Bacteria Associated with Spores of the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi <i>Glomus geosporum</i> and <i>Glomus constrictum</i>

Spores of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) <i>Glomus geosporum</i> and <i>Glomus constrictum</i> were harvested from single-spore-derived pot cultures with either <i>Plantago lanceolata</i> or <i>Hieracium pilosella</i> as host plants. PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis revealed that the bacterial communities associated with the spores depended more on AMF than host plant identity. The composition of the bacterial populations linked to the spores could be predominantly influenced by a specific spore wall composition or AMF exudate rather than by specific root exudates. The majority of the bacterial sequences that were common to both <i>G. geosporum</i> and <i>G. constrictum</i> spores were affiliated with taxonomic groups known to degrade biopolymers (<i>Cellvibrio</i>, <i>Chondromyces</i>, <i>Flexibacter</i>, <i>Lysobacter</i>, and <i>Pseudomonas</i>). Scanning electron microscopy of <i>G. geosporum</i> spores revealed that these bacteria are possibly feeding on the outer hyaline spore layer. The process of maturation and eventual germination of AMF spores might then benefit from the activity of the surface microorganisms degrading the outer hyaline wall layer.