Community Structure of Ectomycorrhizae Associated with Salix spp. Growing in Two Different Climatic Regions of Pakistan

Ectomycorrhiza is a mutualistic symbiotic relationship between the roots of higher plants and fungi. Salix is an important host genus for ectomycorrhizal symbiosis growing in a variety of environmental conditions. Eleven different types of ectomycorrhizal morphotypes were isolated from different species of Salix growing in two geologically distant zones of Pakistan with varied environmental conditions. KPK zone has moist temperate while Lahore zone falls in semi-arid climate. These morphotypes were characterized on morpho-anatomic basis. Out of these eight belonged to KPK zone and three to Lahore zone. Three morphotypes were previously undescribed and six have been found for the first time associated with Salix spp. Two are new records for Pakistan. Species richness and diversity was found higher in KPK zone as compared to Lahore zone where species richness and diversity was lower but a high number of ectomycorrhizal morphotypes were found in comparison with KPK zone. (C) 2014 Friends Science Publishers