Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in a semiarid copper mining area in Brazil

Abstract

The occurrence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in a copper mining area was investigated. Soil samples were collected from six sites at the Mineração Caraiba, Bahia State, northeastern Brazil, comprising: (1) a site that receives the waste product; (2) a site that receives low grade deposits; (3) the interface between the caatinga and site 1; (4) the surroundings of the industrial area; (5) the site for extracting topsoil for land filling; (6) the preserved caatinga. Thirty-two plant species were identified around the collection locations. Trap cultures were maintained in the greenhouse for 3 months, using bahia grass ( Paspalum notatum Flügge) as the host plant. Spores were extracted from soil and 21 AMF species (15 Glomus and one of each of Acaulospora, Archaeospora, Entrophospora, Gigaspora , Paraglomus and Scutellospora) were identified. In site 1, plants or AMF were not found during the dry season. Site 6, with native vegetation, had the highest number of plants and AMF species. The disturbed sites showed less plant diversification, with the community of AMF being quantitative and qualitatively affected by disturbance.

Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in a gypsum mining impacted semiarid area

“…Prosopis julifl ora an exotic Fabaceae found in the gypsum mining area, is not common among plants of preserved "caatinga" but occurs in impacted areas, showing capability for adaptation in such stress conditions (Silva et al 2005). Species of Fabaceae and Euphorbiaceae represented by a higher number of species in this paper are cited in revegetation programs in Brazil, and exotic plants such as Acacia mangium Willd (Caproni et al 2005), Mimosa caesalpinifolia Benth.…”

“…The reject area (RA) was the most affected, receiving gypsum waste that is deposited on the soil surface and covers the native plants, as also observed in a semiarid area with a copper mine (Silva et al 2005). Prosopis julifl ora an exotic Fabaceae found in the gypsum mining area, is not common among plants of preserved "caatinga" but occurs in impacted areas, showing capability for adaptation in such stress conditions (Silva et al 2005).…”

“…The fi rst records of AMF were from agricultural ecosystems (Maia & Trufem 1990) and since then, other investigations in cultivated areas (Weber et al 2004), impacted areas (Silva et al 2005;Mergulhão et al 2009), native areas with "caatinga" vegetation and in fragments of Atlantic Forest (Goto & Maia 2005) have been done, increasing our knowledge of AMF diversity in the region (Maia et al 2006).…”

“…Studies in semiarid areas are needed for better knowledge of the diversity and role of local species in ecosystems, especially in those suffering strong anthropic pressure. The occurrence of AMF in impacted ecosystems in Brazil has only recently been investigated (Carrenho et al 2001;Melloni et al 2003;Caproni et al 2003;Marinho et al 2004;Silva et al 2005), without records of mycorrhizal fungi species in gypsum mining areas. Research in these areas is important to provide information about AMF species tolerant to this stress condition, which could be useful in revegetation programs.…”

Diversidade de fungos micorrízicos arbusculares em área de Caatinga, PE, Brasil

“…5 e Kuklospora colombiana, as quais, assim como as demais espécies, foram referidas em outras áreas de Caatinga (Mergulhão et al 2010;Silva et al 2005).…”