Propagule-Type Specificity in Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Communities During Early Growth of Allium tuberosum

This study aimed to assess the diversity, community structure, and ecological strategies of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in three main propagule types: intraradical structures, extraradical hyphae in soil, and spores. Specifically, this study aimed to characterize how AMF community composition differs across root, hyphal, and spore fractions, and to determine whether specific AMF taxa exhibit preferences for particular propagule types, reflecting functional specialization in these environments. To address these questions, we conducted a controlled pot experiment using Allium tuberosum as a host plant inoculated with AMF from three soil sources. High-throughput amplicon sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene was used to characterize the taxonomic composition of AMF communities across different propagule types, providing new insights into life history traits and survival strategies of AMF taxa.