Molecular Diversity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) Associated with Carissa edulis, an Endangered Plant Species along Lake Victoria Basin of Kenya

Abstract

Carissa edulis is a tropical plant belonging to the family Apocynaceae. The species is widely used in the preparation of various herbal medicines. Earlier works in Kenya show that an aqueous extract from the roots of C. edulis has remarkable anti-herpes simplex virus. Due to its medicinal value, the species has been overexploited in its natural range and requires conservation interventions. Studies show that the species has beneficial relationships with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) that can enhance restoration of its population; however, no study has been undertaken to document the diversity of these AMF species. This study evaluated the genetic diversity of AMF associated with the roots of C. edulis within Lake Victoria basin ecosystem of Kenya. A cross-sectional, laboratory-based prospective study was carried out from roots of C. edulis collected from six sites within the ecosystem. Root samples were collected from 6 points (replicates) per site. AMF was assessed through morphological characterization and sequencing of small subunit of ribosomal DNA. Morphological identification identified four genera of AMF (Gigaspora, Acaulospora, Scutellospora, and Glomus) with no significant difference among the sites. Molecular analysis also revealed presence of four genera, but only two (Glomus and Acaulospora) were common for both the analyses with Glomus as the most predominant genera. In all the sites, there were large numbers of spores both in soil and in the roots confirming the association between C. edulis and AMF.

Diversity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi of Kalappia celebica: An endemic and endangered plant species in Sulawesi, Indonesia

“…The dominance of Glomeraceae in the habitat of K. celebica has also been reported by many researchers. Endemic and endangered species such as Artemisia umbelliformis (Binet 2011), Pericopsis mooniana (Husna et al 2015), Amygdalus scoparia (Mirzaei and Moradi 2017), Ulmus chenmoui (Song et al 2018), Coccothrinax crinita (Furrazola et al 2020), Ferula sinkiangensis (Luo et al 2020), Carissa edulis (Ogoma et al 2021), and several other species are threatened with extinction in the Himalayas (Jishtu et al 2019). Glomus is also dominant on disturbed land such as ex-mining tailing (Suting and Devi 2021), semi-arid and arid (Abdedaiem et al 2020).…”

“…Sixteen AMF species were found to be in symbiosis with Coccothrinax crinita (Arecaceae) in Cuba (Furrazola et al 2020). Several native AMF were associated with Artemisia umbelliformis Lam, in Southern French Alps (Binet et al 2011), Astragalus applegatei Peck in Oregon State, USA (Barroetavena et al 1998), Carissa edulis in Kenya (Ogoma et al 2021), endemic plants from ultramafic soils of New Caledonia (Crossay et al 2018), Ulmus chenmoui Cheng in China (Song et al 2019), Picconia azorica in two Azorean islands, Portugal (Melo et al 2019) and Ferula sinkiangensis (Luo et al 2020).…”

Morphological and Molecular Characterizations of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Their Influence on Soil Physicochemical Properties and Plant Nutrition

“…Only two genera, Acaulospora and Glomus , were common for both types of analyses. Large quantities of spores in soil and in plant roots confirm strong interrelations of AMF with Carrisa edulis . The aim of the current study was to explore the morphological and molecular characterization of AMF colonizing the roots of pulses in various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.…”

“…Large quantities of spores in soil and in plant roots confirm strong interrelations of AMF with Carrisa edulis . 19 The aim of the current study was to explore the morphological and molecular characterization of AMF colonizing the roots of pulses in various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The current study will contribute to the understanding of the associations of AMF populations with pulses and their influences on pulse growth.…”

Unraveling the genetic diversity and evolution of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF)

“…By examining the genetic constitution of these fungi, scientists can pinpoint the particular genes accountable for their symbiotic interactions and comprehend their evolutionary trajectory. Moreover, [33,34] state that examining the co-evolutionary processes between AMF and host plants can provide insight into the reciprocal selective pressures that govern their interactions. For instance, certain plant species may have undergone adaptations to selectively form associations with particular AMF species, whereas others may have devised tactics to manipulate fungal colonization for their own advantage.…”