Rainfall and soil properties driver the temporal dynamics of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal assemblages in a seasonally dry tropical forest

Abstract

The Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests (SDTF), distributed from Mexico to northern Argentina, are habitat to a unique biodiversity. Among these forests, the Caatinga stands out, occupying a large part of the Brazilian Northeast and is subject to cycles of anthropic disturbance and abandonment of exploited areas. Understanding how microbial communities respond to environmental changes is crucial, especially considering the various ecosystem services provided by microorganisms. Among soil microorganisms, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a significant role in the maintenance of terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the structure, composition, and distribution of AMF assemblages, as well as their main drivers, in regeneration areas of the Caatinga. Soil samples were collected in the Catimbau National Park (Pernambuco State), including an old-growth forest representing undisturbed areas, and in early, intermediate, and late regeneration areas. The composition of AMF assemblages differed among regenerating areas and old-growth forest, but their distribution is not related and conditioned to plant assemblages. Instead, soil properties and rainfall are the main factors structuring these assemblages in SDTF. A total of 83 taxa of AMF were identified. Glomus and Acaulospora, which exhibit respectively ruderal and stress-tolerant life strategies were the most abundant genera. The highest number of unique AMF species was recorded in the old-growth forest, contrasting with the late regeneration areas which had the lowest number. The results showed that deterministic processes (soil and rainfall) are structuring the AMF assemblages in areas under regeneration process in SDTF. Plants and AMF do not recover simultaneously over the evaluated regeneration times.