Alejandra G. Becerra

Alejandra G. Becerra
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Alejandra G. verified their affiliation via an institutional email.
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Alejandra G. verified their affiliation via an institutional email.
National University of Córdoba | UNC · Institute for Multidisciplinary Plant Biology (IMBIV)

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93
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Introduction
Restoration of native forests, bioremediation of contaminated soils and biocontrol of nematodes using arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

Publications

Publications (93)
Article
Polylepis forests represent one of the most endangered high mountain ecosystems in South America. Therefore, it is necessary to inform local nurseries of the best soil inoculum to grow healthy and strong P. australis seedlings for forest restoration purposes. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) affect plant performance and plants respond differently...
Article
Bidens pilosa frequently forms a symbiotic association with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). This plant species can grow in Pb-polluted soils, accumulating Pb in its tissues. The aims of the study were to determine whether Pb accumulated in the tissues of B. pilosa can be transferred to the soil through AMF and to compare the role of AMF communi...
Article
Plants associated with mycorrhizal fungi has the ability to establish on metal-contaminated soils playing an important role in phytoremediation programs. The objective of this study was to examine the presence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) (spores density, diversity, indicator species, and root colonization) and dark septate endophytic fung...
Article
Full-text available
The evolutionary history of the symbiotic association between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and embryophytes dates back to the Devonian period. Previous ecological and physiological studies have described the presence of arbuscules, inter- and intracellular hyphae, vesicles, coils and spores, in liverworts and hornworts, which are considered a...
Article
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The genus Nacobbus, known as the false root-knot nematode, is native to the American continent and comprises polyphagous species adapted to a wide range of climatic conditions. Alone or in combination with other biotic and abiotic factors, Nacobbus spp. can cause significant economic yield losses on main food crops such as potato, sugar beet, tomat...
Chapter
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Heavy metal (HM) soil contamination is an environmental problem since metals can accumulate in the soil and be introduced into the food chain of organisms endangering the quality of the entire ecosystems. A wide diversity of plant species called metallophyte, especially the hyperaccumulator plants, has a great capacity to accumulate HM and can be u...
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This study aims to investigate the synergistic effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation and organic amendment on Theobroma cacao plants growing in Cd-contaminated soils. A pot experiment was carried out to investigate the influence of AMF inoculation, compost (CP) application, and cadmium (Cd) addition on the development of cocoa pl...
Article
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The multiplication of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) spores is a limitation for agricultural applications as biofertilizers. In the present study, a massive multiplication of AMF from cocoa farms (Theobroma cacao L.) in the San Martín region, Peru, was carried out to optimize their handling and spore production under controlled environmental co...
Article
Many cities around the globe strive for create and maintain urban forests to improve human health, welfare and more positive interactions towards nature. Frequently, the only available land has compacted and degraded soils with an altered soil biota. Studies are needed to address soilborne fungi biodiversity especially that of arbuscular mycorrhiza...
Article
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Background and aims: Algae and Cyanobacteria species that grow in contaminated sites can accumulate high concentrations of heavy metals. In this work it was proposed to a) characterize the community of algae and Cyanobacteria and b) evaluate the effect of lead (Pb) on the composition of algae present in the rhizosphere of plants capable to accumula...
Article
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Introducción y objetivos : Las especies de algas y Cyanobacteria que crecen en sitios contaminados pueden acumular altas concentraciones de metales pesados. En este trabajo se propuso a) caracterizar la comunidad de algas y Cyanobacteria y b) evaluar el efecto del plomo (Pb) sobre la composición de algas presentes en la rizosfera de plantas capaces...
Chapter
Fungi are producing many secondary compounds such as siderophores that play an important role in the agriculture field. Siderophores are an essential compound produced by some fungal communities such as plant growth-promoting fungi (PGPF), biocontrol agent, and phytopathogen during iron deficiency. Iron is an essential compound for the fungi physio...
Chapter
Fungi are very important microorganisms that are potentially utilized in different fields such as in agriculture and others. Fungi interact with plants as a useful factor or harmful factor. Useful fungi display a big role in agriculture sustainability. These fungi are of many types such as endophytic fungi and symbiosis fungi. The role of beneficia...
Article
Soil use and management modify mycorrhizal interactions, but how these changes affect the growth and nutrition of crops under different contexts has been poorly studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) spore communities belonging to two no-till cropping systems (soybean monoculture and...
