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Native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). from saline areas could be a critical issue for success in recovering areas affected by salinity, either in natural environments or in agricultural lands. Despite its important role, there is little information on the distribution and abundance of the different mycorrhizal associations in saline environments in European Mediterranean areas. In the present study the community of AMF is investigated in the rhizosphere of a representative plant species adapted to saline Mediterranean areas, Asteriscus maritimus. Samples of the rhizosphere of twenty plants were taken from the most arid region in Europe, Cabo de Gata Natural Park, in two different areas: a dune and a salt marsh. A total of 30 AMF species belonging to three classes, five orders, nine families and 13 genera within the phylum Glomeromycota were found from both sites. In the rhizosphere of the salt marsh spore densities were six times higher than in the dunes, although the diversity was similar in both systems. One new AMF species has been described in the dune and four species could not be unequivocally identified, suggesting possible new species. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.