Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in tropical rainforests are resilient to the impact of slash and burn plantations.. French Guiana

Understanding the impact of land use related disturbances on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal community richness and composition is important to elucidate the impacts of forest management on soil microorganisms. Forestry and agricultural management systems impact AM fungal communities, and tropical rain forests are particularly endangered by increasing conversion into plantations and arable fields. We addressed the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on AM fungal communities in French Guiana, by comparing tropical rain forests, slash and burn plantations and clearcutting management systems. The smallest diversity was found after clearcutting pristine forests. However, slash and burn plantations were largely similar to tropical forests, supporting that moderately intensive slash and burn plantations can be considered environmentally friendly in terms of AM fungal communities diversity. Although relevant changes in AM fungal community compositions occurred, there was no evidence of forest management fostered more ruderal communities. In conclusion, traditional management systems such as slash and burn plantations seemed a sustainable alternative for clearcutting to enhance the mitigation of land use changes on AM fungal communities in the studied tropical rainforest.