Article
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This article provides an outline of the classification of the kingdom Fungi (including fossil fungi. i.e. dispersed spores, mycelia, sporophores, mycorrhizas). We treat 19 phyla of fungi. These are Aphelidiomycota, Ascomycota, Basidiobolomycota, Basidiomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Calcarisporiellomycota, Caulochytriomycota, Chytridiomycota, Entomoph...
Preprint
Full-text available
This article provides an outline of the classification of the kingdom Fungi (including fossil fungi. i.e. dispersed spores, mycelia, sporophores, mycorrhizas). We treat 19 phyla of fungi. These are Aphelidiomycota, Ascomycota, Basidiobolomycota, Basidiomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Calcarisporiellomycota, Caulochytriomycota, Chytridiomycota, Entomoph...
Article
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The impact of lead (Pb) pollution on native communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was assessed in soil samples from the surroundings of an abandoned Pb smelting factory. To consider the influence of host identity, bulk soil surrounding plant roots soil samples of predominant plant species (Sorghum halepense, Bidens pilosa, and Tagetes m...
Chapter
Full-text available
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are ubiquitous soil microorganisms that establish a direct physical link between soil and plant roots constituting an integral component of the natural ecosystems being present in saline environment. These fungi are associated with the roots of over 80% terrestrial plant species including halophytes. Compared with...
Chapter
The high mountain ecosystems of South America represent one of the main hotspots of biodiversity. There is an increasing interest in disentangling global patterns of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Recently studies postulated that the majority of AMF taxa are cosmopolitan, although community composition changes depend on microscale and macrosca...
Article
Soil erosion affects extensive areas worldwide and must be urgently reduced promoting plant cover and beneficial microorganisms associated with plants, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). In mountain environments plant cover is difficult to enhance due to harsh conditions during the dry season and steep slopes. Our objective was to evalua...
Article
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Para evaluar las comunidades fúngicas es necesario identificar las especies presentes, cuantificar la densidad de propágulos y también determinar su infectividad. En este estudio se evaluó, mediante un ensayo experimental, el potencial de colonización micorrícico-arbuscular (PCM) de tres suelos bajo diferentes sistemas de cultivo (pastizal natural,...
Article
Heavy metal (HM) pollution of soils is one of the most important and unsolved environmental problems affecting the world, with alternative solutions currently being investigated through different approaches. Arbuscular my-corrhizal fungi (AMF) are soil inhabitants that form symbiotic relationships with plants. This alleviates HM toxicity in the hos...
Article
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Here, we compare arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) communities and fatty acids in soils under different no-till (NT) agricultural managements over two seasons in two consecutive years. Two NT practices with different agricultural managements were compared: crop rotation (CR) and soya bean monoculture (MC). Soils of natural grasslands (NGs) were us...
Article
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Los Hongos Formadores de Micorrizas Arbusculares (HFMA) incrementan la supervivencia y producción de biomasa de las plantas hospedadoras y mejoran la absorción de nutrientes. Los HFMA son muy importantes en la restauración de suelos degradados y en facilitar el crecimiento de la vegetación bajo condiciones de vivero y campo. Con el fin de restaurar...
Article
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The objective of this study was to determine the inoculation effect of nine consortiums of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) in coffee seedlings Coffea arabica, Caturra variety, compared with a control (without inoculation), during seven months under greenhouse conditions. The production of coffee in San Martín-Perú, is one of the most important a...
Article
Full-text available
The objective of this study was to determine the inoculation effect of nine consortiums of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) in coffee seedlings Coffea arabica, Caturra variety, compared with a control (without inoculation), during seven months under greenhouse conditions. The production of coffee in San Martín-Perú, is one of the most important a...
Article
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) increase the survival and biomass production of host plants and improve nutrient absorption. AMF are very important in the restoration of degraded soils and in the growth of vegetation in nursery and field conditions. In order to restore populations of Kageneckia lanceolata, species considered vulnerable by the Wo...
Article
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are considered as a possible alternative for the biological control of plant-parasitic nematodes. The false root-knot nematode Nacobbus aberrans is an endoparasite that induces the formation of galls in plant roots and causes severe damage to crops of economic importance. The purpose of the study was to evaluate t...
