A comprehensive assessment of fungal communities in various habitats from an ice-free area of maritime Antarctica: diversity, distribution, and ecological trait ...

• Main Authors: Zhang, Tao, Yan, Dong, Ji, Zhongqiang, Chen, Xiufei, Yu, Liyan
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: figshare 2022
• Subjects: Microbiology; FOS Biological sciences; Ecology; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6301490.v1; https://springernature.figshare.com/collections/A_comprehensive_assessment_of_fungal_communities_in_various_habitats_from_an_ice-free_area_of_maritime_Antarctica_diversity_distribution_and_ecological_trait/6301490/1

Abstract Background In the ice-free area of maritime Antarctica, fungi are the essential functioning group in terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Until now, no study has been conducted to comprehensively assess fungal communities in various habitats in Antarctica. We aimed to characterize fungal communities in the eleven habitats (i.e., soil, seawater, vascular plant, dung, moss, marine alga, lichen, green alga, freshwater, feather) in the Fildes Region (maritime Antarctica) using next-generation sequencing. Results A total of 12 known phyla, 37 known classes, 85 known orders, 164 known families, 313 known genera, and 320 known species were detected. Habitat specificity rather than habitat overlap determined the composition of fungal communities, suggesting that, although fungal communities were connected by dispersal at the local scale, the environmental filter is a key factor driving fungal assemblages in the ice-free Antarctica. Furthermore, 20 fungal guilds and 6 growth forms were detected. Many ...