Characteristics of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in the rhizosphere soil of Sophora moorcroftiana Baker, a plant endemic to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

This study employed high-throughput sequencing to characterize arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) community composition and diversity in rhizosphere soil associated with Sophora moorcroftiana, and to evaluate the influence of edaphic factors on AMF community assembly. Results showed that: (1) Glomus dominated the AMF assemblage, accounting for an average of 69% relative abundance. (2) Network analysis identified Glomus, Scutellospora, Claroideoglomus, and Gigaspora as central taxa contributing to community stability. (3) Correlation analysis demonstrated that soil organic carbon (SOC), available potassium, ammonium nitrogen, and pH significantly impacted AMF structure, composition, and diversity. (4) Canonical correspondence analysis further identified SOC as the principal determinant of AMF composition. (5) Stratified comparisons across SOC gradients revealed pronounced differences in genus-level species abundance, with Scutellospora exhibiting a negative response and Claroideoglomus a positive response to increasing SOC. In addition, SOC levels significantly influenced the number and identity of AMF indicator species. These findings highlight the ecological dominance of Glomus and establish SOC as a primary environmental driver of AMF community dynamics in the rhizosphere soil of Sophora moorcroftiana, providing mechanistic insight into plant-AMF interactions and informing strategies for co-restoration of pioneer plants and AMF in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.