Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Infectivity in Two Soils as Affected by Atmospheric Phenanthrene Pollution

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) hold a crucial role in ecosystems because they are involved in nutrient cycling between soil and plants. This work aimed at evaluating the impacts that atmospheric pollution by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons may have on infectivity of indigenous AMF in soils. Two agricultural soils (Maconcourt, La Bouzule) were exposed for 2 weeks to ambient air (control, C) or to atmospheric phenanthrene (PHE) deposition (180 mu g m(-3) air). After exposure, soils were divided into a top (0-1 cm) and a bottom (1-15 cm) layer fraction. AMF infectivities of soils were determined after 2 weeks of atmospheric exposition using leek (Allium porum) as bioassay plant. Atmospheric PHE was mainly recovered in the top layer of soil (500-1,350 mu g kg(-1)) of both soils and did not readily diffuse into the depth. Atmospheric contamination led to decreases in AMF infectivities of the top layer in both soils and affected the growth of leeks. Our results not only report evidence that infectivity of indigenous AMF is sensitive to PHE in soils but also emphasize that AMF are primary affected by the soil layer regardless to the pollution level.