Land cover shapes arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in the Maros-Pangkep karst landscape

Abstract

The Maros-Pangkep Karst Area, a UNESCO Global Geopark, is a globally significant ecosystem threatened by environmental degradation.Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are key soil microorganisms that enhance plant nutrient uptake and stress tolerance, yet information on their communities in karst environments is limited.This study aims to determine how different land cover types former mining land, scrubland, mixed gardens, and secondary forests shape AMF community composition, diversity, and root colonization patterns.Four dominant AMF genera Glomus, Acaulospora, Gigaspora, and Entrophospora were identified, and their abundance and distribution were strongly influenced by land cover type.Mixed gardens exhibited the highest spore density (62.7 spores/50 g of soil) and genus diversity, dominated by Acaulospora, whereas secondary forests showed the lowest densities (11.4 spores/50 g of soil).Former mining areas were enriched in the stress-tolerant genus Entrophospora, while Glomus was cosmopolitan across all sites.Root colonization trends reflected these patterns.These results reveal that land cover is a major driver of AMF community structure in the Maros-Pangkep karst area and identify taxa adapted to degraded habitats, providing new insights into microbial ecology in karst landscapes.

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