Article
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Knowledge about tree production practices is essential to support forest restoration projects, but is still lacking for many tree species. Maytenus boaria is a neotropical tree distributed across the temperate and subtropical South American mountains. In central Argentina, it is mainly restricted to the most preserved forest remnants. Attempts to p...
Article
Here, we compare arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) communities and fatty acids in soils under different no-till (NT) agricultural managements over two seasons in two consecutive years. Two NT practices with different agricultural managements were compared: crop rotation (CR) and soya bean monoculture (MC). Soils of natural grasslands (NGs) were us...
Article
Full-text available
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonize approximately 82% of land plants in every ecosystem, even in extreme conditions such as saline soils. In the present work we report the arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization and its vertical root concentration in four Chenopodiaceae plants species (Allenrolfea patagonica, Atriplex argentina, Heterostachys r...
Article
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p>Los hongos micorrícico-arbusculares (HMA) colonizan proximadamente el 82% de las plantas terrestres en cualquier ecosistema, aún en condiciones extremas tales como los suelos salinos. En el presente trabajo se reporta la colonización micorrícica arbuscular (CMA) y su concentración radical encuatro especies de Chenopodiaceae (Allenrolfea patagonic...
Article
A B S T R A C T The aim of this study was to compare the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) community of the rhizosphere and inside the roots of the perennial Polylepis australis tree. Three forest types differing in their structural complexity due to anthropogenic disturbances were chosen at three different sites at the high mountains of central...
Article
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Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal associates of Alnus are relatively few in comparison with those associated with other tree hosts. The composition of ECM assemblages associated with Alnus seems to change very little across the Northern Hemisphere. However, Alnus-associated ECM assemblages from the Western United States, Mexico, and Argentina tend to di...
Article
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Olive trees have a great adaptability to adverse soil conditions and are typically grown in marginal soils with low fertility. Water deficit and osmotic imbalance are the most common stressors affecting crops in arid and semi-arid regions. Tolerance to osmotic stress in plants is a complex phenomenon that involves many changes at the biochemical an...
Article
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The plant-parasitic nematode Nacobbus aberrans is an endoparasite that induces gall formation in the roots and causes severe losses to diverse crops. Some populations of this nematode show preference for certain hosts, revealing the existence of “races/groups” with different behaviour and making nematode management difficult. A possible biological...
Article
Full-text available
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonize land plants in every ecosystem, even extreme conditions such as saline soils. In the present work we report for the first time the mycorrhizal status and the vertical fungal distribution of AMF spores present in the rhizospheric soil samples of four species of Chenopodiaceae (Allenrolfea patagonica, Atrip...
Article
Full-text available
The Yungas, a system of tropical and subtropical montane forests on the eastern slopes of the Andes, are extremely diverse and severely threatened by anthropogenic pressure and climate change. Previous mycological works focused on macrofungi (e.g., agarics, polypores) and mycorrhizae in Alnus acuminata forests, while fungal diversity in other parts...
Article
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Key message Outplanted Polylepis australis seedling growth, survival and mycorrhizal response were not influenced by inoculation with soil from different vegetation types. Seedling inoculation would not be essential for reforestation practices. Abstract Polylepis forests are one of the most endangered high mountain ecosystems of South America and r...
Article
The use of antagonistic biological agents, such as fungi and bacteria, offers an economical and safe strategy to manage plant–parasitic nematodes in infested fields. The false root-knot nematode, Nacobbus aberrans, is a damaging parasite of many agronomic and horticultural crops in South and North America. The management of this nematode is challen...
Article
Atriplex lampa is a valuable fodder shrub available for browsing by livestock even during drought periods in the Chaco Phytogeographical Province. Halophytes may benefit from the association with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) through improved tolerance to drought and salt. Ecological studies of AMF are generally restricted to the main rooting...
Article
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Polylepis forests are one of the most endangered high mountain ecosystems of South America and reforestation with native Polylepis species has been highly recommended. Greenhouse bioassays were set up to determine the influence of three different soils on growth and phosphorous nutrition of Polylepis australis seedlings. Soils were collected from a...
Article
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Morchella esculenta (L.) Pers. is described as a new record in the Yungas forests of Argentina fruiting during the autumn season. The geographical distribution of M. esculenta is enlarged within the country.
