The composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal communities in roots of rare

Viola elatior and common V. mirabilis was investigated using PCR with primers specific for Glomus

and common was investigated using PCR with primers specific for

group A, followed by single-stranded conformation polymorphism analysis. Twelve AM fungal

sequence types were identified, ten of them from both plant species. On average 3.8/7.5 sequence

types were detected per 1 cm-long root fragment/per plant. The frequency of individual sequence types

was higher and AM fungal community composition less variable in roots of common V. mirabilis

than rare V. elatior. Our results suggest quantitative differences in the AM fungal communities

hosted by the two host plant species.