Print PageLand use change is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity worldwide, but the response of mycorrhizal diversity to land use change, such as deforestation, is not well understood in tropical ecosystems. We examined the impact of deforestation on the taxonomic and phylogenetic richness of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, fungal symbionts found in association with most terrestrial plants, within the Amazon Basin using a chronosequence of land use types, including primary forest, pasture, and secondary forest.
Results/Conclusions
Loss of aboveground plant diversity due to deforestation was associated with decreased taxonomic richness and altered community composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Richness in secondary forest was significantly lower than primary forest, suggesting that altered arbuscular mycorrhizal communities may limit plant establishment in abandoned pasture.
