Changes in the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Community in the Roots of Eucalyptus grandis Plantations at Different Ages in Southern Jiangxi, China

Abstract

Eucalyptus roots form symbiotic relationships with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in soil to enhance adaptation in challenging environments. However, the evolution of the AM fungal community along a chronosequence of eucalypt plantations and its relationship with soil properties remain unclear. In this study, we evaluated the tree growth, soil properties, and root AM fungal colonization of Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden plantations at different ages, identified the AM fungal community composition by high-throughput sequencing, and developed a structural equation model among trees, soil, and AM fungi. Key findings include the following: (1) The total phosphorus (P) and total potassium (K) in the soil underwent an initial reduction followed by a rise with different stand ages. (2) The rate of AM colonization decreased first and then increased. (3) The composition of the AM fungal community changed significantly with different stand ages, but there was no significant change in diversity. (4) Paraglomus and Glomus were the dominant genera, accounting for 70.1% and 21.8% of the relative abundance, respectively. (5) The dominant genera were mainly influenced by soil P, the N content, and bulk density, but the main factors were different with stand ages. The results can provide a reference for fertilizer management and microbial formulation manufacture for eucalyptus plantations.