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Isolation of Culturable Yeasts and Molds from Soils to Investigate Fungal Population Structure
Published on: May 27, 2022
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Substrate, temperature, and geographical patterns among nearly 2000 natural yeast isolates
William J Spurley1, Kaitlin J Fisher1, Quinn K Langdon1,2
1Laboratory of Genetics, J. F. Crow Institute for the Study of Evolution, Wisconsin Energy Institute, Center for Genomic Science Innovation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Yeast (Chichester, England)
|November 6, 2021
Summary
This study mapped yeast distribution across the USA, identifying cosmopolitan species and revealing strong associations between yeast types, their substrates, and isolation temperatures. These findings highlight niche partitioning in yeast ecology.
Area of Science:
- Microbial Ecology
- Environmental Microbiology
- Yeast Biology
Background:
- Yeasts are crucial in industry, medicine, and research, yet their roles in natural ecosystems are underexplored.
- Studying yeast ecology is challenging due to their lower abundance compared to other microbes.
- Natural yeast isolates offer insights into ecological questions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate geographic patterns of yeast taxa across the USA.
- To identify associations between yeast taxa, their substrates, and isolation temperatures.
- To understand niche partitioning and ecological diversity among yeasts.
Main Methods:
- Environmental sampling and isolation of 1962 yeast strains from the contiguous USA and Alaska.
- Analysis of geographic distribution of yeast taxa.
- Correlation of yeast taxa with substrate types and isolation temperatures.
Main Results:
- Identified broadly distributed cosmopolitan yeast taxa, including Torulaspora delbrueckii and Saccharomyces paradoxus.
- Discovered novel and confirmed known yeast taxon-substrate associations.
- Demonstrated a significant impact of isolation temperature on recovered yeast phyla and species.
Conclusions:
- Geographic distribution, substrate, and temperature are key factors shaping yeast communities.
- Observed associations suggest niche partitioning among yeast taxa.
- This dataset provides a foundation for understanding yeast ecological strategies.
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