High Fungal Diversity and Dominance by Ascomycota in Dam Reservoir Soils of Arid Climates

Abstract

The study analyzed fungal diversity in soil trapped behind dams in three arid regions of Oman, in the south-eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. Physicochemical analysis indicated that soils are of the loamy sand or sandy loam types and they are deficit in some macro and micro elements. Culture-based techniques revealed variation between dam soils in the number and type of phyla, classes, orders, genera and species. Ascomycota was the most dominant phyla in the three samples, contributing to 89% of the total species. Eurotiomycetes, Sordariomycetes and Dothideomycetes were the most common classes in dam soils. Zygomycetes, Pezizomycetes and Oomycetes were also detected, but at lower levels. Fifty fungal taxa were recovered from the three dam soils, with Aspergillus, Penicillium and Trichoderma being the most common genera. Most of the detected species were saprophytes; however some were either plant pathogens or mycotoxin producers, affecting humans directly or indirectly. This study appears to report for the first time 20 fungal species in Oman. It is also the first study from arid regions to characterize high fungal diversity in soil trapped behind dams. The sources of these fungi in dam soils and the implications of fungal diversity are discussed.

Microbial Assemblages Associated with the Soil-Root Continuum of an Endangered Plant, Helianthemum songaricum Schrenk

“…3 . These results were consistent with those of previous studies that found the above-mentioned taxa in truffle grounds and the rhizosphere of Xinjiang jujube ( 28 – 30 ). The LDA effect size, among samples, revealed highly significant variations in the bacterial relative abundances compared to those of fungal taxa, representing that the communities of bacteria had far higher levels of sensitivity in the root endosphere.…”

“…In our study, we found that the soil bacteria were significantly positively correlated with soil pH. Previous findings demonstrated that the soil pH level can result in micronutrient deficiencies and nutrient imbalances, thus enhancing the competition for nutrients between plants and microorganisms in the microenvironment ( 28 ). Thus, soil pH is an important limiting factor for microorganisms in the desert environment and the major driving element for ecosystem functioning in arid and barren environments ( 63 ).…”

Variations in the diversity of the soil microbial community and structure under various categories of degraded wetland in Sanjiang Plain, northeastern China

“…Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Mortierellomycota were identified as the predominant fungal phyla in all four locations, which were in accordance with findings for the Sanjiang Plain (Wei et al, 2019) and in a degraded alpine meadow (Y. Li et al, 2016). Ascomycota is known as the most abundant group in the fungal kingdom and can be detected in soil all over the world (Al‐Sadi et al, 2017). The phylum Basidiomycota is the second most abundant class, which has the ability to restrict the decomposition of lignin (Floudas et al, 2012).…”

“…Li et al, 2016). Ascomycota is known as the most abundant group in the fungal kingdom and can be detected in soil all over the world (Al-Sadi et al, 2017). The phylum Basidiomycota is the second most abundant class, which has the ability to restrict the decomposition of lignin (Floudas et al, 2012).…”

Soil properties under different ecological restoration modes for the quarry in Yanshan mountains of Hebei province, China

“…Ascomycota and Basidiomycota are the two most widely distributed and abundant fungal groups, which are related to their metabolic characteristics and strong viability in a variety of habitats ( Al-Sadi et al, 2017 ). In the studied area, the relative abundances of Ascomycota ( Fig.…”