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The aim of this study was to assess the effects of agronomic practices on the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal community in soils from the Pampa Ondulada region (Argentina), and to compare conclusions reached when using pyrosequencing or a morphological approach. The AM fungal diversity of 3 agricultural exploitations located in the Pampa Ondulada region (Argentina) was assessed by using 454 amplicon pyrosequencing and morphological (based on spore traits) approaches. Two kinds of soil managements are found in these sites: agronomic and non-agronomic. A total of 188 molecular operational taxonomic units and 29 morphological species of AM fungi were identified. No effect of soil management on AM richness was detected. AM fungal communities were more diverse and equitable in the absence of agronomic management. In contrast, the results on β-diversity varied according to the methodology used. We concluded that agronomic management of soil has a negative effect on AM fungal community biodiversity in the Pampa Ondulada region. We also conclude that both methodologies complement each other in the study of AM fungal ecology. This study greatly improved the knowledge about AM fungi in South America where the molecular diversity of AM fungi was practically unknown.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal community associated with pecan (Carya illinoinensis) roots and rhizospheric soils was assessed by spore isolation and morphological characterisation and by pyrosequencing of AM molecular markers. The AM fungal community associated with pecan growing in the field, was always more diverse than that associated with pecan growing in containers. This was not observed when AM richness was studied, suggesting that soil disturbance by a reduction in host plant richness leads to a less equitable distribution of AM fungal species, in contrast to natural soils. The chosen primers (AMV4.5F/AMDGR) for pyrosequencing showed high AM fungal specificity. Based on 97% sequence similarity, 49 operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) were obtained and, amongst these, 41 MOTUs corresponded to the Glomeromycota phylum. The number of obtained AM sequences ranged from 2164, associated with field samples, to 5572 obtained from pecan trap pot culture samples, defining 30 and 29 MOTUs, respectively. Richness estimated by conventional species identification was 6 and 9 AM fungal species in soil and pot samples, respectively. Claroideoglomus lamellosum, Funneliformis mosseae and Entrophospora infrequens were the only taxa detected using both techniques. Predominant sequences in the pecan rhizosphere samples, such as Rhizoglomus irregulare and other less abundant (Dominikia iranica, Dominikia indica, Sclerocystis sinuosa, Paraglomus laccatum), were detected only by pyrosequencing. Detection of AM fungal species based on spore morphology, in combination with molecular approaches, provides a more comprehensive estimate of fungal community composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]