Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Hawaiian Sand Dunes: Island of Kaua'i

Abstract

Fourteen species of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi were isolated from the roots of plants growing on sand dunes of Kaua'i. The dominant AM fungal species included Scutellospora hawaiiensis Koske & Gemma, Glomus 807 (an undescribed species), G. intraradices Schenck & Smith, and G. spurcum Walker ined. Species richness per sample was low and ranged from 0 to 6 (avg. 2.0). Mean abundance of live spores was 8.9 spores per 100 cm3, and many more dead or parasitized spores were present. The AM fungal community of the dunes of Kaua'i was very similar to that of the dunes of the island of Hawai'i. The long-distance dispersal mechanisms and similarity of habitats that have resulted in a relatively uniform angiosperm flora on dunes of the tropical Pacific may have produced a corresponding AM fungal community in these sites.