The occurrence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) of the, phylum <i>Glomeromycota</i> associated with plants of maritime sand dunes of the Vistula Bar localed in north-eastern Poland was investigated. The presence of AMF was revealed based on spores isolated from field-collected root-rhizosphere soil mixtures and two-cycle pot trap cultures established with parts of these mixtures. The mixtures came from under five species in four plant families. Spores of AMF occurred in 54.8% of the field samples and belonged to eight species. Additionally, culturing of root-soil mixtures in trap cultures revealed nine species and three undescribed morphotypes carlier not found in the field samples. Considering the number of records of species and morphotypes in the field samples and trap cultures, the fungal species most frequently occurring in dunes of the Vistula Bar is <i>Scutellospora dipurpurescens</i>, followed by <i>Archaeospora trappei, Glomus laccatum</i>, and <i>Scu. armeniaca</i>. The overall average spore abundance in the field samples is low (4.48, range O-3l in 100g dry soil). The ovcrall average species richness determined based on spores from both the field and trap cultures was 2 l and ranged from 0 lo 7 in 100g dry soil. The plant harbouring the highest number of species of AMF was <i>Festuca rubra</i>. Of the maritime dune sites of Poland examined to date, the species composition of AMF of the Vistula Bar is most similar to that of the Słowiński National Park. When the comparisons included 15 maritime dune areas located outside Poland, the highest similarity occurred in the Vistula Bar/Canada comparison.

In the years 1996 - 1997, the occurrence of parasitic and saprotrophic fungi was investigated in Słowiński National Park. A total of 209 plant species belonging to 37 families were studied, from which 270 species of fungi were isolate. The fungi most numerously represented were members of the <i>Deuteromycotina</i>, which occurred in 36% of the samples investigated. The members of the <i>Basidiomycotina</i> were found in 23% of the samples. Of the fungi recovered, many were quite rarely recorded in Poland. <i>Schyzothyrioma ptarmicae</i> found to be associated hitherto with <i>Achillea ptarmica</i> is a species new to the communities of fungi of Poland.

155 rhizosphere soil and root mixtures were collected from under Ammophila arenaria colonizing maritime dunes of the island Bornholm (Denmark) to determine arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) of the phylum Glomeromycota co-existing with this plant. In the laboratory, each mixture was divided into two parts. One part was used to establish a pot culture with Plantago lanceolata as the host plant to initiate sporulation of fungi that had not produced spores in field conditions. In the second part, the numerical and species composition of the spore populations of AMF sporulating in the field was determined. Spores of AMF were found in 70 field-collected samples and 134 trap cultures. They represented 26 species and six undescribed morphotypes in six genera of the Glomeromycota. Of them, 20 species and three morphotypes in five genera occurred in the field, and 16 species and three morphotypes in five genera were found in trap cultures. The fungi most frequently revealed were members of the genus Glomus; a total of 17 species and six morphotypes of this genus were recognized. Considering the occurrence of spores in both field samples and trap cultures, the fungi most frequently co-occurring with roots of A. arenaria growing in the dunes of Bornholm were G. irregulare (present in 73.6% of samples), followed by Scutellospora dipurpurescens (19.4%) and Archaeospora trappei (10.3%). However, Glomus irregulare mainly sporulated in trap cultures; spores of this fungus were found in only 0.6% of field samples. Other relatively frequently found species were G. aggregatum (9.0%), G. eburneum (7.1%), Paraglomus laccatum (5.2%), and S. armeniaca (6.5%). The species most abundantly sporulating in the field were G. aggregatum (produced 28.36% of all spores isolated), G. badium (11.00%), and S. dipurpurescens (21.55%)

In December 1997 and June-July 2000, 49 and 113 rhizosphere soil and root mixtures were collected, respectively, to determine the occurrence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) of the phylum Glomeromycota in different sites of Israel. Except for five samples taken from under cultivated plants, all the others came from under Ammophila arenaria and Oenothera drummondii colonizing sand dunes adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea. After a continuous cultivation of the mixtures in pot trap cultures with Plantago lanceolata as the plant host up to 2006 and their examination at least twice a year, spores of AMF were found in 41 and 103 cultures with the 1997 and 2000 soil and root mixtures, respectively. The spores represented 30 species and 8 undescribed morphotypes in 7 genera of the Glomeromycota. The AMF most frequently found in Israeli soils were Glomus aurantium and G. constrictum, followed by G. coronatum, G. gibbosum, an undescribed Glomus 178, and Scutellospora dipurpurescens. Up to 2001, 21 species of AMF were known to occur in Israel, and this paper increases this number to 33, of which 11 are new fungi for this country. Moreover, four species, G. aurantium, G. drummondii, G. walkeri and G. xanthium, were recently described as new for science based on spores isolated from Israeli soils. Additionally, the general distribution in the world of the formally described species found in Israel was presented