Comparative analysis of mycorrhizal communities in distinct landscapes of the brazilian tropical savanna

The Cerrado, Brazil's extensive tropical savanna, is recognized for its remarkable floristic heterogeneity, featuring a wide spectrum of vegetation types that transition from open grasslands to closed-canopy forests. In these ecosystems, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a crucial ecological role. A more in-depth understanding of AMF community patterns across these distinct environments is essential for the development of sustainable agricultural strategies and effective conservation protocols. Therefore, the present study evaluated the distribution and community dynamics of AMF across five primary Cerrado phytophysiognomies in the São Patrício Valley region in Goiás, Brazil: Campo Limpo, Campo Sujo, Cerradão, Stricto Sensu, and Veredas. Our findings confirm the occurrence of nine distinct AMF genera-Acaulospora, Claroideoglomus, Diversispora, Scutellospora, Sclerocystis, Glomus, Funneliformis, Gigaspora, and Ambispora-within the rhizospheric soil of the native vegetation. Furthermore, distinct ecological affinities were observed: Campo Limpo was strongly associated with Diversispora, Gigaspora, and Funneliformis. Conversely, Campo Sujo exhibited lower affinity for Sclerocystis and Scutellospora; Cerradão showed the lowest affinity for Sclerocystis and Gigaspora; and Stricto Sensu environments demonstrated the lowest affinity for Scutellospora and Funneliformis.