ORIGINAL PAPER High compatibility between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities and seedlings of different land use types in a tropical dry ecosystem Mayra E. Gavito & Daniel Pérez-Castillo & César F. González-Monterrubio & Teresa Vieyra-Hernández & Miguel Martínez-Trujillo Received: 24 March 2008 / Accepted: 11 September 2008 / Published online: 26 September 2008 # Springer-Verlag 2008 Abstract We conducted this study to explore limitations for the establishment of mycorrhizal associations in disturbed areas of the tropical dry ecosystem in the Chamela region of Jalisco, Mexico. Specifically, we: (1) assessed the diversity and composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) communities through spore morphospecies identification in three common land uses (primary forest, secondary forest, and pasture), (2) tested the inoculum potential of the AMF communities and the effect of water stress on the establishment of mycorrhizal associations in seedlings of various plant species, and (3) explored the importance of AMF community composition on early seedling development. Soil and root samples were taken from 15 random points in each of three plots established in two primary forests, two 26-year-old sec- ondary forests, and two 26-year-old pastures. We expected that because of soil degradation and management, pastures would have the lowest and primary forests the highest AMF species richness. We found evidence for changes in AMF species composition due to land use and for higher morphospecies richness in primary forests than in second- ary forests and pastures. We expected also that water stress limited plant and mycorrhizal development and that plants and AMF communities from secondary forests and pastures would be less affected by (better adapted to) water stress than those from the primary forest. We found that although all plant species showed biomass reductions under water stress, only some of the plant species had lower mycorrhi- zal development under water stress, and this was regardless of the AMF community inoculated. The third hypothesis was that plant species common to all land use types would respond similarly to all AMF communities, whereas plant species found mainly in one land use type would grow better when inoculated with the AMF community of that specific land use type. All plant species were however equally responsive to the three AMF communities inocu- lated, indicating that all plants established functionally compatible AMF in each community, with no preferences. The results suggest that early seedling growth and mycorrhizal development in secondary forests and pastures is not likely limited by diversity, quantity, or quality of mycorrhizal propagules but by the high temperature and water stress conditions prevailing at those sites. Keywords Arbuscular . Land use . Mycorrhiza . Pasture . Tropical dry forest . Secondary forest . Water Introduction Tropical dry forests along the Pacific Coast of Mexico are being continuously converted by slash-and-burn into Mycorrhiza (2008) 19:47–60 DOI 10.1007/s00572-008-0203-4 Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00572-008-0203-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. M. E. Gavito (*) : D. Pérez-Castillo : C. F. González-Monterrubio Centro de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado postal 27-3, Santa María de Guido, 58090 Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico e-mail: mgavito@oikos.unam.mx T. Vieyra-Hernández : M. Martínez-Trujillo Facultad de Biología, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, 58066 Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico