10.3389/fmicb.2019.00680.s001
Keilor Rojas-Jimenez
Keilor
Rojas-Jimenez
Angelika Rieck
Angelika
Rieck
Christian Wurzbacher
Christian
Wurzbacher
Klaus Jürgens
Klaus
Jürgens
Matthias Labrenz
Matthias
Labrenz
Hans-Peter Grossart
Hans-Peter
Grossart
Data_Sheet_1_A Salinity Threshold Separating Fungal Communities in the Baltic Sea.PDF
Frontiers
2019
fungal diversity
baltic sea
salinity gradient
brackish waters
chytridiomycota
cryptomycota
2019-03-29 11:08:12
Dataset
https://frontiersin.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Data_Sheet_1_A_Salinity_Threshold_Separating_Fungal_Communities_in_the_Baltic_Sea_PDF/7923887
<p>Salinity is a significant factor for structuring microbial communities, but little is known for aquatic fungi, particularly in the pelagic zone of brackish ecosystems. In this study, we explored the diversity and composition of fungal communities following a progressive salinity decline (from 34 to 3 PSU) along three transects of ca. 2000 km in the Baltic Sea, the world’s largest estuary. Based on 18S rRNA gene sequence analysis, we detected clear changes in fungal community composition along the salinity gradient and found significant differences in composition of fungal communities established above and below a critical value of 8 PSU. At salinities below this threshold, fungal communities resembled those from freshwater environments, with a greater abundance of Chytridiomycota, particularly of the orders Rhizophydiales, Lobulomycetales, and Gromochytriales. At salinities above 8 PSU, communities were more similar to those from marine environments and, depending on the season, were dominated by a strain of the LKM11 group (Cryptomycota) or by members of Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Our results highlight salinity as an important environmental driver also for pelagic fungi, and thus should be taken into account to better understand fungal diversity and ecological function in the aquatic realm.</p>