A TREASURE BEYOND IRON ORE: FUNGAL RICHNESS IN NATURAL FERRUGINOUS CAVES IN THE SOUTHERN ESPINHAÇO MOUNTAIN RANGE, MINAS GERAIS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37002/rbesp.v1i15.2939Keywords:
Biospeleology, Caves, Cladosporium, mycology, taxonomy, PenicilliumAbstract
Caves, being unique environments with singular characteristics, harbor a high diversity of fungi, including unknown species, with potential for biotechnological use. In recent years, studies on cave fungi have highlighted these environments as a
new frontier for the expansion of knowledge in the field of mycology. In this context, the objective of this study was to investigate cultivable filamentous fungi present in ferruginous caves and in a ferruginous quartzite cave in the region between the municipalities of Serro and Conceição do Mato Dentro, in the Serra do Espinhaço Meridional, in Minas Gerais. Samples of particles present in the air, animal dung, roots, rock, litter, and sediment/soil were collected for the isolation of cave fungi. The collections were carried out in five ferruginous caves in the Serra da Ferrugem and in the ferruginous quartzite cave Curral de Pedras, both in Conceição do Mato Dentro, in addition to a collection in a ferruginous cave in Alvorada de Minas, district of Itapanhoacanga. In total, 887 fungal isolates were obtained from the sampled ferruginous caves, with 274 isolates from soil, 258 from air, 128 from litter, 106 from animal dung, 70 from rocks, and 51 from roots. To identify the isolates, total genomic DNA was extracted, followed by amplification and sequencing of the ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer) region. The isolates were identified at the genus taxonomic level by comparing the ITS sequences obtained with the megablast tool, using the GenBank database.
Four phyla (Ascomycota, Mucoromycota, Basidiomycota, and Zoopagomycota), 13 classes, 36 orders, 70 families, and 145 genera were found. The phylum Ascomycota was the most predominant, with the genera Penicillium and Cladosporium being the most frequent. This study points out that ferruginous caves in the Southern Espinhaço Mountains harbor a high wealth of fungal genera, highlighting the potential for the discovery of new species.
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