Wild Camellia japonica specimens in the Shimane prefecture (Japan) host previously undescribed AMF diversity

The native range of the broadleaf evergreen Camellia japonica L includes natural non-model ecosystems that have been largely overlooked in the investigation of the diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Despite a recent overview of the AMF assemblages associated in the naturalized range of C japonica, no such survey has ever been carried out within the native range of this plant species. For this reason, we examined through 454 sequencing the diversity and structure of AMF assemblages in camellia roots and surrounding soil from four locations within the Shimane prefecture (Japan), a region that harbors native C japonica trees. The specific objectives were as follows: (i) to evaluate the differences between the root-colonizing and the soil-dwelling AMF community through different measurements of diversity and (ii) to evaluate if and how deeply the small-scale environmental changes affect the structure of AMF assemblages.