In: Sydowia 72, (2020): 131-155; ISSN 0082-0598, DOI 10.12905/0380.sydowia72-2020-0131, Published online on April 21, 2020

Colonization pattern and molecular diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi from floating islands in Hungary

Ágnes Zöld-Balogha,b, Márton Baloghb, Attila Englonerc, Károly Bókad, Bernadett Berecza, Bóna Lillaa, Merényi Zsolta,e, Zoltán Brateka & István Parádia,f,*

a Department of Plant Physiology and Molecular Plant Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, 1/c Pázmány Péter sétány,
H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
b Paluster Ltd. for Ecology and Conservation, 16-18 Dohány u., H-1077 Budapest, Hungary
c Danube Research Institute of Centre for Ecological Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 29 Karolina út,
H-1113 Budapest, Hungary
d Department of Plant Anatomy, Eötvös Loránd University, 1/c Pázmány Péter sétány, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
e Institute of Biochemistry, Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Centre, 62 Temesvári krt.
H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
f Institute for Soil Sciences and Agricultural Chemistry, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences,
15 Herman Ottó út, H -1022 Budapest, Hungary
* e-mail: istvan.paradi@ttk.elte.hu

Zöld-Balogh Á., Balogh M., Engloner A., Bóka K., Berecz B., Bóna L., Merényi Z., Bratek Z. & Parádi I. (2019) Colonization
pattern and molecular diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi from floating islands in Hungary. – Sydowia 72: 131–148.
Floating islands are pseudo-dry lands composed by littoral macrophyte vegetation bending down on water and forming interwoven
rhizomes and roots collecting debris and litter, which may be followed by a succession of herbal and woody species.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis of characteristic plant species from the rooting layers of three species-poor floating islands
with distinct trophity in Hungary were studied. According to our knowledge, colonization of 25 plant species was shown
for the first time in a wetland/floating island ecosystem. As a first report of AM fungal molecular diversity on floating islands 15
phylotypes belonging to Glomeraceae, Entrophosporaceae and Acaulosporaceae were characterized. Results confirm that certain
AM fungal taxa may have a preference of wetlands although specific taxa characteristic to floating islands have not been shown.

Keywords: floating island, floating mat, sudd, root colonization, ITS region, molecular diversity