Eastern Joshua tree arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal mycobiomes largely consistent across roots, soils, and seasons
The Mojave Desert is home to iconic Joshua trees threatened by climate change. Most desert plants form mutually beneficial partnerships with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), yet the AMF of the Eastern Joshua tree (Yucca jaegeriana) remain completely uncharacterized. We tested how Y. jaegeriana AMF spore abundance, richness, and composition varied when sampling 20 trees across 4 seasons from roots versus soils. We confirmed root colonization via staining, assessed spore abundance via microsco…
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