Spatial distribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the rhizosphere of the salt marsh plant Inula crithmoides L. along a salinity gradient

The influence of flooding and salinity gradient on the arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) fungal spore and root colonization level in Inula crithmoides was studied. One transect divided into five plots was established from shoreline (border) to inland in La Mata lagoon, Alicante, Spain. The plots with high salinity level and flooding showed a decreased spore number in soil, and a decrease in the percentage of mycorrhization. The number of mycorrhizal fungal propagules resulting from the most probable number (MPN) experiment was very low. Glomus geosporum was the most frequent fungal species in all plots.