Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal diversity in the Tuber melanosporum brûlé.

Abstract The development of the fruiting body (truffle) of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Tuber melanosporum is associated with the production of an area (commonly referred to with the French word brule) around its symbiotic plant that has scanty vegetation. As truffles produce metabolites that can mediate fungal–plant interactions, the authors wondered whether the brule could affect the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) that colonize the patchy herbaceous plants inside the brule. A morphological evaluation of the roots of plants collected in 2009 from a T. melanosporum/Quercus pubescens brule in France has shown that the herbaceous plants are colonized by AMF to a great extent. An analysis of the 18S rRNA sequences obtained from roots and soil inside the brule has shown that the AMF community structure seemed to be affected in the soil inside the brule, where less richness was observed compared to outside the brule.