@article {Stukenbrock:2005p8014,
	title = {Distribution of dominant arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi among five plant species in undisturbed vegetation of a coastal grassland},
	journal = {Mycorrhiza},
	volume = {15},
	number = {7},
	year = {2005},
	month = {Nov},
	pages = {497{\textendash}503},
	abstract = {Most plant species in mixed grassland vegetation are colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Previous studies have reported differences in host preferences among AM fungi, although the fungi are known to lack host specificity. In the present study, the distribution of phylogenetic groups of AM fungi belonging to a clade of Glomus species was studied in five plant species from a coastal grassland in Denmark. The occurrence of the fungi was determined by PCR analyses of fungal large subunit ribosomal DNA sequences amplified from root fragments using a specific primer set. The results showed that the dominant Glomus species were able to colonize all the studied plant species, supporting the view that the AM fungi represent a large underground interconnecting mycelial network.},
	keywords = {Angiosperms, Asteraceae, Denmark, DNA: Fungal, DNA: Ribosomal, Ecosystem, Fungi, Mycorrhizae, Phylogeny, Plant Roots, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Sequence Analysis: DNA, Sequence Homology, Thymus Plant},
	doi = {10.1007/s00572-005-0357-2},
	author = {Eva H Stukenbrock and S{\o}ren Rosendahl}
}
@article {Sykorova:2007p7980,
	title = {The cultivation bias: different communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi detected in roots from the field, from bait plants transplanted to the field, and from a greenhouse trap experiment},
	journal = {Mycorrhiza},
	volume = {18},
	number = {1},
	year = {2007},
	month = {Dec},
	pages = {1{\textendash}14},
	abstract = {The community composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was investigated in roots of four different plant species (Inula salicina, Medicago sativa, Origanum vulgare, and Bromus erectus) sampled in (1) a plant species-rich calcareous grassland, (2) a bait plant bioassay conducted directly in that grassland, and (3) a greenhouse trap experiment using soil and a transplanted whole plant from that grassland as inoculum. Roots were analyzed by AMF-specific nested polymerase chain reaction, restriction fragment length polymorphism screening, and sequence analyses of rDNA small subunit and internal transcribed spacer regions. The AMF sequences were analyzed phylogenetically and used to define monophyletic phylotypes. Overall, 16 phylotypes from several lineages of AMF were detected. The community composition was strongly influenced by the experimental approach, with additional influence of cultivation duration, substrate, and host plant species in some experiments. Some fungal phylotypes, e.g., GLOM-A3 (Glomus mosseae) and several members of Glomus group B, appeared predominantly in the greenhouse experiment or in bait plants. Thus, these phylotypes can be considered r strategists, rapidly colonizing uncolonized ruderal habitats in early successional stages of the fungal community. In the greenhouse experiment, for instance, G. mosseae was abundant after 3 months, but could not be detected anymore after 10 months. In contrast, other phylotypes as GLOM-A17 (G. badium) and GLOM-A16 were detected almost exclusively in roots sampled from plants naturally growing in the grassland or from bait plants exposed in the field, indicating that they preferentially occur in late successional stages of fungal communities and thus represent the K strategy. The only phylotype found with high frequency in all three experimental approaches was GLOM A-1 (G. intraradices), which is known to be a generalist. These results indicate that, in greenhouse trap experiments, it is difficult to establish a root-colonizing AMF community reflecting the diversity of these fungi in the field roots because fungal succession in such artificial systems may bias the results. However, the field bait plant approach might be a convenient way to study the influence of different environmental factors on AMF community composition directly under the field conditions. For a better understanding of the dynamics of AMF communities, it will be necessary to classify AMF phylotypes and species according to their life history strategies.},
	keywords = {Bromus, DNA: Fungal, Ecosystem, Inula, Medicago sativa, Molecular Sequence Data, Mycorrhizae, Origanum, Phylogeny, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Species Specificity},
	doi = {10.1007/s00572-007-0147-0},
	author = {Zuzana S{\'y}korov{\'a} and Kurt Ineichen and Andres Wiemken and Dirk Redecker}
}
@article {Whitfield:2004p8033,
	title = {Relationships between soil heavy metal concentration and mycorrhizal colonisation in Thymus polytrichus in northern England},
	journal = {Mycorrhiza},
	volume = {14},
	number = {1},
	year = {2004},
	month = {Feb},
	pages = {55{\textendash}62},
	abstract = {A study was conducted to establish whether the wild thyme [ Thymus polytrichus A. Kerner ex Borb{\'a}s ssp. britannicus (Ronn.) Kerguelen (Lamiaceae)] growing in the metal-contaminated soils along the River South Tyne, United Kingdom, is colonised by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, and whether the degree of colonisation increases (perhaps suggesting increasing mycorrhizal dependence) or decreases (indicating possible inhibition of AM growth) with increasing degree of soil contamination. Seasonal changes in AM colonisation were also assessed. The AM fungal communities colonising T. polytrichus were also investigated, using the polymerase chain reaction with restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing of fungal DNA to establish whether AM species richness varied between sites, and whether fungal ecotypes specific to sites with different amounts of metal contamination could be identified. All plants examined were heavily colonised by AM fungi, and mean percentage root length colonised did not increase significantly with increasing soil metal contamination. However, AM vesicle abundance (percentage of mycorrhizal root length containing vesicles) at the most contaminated site was significantly greater than at the other sites. No significant seasonal variation in degree of colonisation or vesicle abundance was found. Glomus was the predominant AM genus detected at all sites. The number of AM genotypes colonising T. polytrichus roots was similar at all sites but, although some were common to all sites, certain strains appeared to be specific to either the most- or the least-contaminated site. This variation in species may account for the difference in vesicle abundance between sites. The consistently heavy AM colonisation of T. polytrichus found suggests that these fungi are not inhibited by soil heavy metals at these sites, and that the host derives some benefit from its AM symbiont.},
	keywords = {Biodiversity, DNA: Fungal, England, Fungi, Metals: Heavy, Mycorrhizae, Phylogeny, Plant Roots, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Polymorphism: Restriction Fragment Length, Seasons, Soil, Soil Pollutants, Thymus Gland},
	doi = {10.1007/s00572-003-0268-z},
	author = {L Whitfield and A J Richards and D L Rimmer}
}
