Soil and seasons affect arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with Tamarix rhizosphere in arid and semi-arid steppes Karima Bencherif a,b , Ammar Boutekrabt a , Yolande Dalpé c , Anissa Lounès-Hadj Sahraoui b, * a Université de Blida, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Route de Soumaa, BP 270, Blida 09000, Algeria b Université du Littoral Côte d’Opale, Unité de Chimie Environnementale et Interactions sur le Vivant (UCEIV), EA4492, SFR Condorcet FR CNRS 3417, 50 rue Ferdinand Buisson, 62228 Calais, France c Agriculture et agroalimentaire Canada, Centre de recherche et développement d’Ottawa 960 Carling Ave, Ottawa, ON KIA 0C6, Canada A R T I C L E I N F O Article history: Received 21 December 2015 Received in revised form 24 May 2016 Accepted 9 June 2016 Available online xxx Keywords: Tamarix articulata Tamarix gallica AMF biodiversity Mycorrhizal colonization Pedological parameters A B S T R A C T The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) diversity associated to Tamarix articulata and Tamarix gallica rhizosphere was investigated in the Algerian steppic area. Evaluation of species diversity revealed the presence of 10 glomoid and one gigasporoid spore types of AMF species from the ten studied sites. Shannon biodiversity index showed that AMF species diversity varied according to soil physico-chemical characteristics of the different sites. However, seasonal variation affected abundance but not AMF species biodiversity. Significant effect of soil and seasons on AMF root colonization rate was also observed. Overall, AMF Tamarix root colonization rates varied according to the species ranging from 0.88 to 75.26% in T. articulata and from 1.90 to 12.96% in T. gallica. This study highlighted the complexity of Tamarix species/AMF symbiosis through seasons associated with plant phenology and soil physico-chemical composition in arid and semi-arid steppes. ã 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Desertification is a major cause of land loss in pre-Saharian area. The steppe ecosystem consists of dry lands subjected to high evapotranspiration (Ollero, 2013; Dagar and Tomar, 2002). Steppic zones of Algeria were defined by Le Houerou et al. (1977) based on their bio-climates. They were characterized by their high soil salinity and calcareous level, conditions that hamper the ecosys- tem restoration (Ollero, 2013). Revegetation with selected plant species adapted to the harsh condition of steppic areas is an effective technique to fight against advancing desert and desertification (Dagar and Tomar, 2002). Tamarix species that belong to the Tamaricaceae family are recognized to be well adapted to saline soil and arid environments (Meinhardt and Gehring, 2013). They can tolerate an extreme range of environmental conditions (Oudat and Quadir, 2011), and are resistant to high soil salinity levels such as those found in Algerian steppic ecosystems. This family includes 112 species from endemic regions of Eurasia and Africa and some species have been introduced into North America (Khabtane, 2010). Tamarix gallica L. and Tamarix articulata Vahll, two halophytic species, were introduced in some Algerian steppic areas during French colonial period. Since that time, they have spread naturally in several other arid and semi-arid areas (Belarouci, 1991; DGF, 2004). T. gallica is a widespread species in coastal Mediterranean areas deciphering a high adaptability to different environments and a high tolerance to hard environmental conditions (Abou Jouadé et al., 2012). Its adaptability to saline soil made it efficient as a phytoremediator (Kadukova and Kalogerakis, 2007). T. articulata establishes in desert environments in North Africa and the Middle East, zones characterized by low rainfall, not exceeding 100 mm a year. The species is adapted to rich clay soil, with a moderate sand accumulation. This drought-resistant tree is tolerant to alkaline and saline soils and is commonly used as a windbreak and shade tree in oasis (Khabtane, 2010; UICN, 2014). T. articulata is one of most promising species for revegetation of bio-saline degraded soils and as such well suited to grow in steppic environments (Dagar and Tomar, 2002). An interesting biological tool to improve plant growth and plant resistance in stressful environments is the establishment of mycorrhizal symbiosis (Fortin et al., 2008). Symbiotic fungi are important components of ecosystem diversity, due to the mutualistic interaction with roots of the terrestrial plants (Smith and Read, 2008). It has been clearly demonstrated that a diversity * Corresponding author. E-mail address: lounes@univ-littoral.fr (A. Lounès-Hadj Sahraoui). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2016.06.003 0929-1393/ã 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Applied Soil Ecology 107 (2016) 182–190 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Applied Soil Ecology journal homepage: www.else vie r.com/locate /apsoil