ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZA IN BRAZILIAN TROPICAL SAVANNAS

Abstract

THE BRAZILIAN TROPICAL SAVANNAS, ALSO KNOWN AS CERRADOS, IS A BIOME THAT HAS AS ITS MAIN FLORISTIC CHARACTERISTIC A DIVERSITY OF PHYTOPHYSIOGNOMIES COMPOSED OF LANDSCAPES RANGING FROM DENSE TROPICAL FORESTS TO AREAS COMPOSED OF UNDERGROWTH AND POORLY DENSE TREE SPECIES. THE CERRADO BIOME CAN BE CLASSIFIED INTO FIVE DIFFERENT PHYTOPHYSIOGNOMIES ACCORDING TO ITS LANDSCAPE VISUAL CHARACTERISTICS RANGING FROM NATIVE PASTURES WITH LOW-SIZED GRASSES TO DENSE TROPICAL FORESTS SIMILAR TO THE AMAZONIAN BIOME. PHYTOPHYSIOGNOMIES ARE CAMPO LIMPO, CAMPO SUJO, CERRAD�O, STRICTU SENSU AND VEREDAS. ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI ARE ORGANISMS OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE FOR THE CERRADO BIOME, AND UNDERSTANDING THEIR BEHAVIOR WILL HELP IN THE MORE EFFICIENT ADOPTION OF MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN THIS REGION. THIS WORK AIMS TO VERIFY THE DYNAMICS OF THE MYCORRHIZAL POPULATION IN THE FIVE PHYTOPHYSIOGNOMIES OF THE CERRADO BIOME. THE GENERA ACAULOSPORA, CLAROIDEGLOMUS, DIVERSISPORA, SCUTELLOSPORA, SCLEROCYSTIS, GLOMUS, FUNNELIFORMIS, GIGASPORA, AMBISPORA AND SCROBICULATA IN THE RHIZOSPHERE OF CERRADO PLANTS OF THE INVESTIGATED PHYTOPHYSIOGNOMIES. CAMPO LIMPO SHOWED GREATER AFFINITY WITH DIVERSISPORA AND GIGASPORA; DIRTY FIELD WITH GIGASPORA, GLOMUS AND AMBISPORA; CERRAD�O DID NOT HAVE AFFINITY WITH SCLEROCYSTIS AND GIGASPORA; STRICTU SENSU WITH SCUTELLOSPORA AND FUNNELIFORMIS; AND VEREDAS WITH SCROBICULATA.