Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi community in different land uses of a tropical rainforest in Veracruz, Mexico

Land use change affects the permanence of tropical rainforests (TRF) and causes the alteration of the chemical, physical and biological soil properties. The aim of this work was to analyze the changes in the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) community associated with managed systems (crops and pastures). We selected 5 sites by land use in Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz. For spores, 5 soil samples were collected per site. Three of them were used for quantification of extra-radical structures and, fatty acid 16: 1 omega 5 concentration, and for estimation of fungal respiration. These variables were associated with changes in soil properties by a canonical correspondence analysis. Diversity and richness were lower in the TRF than in pasture and crops. The fungal respiration rate and the concentration of fatty acids were lower in the managed systems, contrary to the production of the extraradical mycelium. There was a decrease in the nutrient content and pH in crops and pastures. These results showed that changes in the AMF community in the modified sites could be associated with the functional and structural variables of the AMF community.