Toward a sampling strategy for vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizas

Nine species of VAM fungi were recovered from a barrier dune system in Rhode Island and it was determined, by using species increment curves, that 9–30 samples were necessary to find all nine species.

Abstract

Nine species of VAM fungi were recovered from a barrier dune system in Rhode Island. It was determined, by using species increment curves, that 9–30 samples were necessary to find all nine species. In a corroborative study of a Virginia dune, 26–30 samples were necessary to recover all 18 species at that site. Using cumulative averages, it was determined in three dune studies that 30 samples would usually yield a mean spore density of ±20%. Standardized estimation formulae indicated that the numbers of samples required were usually outside the range of practical sampling feasibility.