Forest conversion into cacao agroforestry and cacao plantation change the diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Abstract

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), a plant root-fungus association, has been studied widely across different ecosystems. However, little information provided in tropical land use systems. Here, we studied the diversity of AMF in the forest, cacao agroforestry, and cacao plantation. A preliminary survey was done to estimate the AMF richness and diversity. This study reveals an interesting fundamental finding where AMF richness and diversity were significantly higher in the plantation compared to the natural ecosystem. AMF communities were significantly affected mixed vegetation in the forest and became a generalist in an agroecosystem of the cocoa plantation. Presented results indicate that AMF diversity and community structure are influenced by vegetation and ecological conditions.

Different factors drive the assembly of pine and Panax notoginseng-associated microbiomes in Panax notoginseng-pine agroforestry systems

“…cultivation significantly affected the α-diversity of pine fungi, but not the community structure (bacteria, fungi). Land use conservation, such as forest conservation in the cacao agroforestry system, can significantly affect fungal diversity but not bacterial diversity ( Edy et al, 2019 ). Previous studies have shown that the effect of land conservation on fungi is mainly due to variations in soil organic matter content and plant root vigor ( Beule et al, 2020 ).…”

“…For example, some studies have shown that agroforestry increases the diversity of moso bamboo endophytes and significantly alters their community composition ( Zhang H. Z. et al, 2019 ; Zhang X. et al, 2019 ). Similarly, studies have found that the richness and the colonization rate of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi of crops increase under agroforestry management ( Sousa et al, 2013 ; Edy et al, 2019 ). In fact, the changes in endophytic bacteria in crops are closely related to soil microbiomes.…”

“…Previous studies on the variation in soil microbial communities under agroforestry management have yielded different results. Several studies have found that the soil microbial diversity of agroforestry systems is richer than that of forests ( Edy et al, 2019 ; Beule et al, 2020 ), and, some studies have found that soil microbial diversity remains stable, but community composition is significantly altered when forests are converted to agroforestry systems ( Banerjee et al, 2016 ; Wang et al, 2017 ), while some others have concluded that native forests can maintain microbial richness and diversity better than agroforestry systems ( Belay et al, 2020 ). In addition, agroforestry is also one of the determinants of plant endophytes.…”

The Role of Fungi in the Cocoa Production Chain and the Challenge of Climate Change

“…In the cocoa crops (forest, agroforestry, and plantation), AMF diversity and community structure are strongly influenced by vegetation and ecological conditions, with lower diversity in natural ecosystems than the plantation [ 98 ]. In early studies, a mixture of AMF species of Gigaspora spp.…”

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and potassium fertilizer as plant biostimulants and alternative research for enhancing plants adaptation to drought stress: Opportunities for enhancing drought tolerance in cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.)

“…In a recent study on AMF on tree crops, , Edy et al (2019) and Famuwagun and Agele (2019) found that AMF from different origin can colonize cocoa and coffee and has the potential to improve their vegetative growth (stem diameter, plant height and leave area).…”