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The plants in the Gurbantunggut Desert located in Xinjiang, China are drought adapted species and grow in generally nutrient-poor soils. A survey was conducted in the desert to determine the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) status associated with the desert plants which belong to 23 species from 11 families of annuals and perennials. Roots from all plants were examined for the presence of internal and external hyphae, vesicles and coils/arbuscules to determine the status and extent of mycorrhizal colonization. Of the plant species surveyed, 14 (61%) were found to form AM associations, 5 (22%) were possible AM colonized species, and 4 were non-mycorrhizal plants. The proportions of annuals and shrubs forming AM were significantly lower than those of perennials and herbs, respectively. Spore density varied from 5 to 21 per 20 g in soil of root zone. 14 AM fungal taxa in 3 genera were isolated and identified, 10 of which belonged to Glomus, 3 to Acaulospora, and 1 to Archaeospora. Glomus was the dominant genus in all genera identified. G deserticola and G etunicatum were the most common taxa isolated, with occurrence frequencies of 77.4% and 74.8%, and relative abundances of 14.4% and 15.5%, respectively.