The symbiosis between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and mangrove plant species was investigated in two mangrove swamps in south China. AMF were mostly found in the form of hyphae and were commonly associated with all the mangrove species we investigated. Six AMF species belonging to the genera Glomus or Acaulospora were identified. Multiple step-wise linear regression analyses showed that hydrological conditions and phosphorus levels in the rhizosphere were the main abiotic factors affecting the colonization of mangrove species by AMF. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of AMF inoculation on the growth and nutrient uptake of a true mangrove plant species, Sonneratia apetala B. Ham. The inoculated AMF significantly improved growth, resulting in greater plant height, diameter at ground level and plant biomass, as well as increased absorption of N, P and K. These findings suggest that AMF play important roles in mangrove ecosystems.

The communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonizing the roots of three mangrove species were characterized along a tidal gradient in a mangrove swamp. A fragment, designated SSU-ITS-LSU, including part of the small subunit (SSU), the entire internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and part of the large subunit (LSU) of rDNA from samples of AMF-colonized roots was amplified, cloned and sequenced using AMF-specific primers. Similar levels of AMF diversity to those observed in terrestrial ecosystems were detected in the roots, indicating that the communities of AMF in wetland ecosystems are not necessarily low in diversity. In total, 761 Glomeromycota sequences were obtained, which grouped, according to phylogenetic analysis using the SSU-ITS-LSU fragment, into 23 phylotypes, 22 of which belonged to Glomeraceae and one to Acaulosporaceae. The results indicate that flooding plays an important role in AMF diversity, and its effects appear to depend on the degree (duration) of flooding. Both host species and tide level affected community structure of AMF, indicating the presence of habitat and host species preferences.

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Responses of Different Chinese Flowering Cabbage (Brassica parachinensis L.) Cultivars to Cadmium and Lead Exposure: Screening for Cd + Pb Pollution-Safe CultivarsTo reduce the potential risks of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) entering the human food chain in vegetables, two pot experiments (Exp. 1 and Exp. 2) were carried out to screen for Cd and Pb pollution-safe cultivars (PSCs) of Chinese flowering cabbage (Brassica parachinensis L.). The three Cd treatments in Exp. 1 (0.114, 0.667, and 1.127 mg kg À1 ) showed that Chinese flowering cabbage could easily take up Cd from polluted soils, and there were wide variations in Cd accumulation among different cultivars. The Cd accumulation trait at cultivar level was rather stable under different soil Cd treatments. In Exp. 2, seven cultivars that had been shown in Exp. 1 to be typical high or low accumulators of Cd were selected and six Cd þ Pb joint exposure treatments were applied to them. The results showed that there were similar trends of accumulation between Cd and Pb for the tested cultivars, but Pb accumulation by the species was much poorer than that of Cd. It was worth noting that an increase in soil Pb levels significantly (p < 0.01) depressed shoot Cd accumulation. Six cultivars were selected as Cd þ Pb PSCs. This study showed that it is feasible to apply a PSC strategy in Chinese flowering cabbage cultivation, to cope with the Cd and Pb contamination commonly found in agricultural soils.

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