The FunAqua dataset of global fungal biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems

Advances in high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies have accelerated research on aquatic microorganisms, their diversity, and ecological functions. This has also significantly advanced research on fungi that shape aquatic ecosystems and food webs. Here, we present the FunAqua dataset, which describes global fungal biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems based on eukaryotic long-read metabarcoding data from 1,076 sediment and 1,299 filtered water samples collected across 1,452 sampling sites in 87 countries. We targeted the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. In total, 50,152 fungal OTUs were recorded. The sequencing data is accompanied by comprehensive sample metadata, including physicochemical data of water and sediments. The FunAqua dataset provides a new resource for analysing and better understanding the biodiversity of fungi in different types of aquatic habitats across biogeographical regions. The dataset described in this data paper will be periodically updated with additional metabarcoding data.