Abstract: The compositions of species and genera of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in saline-alkaline soils of China and their ecological distributions were studied in this paper. They were correlated to soil type, alkalinity and organic matter content. The species number of Glomus genus was the highest in sandy, loam and clay soils, followed by Acaulospora genus. Glomus mosseae was the dominant species in these soils. The frequency of G. mosseae was increased with increasing alkalinity. In a certain extent, the higher the content of soil organic matter, the more the species were isolated. The components of the genus and species of AM fungi were also influenced by host plants, and the numbers of them in the rhizospheric soils of leguminous plants were greater than those in others.

Key words: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Saline-alkaline soil, Ecological distribution, nitrogen and phosphorus addition, terrestrial ecosystem., soil enzyme activity, nitrogen deposition