Psychrotolerant Microfungi Associated with Deer Mice (<i>Peromyscus maniculatus</i>) in a White-nose Syndrome Positive Bat Hibernaculum in Eastern Canada

Abstract

With the exception of recent work on bats, no reports on the fungi present on live mammals in underground habitats have been published. We cultured psychrotolerant fungi from the external surface and faeces of live Deer Mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), and from the intestinal contents of a single freshly killed P. maniculatus, overwintering in a white-nose syndrome positive bat hibernaculum and from adjacent summer forest in eastern Canada. A low diversity of psychrotolerant fungi was cultured from P. maniculatus compared with that found in previous studies of the mycoflora of bats and arthropods occupying bat hibernacula in the region. Although the grooming habits of P. maniculatus may reduce the accumulation of a diverse psychrotolerant fungal assemblage on their external surface, we demonstrate that active euthermic mammals in underground habitats can carry viable spores of psychrotolerant fungi, both externally and internally. Small rodents using cave habitats may also play a role in dispersing psychrotolerant fungi between caves and suitable low-temperature habitats (i.e., burrows) in adjacent forest.

Penicillium diversity in Canadian bat caves, including a new species, P. speluncae

“…the deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus), cave walls, and one dead bat found in a parking garage. During the survey, hundreds of fungal strains were obtained and Penicillium represented one of the most frequently isolated genera, probably because of the ability of these species to grow at low temperatures (Frisvad & Samson 2004, Vanderwolf et al 2016. Previous studies had similar results, but the diversity of Penicillium in caves is even greater than previously reported and several of these species have never been reported from caves or mines, including P. bialowiezense, P. brevistipitatum, P. consobrinum, P. rubens, P. spathulatum and P. westlingii (Nováková 2009, Vanderwolf et al 2013b, Anelli et al 2018.…”

“…Penicillium is one of the most common genera isolated from caves on multiple substrates, particularly sediment and air, although no new Penicillium species have been described from caves apart from P. cavernicola, which has also been found outside of caves on dairy products (Frisvad & Samson 2004, Vanderwolf et al 2013a, and P. gravinicasei recently described from a cave in Italy from ripening Apulian cave cheeses (Anelli et al 2018). Vanderwolf et al (2016) studied the fungi associated with over-wintering arthropods in Pd positive hibernacula in Canada. They isolated 87 fungal taxa from four arthropod genera.…”