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Eco-physiological Responses of Aquatic Fungi to Three Global Change Stressors Highlight the Importance of Intraspecific Trait Variability

  • Microbiology of Aquatic Systems
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Abstract

Anthropogenic change at a global scale is affecting life on Earth with impacts on freshwaters. Aquatic hyphomycetes are fungi that drive organic matter decomposition in freshwaters and mediate energy transfer to higher trophic levels. Intraspecific trait variability affects ecological processes and can account for species adaptations to environmental change. To ascertain how aquatic hyphomycetes respond to global change related stressors, we selected 20 strains (7 species), based on their co-occurrence in streams and phylogenetic relatedness. We measured fungal growth rates at different temperatures (7 levels), nutrient concentrations (6 levels) and medium moisture (6 levels). Our results indicate that all stressors affected fungal growth, and responses to nutrient enrichment and moisture were strain specific. Fungal responses to the stressors were not explained by their phylogenetic relatedness. In the absence of stressors, interspecific diversity best explained the variance in fungal traits, while the increase in the stress gradient increased the importance of intraspecific diversity.

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Data Availability

DNA sequences are available at GenBank. Accession numbers listed in Supplementary material, Table S1. The datasets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Code Availability

Not applicable.

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Funding

The study was supported by the project STREAMECO: Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning under climate change: from the gene to the stream (PTDC/CTA-AMB/31245/2017), funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the COMPETE2020—Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI). This work was also supported by the “Contrato-Programa” (UIDB/04050/2020) funded by national funds through the FCT I.P. Diana Graça was supported by FCT (SFRH/BD/140761/2018).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology, Department of Biology, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal

    Diana Graça, Isabel Fernandes, Fernanda Cássio & Cláudia Pascoal

  2. Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal

    Diana Graça, Isabel Fernandes, Fernanda Cássio & Cláudia Pascoal

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  1. Diana Graça
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  2. Isabel Fernandes
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  3. Fernanda Cássio
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  4. Cláudia Pascoal
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. DG conducted the experiments. DG and IF performed the data analysis. DG wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript and read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Diana Graça.

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Graça, D., Fernandes, I., Cássio, F. et al. Eco-physiological Responses of Aquatic Fungi to Three Global Change Stressors Highlight the Importance of Intraspecific Trait Variability. Microb Ecol 85, 1215–1225 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-022-02007-7

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