Linking Soil Chemical Parameters and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Communities in Qatar

Abstract

Much of Qatar’s habitats are characterized by a hyper-arid climate, low rainfall and scarce soil nutrients; all of which combine to create a stress-induced environment for fungal development. Agricultural productivity and soil fertility in turn, are highly dependent on the diversity of soil microbiota. The soil environment is a heterogeneous habitat shaped by various components including soil chemical properties and habitat types i.e. wetlands, barren land and grasslands. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are one of the key components vital for ecological processes in stress-induced systems as the complex hyphae systems of AMF assemblages permit sufficient nutrient exchange in mycorrhiza symbionts. However, much of the diversity and community composition of AMF in Qatar are poorly studied. In this study, Illumina sequencing by MiSeq platform was used to identify and explore the diversity and composition of AMF communities. Our results revealed 127 virtual taxa (VTs) from eight AMF families, 87 of which were identified as species from Glomeraceae family; while indicator analysis showed that Glomeraceae species served as the indicator species in 15 sites with an indicator index value of 13.33 (indicator value > 0.25).