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Environmental drivers and sampling techniques influence neotropical hyphomycetes composition in lakes and streams
Heloysa Farias da Silva1, Rosemberg F Menezes2, Loise Araujo Costa3
1Programa de Pós-Graduação em Sistemática e Evolução, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
Fungal Biology
|December 6, 2024
Summary
Freshwater hyphomycetes (fungi) community composition is influenced by time, habitat, and environmental factors. Combining diverse sampling methods is crucial for accurately assessing fungal diversity in aquatic ecosystems.
Area of Science:
- Aquatic Mycology
- Ecology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Freshwater hyphomycetes are key decomposers in aquatic ecosystems.
- Community composition is influenced by environmental factors like temperature, nutrients, and habitat type.
- Accurate monitoring requires diverse sampling strategies, especially in tropical regions.
Purpose of the Study:
- Compare aquatic hyphomycetes composition across habitats (lakes, streams), substrates (leaves, twigs), and time.
- Investigate the influence of physicochemical variables on fungal community assembly.
- Evaluate the impact of different sampling methods (moist chamber, submerged incubation) on study outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Collected substrates and water samples from lakes and streams in Northeastern Brazil.
- Utilized moist chamber and submerged incubation techniques for fungal sampling.
- Analyzed the relationship between hyphomycetes composition and environmental variables.
Main Results:
- Time and its interaction with habitat type were primary drivers of fungal community changes.
- Physicochemical factors (phosphorus, ammonia, oxygen, temperature, water velocity) also significantly affected community assembly.
- Different sampling methods yielded distinct ecological conclusions, with high taxon substitution between methods.
Conclusions:
- Sampling method significantly impacts the detection of ecological patterns, such as species turnover and temporal-habitat interactions.
- Combining multiple sampling strategies and considering diverse habitat types is essential for a comprehensive understanding of freshwater fungal diversity.
- Accurate representation of fungal communities necessitates integrated approaches in ecological and taxonomic studies.
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