Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2026
10:33
Isolation of Culturable Yeasts and Molds from Soils to Investigate Fungal Population Structure
Published on: May 27, 2022
Cultivable Fungi in Amazonian Black-, White-, and Clear-Water Rivers
Vanessa da Silva Bindá1, Juan Diego Ribeiro de Almeida2, Adriana Dos Santos Arévalo1
1Postgraduate Program in Biotechnology and Natural Resources of the Amazon, Amazonas State University (UEA), Manaus 69050-020, Brazil.
Biology
|June 25, 2026
Summary
This study explored cultivable fungi in Amazonian rivers, finding distinct fungal communities across different water types and substrates. Submerged wood and river type significantly influenced fungal abundance and diversity.
Area of Science:
- Freshwater ecology
- Mycology
- Amazonian biodiversity
Background:
- Cultivable fungi are crucial in freshwater ecosystems.
- Amazonian aquatic fungal diversity is understudied.
- Major Amazonian river systems (blackwater, whitewater, clearwater) differ significantly.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate cultivable fungal communities in Amazonian rivers.
- To compare fungal diversity across water, sediment, and submerged wood.
- To investigate factors influencing fungal community structure.
Main Methods:
- Sampling along 25m transects in Negro, Solimões, and Tapajós Rivers.
- Fungal isolation on potato dextrose agar, morphotyping, and morphological identification.
- Diversity assessment using richness, Shannon, Simpson, Pielou, and Sørensen indices.
Main Results:
- 130 isolates and 75 morphotypes identified, dominated by filamentous Ascomycota (Aspergillus, Penicillium).
- Solid substrates (especially submerged wood) showed higher fungal abundance and richness than water.
- Tapajós River exhibited highest diversity; Solimões River showed morphotype dominance; low community overlap among rivers.
Conclusions:
- Substrate type, hydrochemistry, and temporal effects likely shape Amazonian riverine fungal communities.
- Significant differentiation in fungal assemblages observed among the studied Amazonian rivers.
- This research provides foundational data on Amazonian aquatic fungal ecology.
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