Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal diversity in the Tuber melanosporum brulè

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 br^ule) around its symbiotic plant that has scanty vegetation. As truffles produce metabolites that can mediate fungaleplant interactions, the authors wondered whether the br^ule could affect the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) that colonize the patchy herbaceous plants inside the br^ule. A morphological evaluation of the roots of plants collected in 2009 from a T. melanosporum/Quercus pubescens br^ule 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 br^ule has shown that the AMF community structure seemed to be affected in the soil inside the br^ule, where less richness was observed compared to outside the br^ule.