Article
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Arbuscular mycorrhizae and dark-septate endophytes on Atriplex cordobensis in saline sites from Argentina. Atriplex cordobensis occurs in salt works and saline soils of northern and central Argentina and is utilized as a forage source; however the mycorrhizal status of this salt bush is unknown. We studied the arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi (AMF) and...
Article
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Summary: Arbuscular fungi (Glomeromycota) in the rhizosphere of Atriplex lampa at two saline environments of Córdoba (Argentina): depth influence on root colonization and the presence of morphospecies. Atriplex lampa is a valuable fodder shrub available for browsing by livestock even during drought periods in the Chaco Phytogeographical Province. H...
Article
Atriplex cordobensisoccurs in salt works and saline soils of northern and central Argentina and is utilized as aforage source; however the mycorrhizal status of this salt bush is unknown. We studied the arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi (AMF) and dark-septate endophytes(DSE) fungi in A. cordobensisanalysing infection of the roots and spores in the rhizo...
Article
Full-text available
Natural saline soils of Central Argentina have rarely been the focus of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) which are Glomeromycota. We explored the vertical distribution of spores of different AMF species in the rhizosphere of Atriplex lampa in two saline environments (Salinas Grandes and Salinas de Ambargasta) during wet and dry seasons. 18 AMF sp...
Article
Full-text available
Atriplex cordobensis occurs in salt works and saline soils of northern and central Argentina and is utilized as a forage source; however the mycorrhizal status of this salt bush is unknown. We studied the arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi (AMF) and dark-septate endophytes (DSE) fungi in A. cordobensis analysing infection of the roots and spores in the r...
Article
Full-text available
Two Frankia strains were isolated from root nodules of Alnus acuminata collected in the Tucumano-oranense forest, Argentina. Monosporal cultures were obtained by plating a spore suspension of each strain and isolating a single colony. The strains (named AacI and AacIII) showed branched mycelia with polymorphic sporangia and NIR-vesicles. They diffe...
Chapter
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Mycorrhizal morphology and diversity vary not only within each particular host family of plants, but also with soil characteristics, nutrients availability, spatial-temporal conditions, micro-habitats, and host‘s age. Ectomycorrhizae (ECM) and arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) provide nutritional benefits to their hosts, besides their effects in soil agg...
Data
Natural saline soils of Central Argentina have rarely been the focus of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) which are Glomeromycota. We explored the vertical distribution of spores of different AMF species in the rhizosphere of Atriplex lampa in two saline environments (Salinas Grandes and Salinas de Ambargasta) during wet and dry seasons. 18 AMF sp...
Chapter
Full-text available
Despite the high diversity of forests found in the Neotropics, there is an insufficient knowledge of the characteristics and role of the ECM symbiosis in these ecosystems. This chapter summarizes and describes the range of Angiospermae and Gymnospermae forests growing in South America in which ECM studies have been carried. Most studies on mycor...
Article
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Polylepis woodlands are one of the most threatened mountain ecosystems of South America, and their restoration is a high priority. To assess the mycorrhizal status in Polylepis woodlands of “Quebrada del Condorito” National Park (Córdoba Mountains, Central Argentina), we examined the roots of 22 plant species, belonging to 14 families and determine...
Article
Full-text available
The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) communities from the Yungas forests of Argentina were studied. The AMF species present in the rhizosphere of some dominant native plants (one tree: Alnus acuminata; three herbaceous species: Duchesnea indica, Oxalis conorrhiza, Trifolium aff. repens; and one shrub: Sambucus peruviana) from two sites (Quebrada...
Article
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Information about the interaction between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and the false root-knot nematode Nacobbus aberrans (Thorne, 1935) Thorne & Allen, 1944 is scarce. The effect of Glomus intraradices Schenk & Smith on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) cv. Platense inoculated with nematode juveniles from Lisandro Olmos (Argentina) was stu...
Article
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The objective of this study was to describe the morphological and anatomical features of five unidentified ectomycorrhizal types of Alnus acuminata and to complement their identification based on ITS-rDNA sequence analysis. The combined approach of morphotyping and sequence analysis based on ITS sequence comparison with sequences contained in GenBa...
Article
Polylepis australis trees endemic to Argentina dominate the canopy of subtropical high altitude forests. Here, livestock rearing is the main economic activity and is suspect of the low performance of P. australis trees through direct and indirect effects which could include the reduction in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and their benefit to tr...
