Soil and seasons affect arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with Tamarix rhizosphere in arid and semi-arid steppes

The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) diversity associated to Tamarix articulata and Tamarix gallica rhizosphere was investigated in the Algerian steppic area. Evaluation of species diversity revealed the presence of 10 glomoid and one gigasporoid spore types of AMF species from the ten studied sites. Shannon biodiversity index showed that AMF species diversity varied according to soil physico-chemical characteristics of the different sites. However, seasonal variation affected abundance but not AMF species biodiversity. Significant effect of soil and seasons on AMF root colonization rate was also observed. Overall, AMF Tamarix root colonization rates varied according to the species ranging from 0.88 to 75.26% in T. articulata and from 1.90 to 12.96% in T. gallica. This study highlighted the complexity of Tamarix species/AMF symbiosis through seasons associated with plant phenology and soil physico-chemical composition in arid and semi-arid steppes.