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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, March 2008, p. 1485-1493, Vol. 74, No. 5
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02427-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The Exotic Legume Tree Species Acacia holosericea Alters Microbial Soil Functionalities and the Structure of the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Community

IRD, UMR 113 CIRAD/INRA/IRD/SUP-AGRO/UM2, Laboratoire des Symbioses Tropicales et Méditerranéennes (LSTM), TA10/J, Campus International de Baillarguet, Montpellier, France,¹ IRD, Laboratoire Commun de Microbiologie IRD/ISRA/UCAD, Centre de Recherche de Bel Air, BP 1386, Dakar, Sénégal,² Université Cheick Anta Diop, Département de Biologie Végétale, BP 5000, Dakar, Sénégal,³ Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive (UMR 5558), CNRS, Université Lyon 1, 43 bd 11 nov, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France,⁴ CIRAD, UMR 113 CIRAD/INRA/IRD/SUP-AGRO/UM2, Laboratoire des Symbioses Tropicales et Méditerranéennes (LSTM), TA10/J, Campus International de Baillarguet, Montpellier, France⁵

Received 26 October 2007/ Accepted 4 January 2008

The response of microbial functional diversity as well as its resistance to stress or disturbances caused by the introduction of an exotic tree species, Acacia holosericea, ectomycorrhized or not with Pisolithus albus, was examined. The results show that this ectomycorrhizal fungus promotes drastically the growth of this fast-growing tree species in field conditions after 7 years of plantation. Compared to the crop soil surrounding the A. holosericea plantation, this exotic tree species, associated or not with the ectomycorrhizal symbiont, induced strong modifications in soil microbial functionalities (assessed by measuring the patterns of in situ catabolic potential of microbial communities) and reduced soil resistance in response to increasing stress or disturbance (salinity, temperature, and freeze-thaw and wet-dry cycles). In addition, A. holosericea strongly modified the structure of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus communities. These results show clearly that exotic plants may be responsible for important changes in soil microbiota affecting the structure and functions of microbial communities.

Published ahead of print on 18 January 2008.