saline environments. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
| Author Address | [Sonjak, S; Udovic, M; Wraber, T; Likar, M; Regvar, M] Univ Ljubljana, Dept Biol, Biotech Fac, SL-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Sonjak, S (reprint author), Univ Ljubljana, Dept Biol, Biotech Fac, Vecna Pot 111, SL-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia silva.sonjak@bf.uni-lj.si |
| ISSN | 0038-0717 |
| ISBN | 0038-0717 |
| 29-Character Source Abbreviation | Soil Biol. Biochem. |
| Publication Date | Sep |
| Year Published | 2009 |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue | 9 |
| Beginning Page | 1847-1856 |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | 10.1016/j.soilbio.2009.06.006 |
| Unique Article Identifier | WOS:000269995100013 |
| Plants associated with this reference |