Impact of abiotic conditions on Fungal Diversity and Comparative analysis of Soil quality of two distinct locations

Abstract

AbstractSoil fertility play a prominent role in biological sustenance in turn fungi are significant participants in bridging biotic and abiotic interactions between the components in the environment, and they involve in breakdown of organic/ inorganic materials during bioleaching/ bioconversion leading to bio-availability and thus recycling of nutrients. Local environmental factors (abiotic), such as the chemical and physical properties of the soil, greatly influence the composition of existing fungal communities and determine the diversity of soil fungi. A correlation study of the micro fungi found in ecologically two different regions (Karnataka state, India) of Uttara Kannada and Chitradurga districts. One being part of India’s Western Ghats, a biologically fertile ecosystem and the other being a dry, arid region of Deccan plateau with scanty rain fall. Soil samples were collected from various geographical locations in order to study and evaluate the role that certain soil physicochemical features play in fungi diversity. According to our findings, soil attributes (fertility) are related to the composition, richness, and diversity of fungi in soils and thus soil’s physico-chemical properties assessed were linked to fungal diversity measurements. This led us to indicate the role of abiotic factors effecting the fungal diversity in soil and their prominent role in soil fertility.Importance of the WorkThis work signifies the role of fungal diversity on soil fertility and the impact of abiotic and physico-chemical soil parameters on the same. Thus the work explores the importance of the each of these components and the wild fungal strain’s participation in value addition to their functional role in breakdown of organic/ inorganic materials during bioleaching/ bioconversion leading to bio-availability and thus recycling of nutrients. The work also highlights soil pH as one of key indicators to define the diversity of soil fungi and can provide a direct correlation between pH, bioconversion and fungal activity/ diversity. This work is first of a kind from southern India connecting the western ghat bio-diversity hot-spot fertile region with the neighbouring barren Bayaluseemae region of Karnataka State, South India with regards to abiotic factors, fungi and fertility.