Airborne mycobiota in a subterranean habitat – a case of show cave in Serbia

Abstract

Abstract Fungi can colonize organic matter present in subterranean sites and have a significant role as dwellers in different microniches of cave habitats. In order to analyze the content of airborne fungal propagules in different parts of “Stopića Cave”, a touristic site in Serbia, air sampling was carried out in three seasons during 2020, prior to and during the onset of Covid-19 pandemic. Culturable mycobiota was identified using both microscopic techniques and ITS region/BenA gene barkoding while multivariate analyses were employed to establish the link between fungal taxa and different environmental factors. The maximal measured fungal propagule concentrations were recorded during spring sampling where based on fungal propagules concentration categories cave environment match the category V. A total of 29 fungal isolates were identified while Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Lecanicillium, Mucor and Penicillium were the most diverse genera. According to the trophic mode most of the isolated fungal species were Pathotrophs (75.86%), but when regarding ecological guilds, the most dominant were undefined saprobes and animal pathogens (41.38% for each). Show caves are especially vulnerable to human impacts, and the fungal propagules’ concentration within the caves could be good indices for the level of ecological disturbance.