Abstract
The Cerrado, Brazil’s extensive tropical savanna, is recognized for its remarkable floristic heterogeneity, featuring a wide spectrum of vegetation types that transition from open grasslands to closed-canopy forests. In these ecosystems, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a crucial ecological role. A more in-depth understanding of AMF community patterns across these distinct environments is essential for the development of sustainable agricultural strategies and effective conservation protocols. Therefore, the present study evaluated the distribution and community dynamics of AMF across five primary Cerrado phytophysiognomies in the São Patrício Valley region in Goiás, Brazil: Campo Limpo, Campo Sujo, Cerradão, Stricto Sensu, and Veredas. Our findings confirm the occurrence of nine distinct AMF genera—Acaulospora, Claroideoglomus, Diversispora, Scutellospora, Sclerocystis, Glomus, Funneliformis, Gigaspora, and Ambispora—within the rhizospheric soil of the native vegetation. Furthermore, distinct ecological affinities were observed: Campo Limpo was strongly associated with Diversispora, Gigaspora, and Funneliformis. Conversely, Campo Sujo exhibited lower affinity for Sclerocystis and Scutellospora; Cerradão showed the lowest affinity for Sclerocystis and Gigaspora; and Stricto Sensu environments demonstrated the lowest affinity for Scutellospora and Funneliformis.
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The collection of rhizosphere soil and root samples across the five Cerrado phytophysiognomies in the São Patrício Valley, Goiás, was conducted in strict accordance with Brazilian environmental legislation. Formal authorization for the collection of soil and microbiological samples was granted by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) through the Biodiversity Authorization and Information System (SISBIO) under license number 75915-1. All procedures were performed at the Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology of the Evangelical University Center of Goianésia – UNIEGO. The authors confirm that no endangered or protected species were sampled during this study, and all fieldwork was conducted on sites where research permissions were secured.
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Lucas, L.d.S., Rubio Neto, A., Dutra e Silva, S. et al. Comparative analysis of mycorrhizal communities in distinct landscapes of the brazilian tropical savanna.
Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-59668-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-59668-4
Keywords
- AMF
- Cerrado
- Biodiversity
Source: Ecology - nature.com
