| Congresso Brasileiro de Microbiologia 2023 | Resumo: 1007-2 | ||||
Resumo:Fungi are widely distributed in the environment and caves are intriguing ecosystems for studying these organisms. This is mainly due to its unique characteristics, such as the partial or total absence of direct light and scarcity of organic matter, which are uncommon in other terrestrial environments. Velha Nova cave is a limestone cave located in the municipality of Monjolos, in the state of Minas Gerais, and is located within the Serra do Espinhaço Meridional, one of the main geological formations in Brazil. The objective of this study was to survey the fungi occuring on different substrates of Velha Nova cave. Filamentous fungi present in the cave were isolated from air, litter, soil and rock samples. For identification of isolates using sequences of DNA target regions, fungal isolates that presented characteristics of interest, such as production of pigmented spores, synemium formation, or belonging to the genus Aspergillus and Penicillium, were selected. After genomic DNA extraction from the selected isolates, different target regions were amplified and sequenced for molecular identification, including ITS, LSU, RPB2, TUB, and TEF1-α. After searching the NCBI database using the megaBLAST algorithm, nucleotide sequences with high similarity were selected for phylogenetic analyses. Alignments were performed for each taxonomic group using the MUSCLE® algorithm implemented in the MEGA v.7 software. Phylogenetic trees were constructed using Bayesian Inference methods, in MrBayes v.3.2.6 software, and Maximum Likelihood, using IQTREE v.2.2.0. A total of 178 isolates were obtained, in which 53 were identified. Thirteen fungal genera distributed in 33 species were found, in which 3 were new species and 2 were possible new species. Initially, the study prioritized specific characteristics of the isolates, as already mentioned, which impact the real diversity found within the cave. However, the different taxa found in Velha Nova cave reveal its potential to harbor several fungal species, including those still unknown. Isolates belonging to the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium were found in all substrates collected, showing that they are widely distributed within the Velha Nova cave. The presence of the new species Chaetomium meridionalense, Pseudohumicola alba and Pseudohumicola lutea in Velha Nova cave opens the possibility that the others isolates not yet identified are also new species. Fungi have the ability to adapt to extreme environments, such as caves, in addition to their importance to the environment and humanity. This work demonstrates that Velha Nova cave harbors a considerable diversity of fungal genera, with new species and possible new species, in addition to its possible biotechnological potential. Palavras-chave: Biospeleology, Phylogeny, New species, Limestone cave Agência de fomento:FAPEMIG, CAPES (Finance Code 001), CNPq. | |||||