Article
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Colonization of Salix humboldtiana (Salicaceae) by ectomycorrhizae (ECM), arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM), and dark-septate endophytic (DSE) fungi was studied throughout autumn on two riparian populations in central Argentina. AM and DSE infection on roots ranged from 0% to 17% and from 2% to 20% respectively, whereas ECM colonization was higher, varyi...
Article
Full-text available
In Argentina the Yungas forests are among the ecosystems most affected by human activity, with loss of biodiversity. To assess the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization and the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) spore numbers in these ecosystems, the roots of the most dominant native plants (one tree, Alnus acuminata; three herbaceous, Duchesnea...
Article
Full-text available
In this study we investigated the capacity of Andean alder (Alnus acuminate Kunth), inoculated withFrankia and two ectomycorrhizal fungi (Alpova austroalnicola Dominguez andAlpova diplophloeus ([Zeller and Dodge] Trappe and Smith), for nodulation and growth in pots of a soilless medium that contained vermiculite or a mixture of ground basalt rock a...
Article
Full-text available
Colonization of Salix humboldtiana (Salicaceae) by ectomycorrhizae (ECM), arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM), and dark-septate endophytic (DSE) fungi was studied throughout autumn on two riparian populations in central Argentina. AM and DSE infection on roots ranged from 0% to 17% and from 2% to 20% respectively, whereas ECM colonization was higher, varyi...
Article
Full-text available
Summary: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the Yungas forests of Alnus acuminata (Betulaceae) Argentina. In this study 22 species of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) are cited for the rhizosphere of Betulaceae, Fabaceae, Oxalidaceae, Rosaceae and Caprifoliaceae families of the Argentinian Yunga. Pacispora chimonobambusae (Wu & Liu) Sieverd. & Oehl...
Article
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Fagara coco (Gill.) Engl, is a native tree found in the mountains of Central Argentina. It generally grows together with the edible bolete Phlebopus bruchii (Speg.) Heineman & Rammeloo. This association is considered to be an ectomycorrhizal symbiosis. To test the hypothesis of their co-occurrence as mutualistic partners, we studied the mycorrhizal...
Article
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Arbuscular mycorrhizas in Alnus acuminata (Betulaceae) seedlings inoculated with Glomus intraradices (Glomaceae). This work described for the first time the arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) development in A. acuminata Kunth «andean alder» with G. intraradices Schenk & Smith. Seedlings of A. acuminata were inoculated with root fragments of Medicago sativa...
Article
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In Argentina, the Yungas forests are among the ecosystems most affected by human activity, with loss of biodiversity. To assess the mycorrhizal status in these ecosystems, the roots of 41 native plant species belonging to 25 families were collected throughout the year from two sites of the Yungas forests. Roots were washed and stained to study the p...
Article
Full-text available
The objective of this study was to determine patterns of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization of Alnus acuminata Kunth at two natural forests in relation to soil parameters at two different seasons (autumn and spring). The soil parameters studied were field capacity, pH, electrical conductivity, available P, total N and organic matter. The perc...
Article
Full-text available
The objective of this study was to determine patterns of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization of Alnus acuminata Kunth at two natural forests in relation to soil parameters at two different seasons (autumn and spring). The soil parameters studied were field capacity, pH, electrical conductivity, available P, total N and organic matter. The perc...
Article
Full-text available
The objective of this study was to determine patterns of ectomycorrhizas (ECM) and arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) colonization associated with Alnus acuminata (Andean alder), in relation to soil parameters (electrical conductivity, field H(2)O holding capacity, pH, available P, organic matter, and total N) at two different seasons (autumn and spring)....
Article
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Field ectomycorrhizas of Cortinarius helodes Moser, Matheny & Daniele (sp. nov) and Gyrodon monticola Sing. on Alnus acuminata Kunth (Andean alder, aliso del cerro) are described based on morphological and anatomical features. Ectomycorrhizal roots were sampled beneath fruitbodies of C. helodes and G. monticola from two homogeneous A. acuminata for...
Article
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Ectomycorrhizae (ECM) of Lactarius aff. omphaliformis Romagn., Russula alnijorullensis (Sing.) Sing. and Cortinarius tucumanensis Mos. on Andean alder (Alnus acuminata Kunth) were characterized and identified. The identification of the fungal symbionts was achieved by morpho-anatomical observations of mycorrhizae and by comparison of ITS-RFLP patte...