Fungal diversity and community composition in groundwater from two temperate lakes differing in DOM concentration and quality Raw sequence reads

Fungi are an important component of groundwater microbial communities and are well known for their ability to degrade refractory, highly polymeric organic matter. In soils and aquatic systems, they play an important role in carbon processing, however, their diversity, community structure and ecological role, particularly in groundwater, are poorly studied. The aim of this study was to examine the fungal community composition and diversity of 16 groundwater boreholes surrounding two lakes with a contrasting trophic status in NE Germany. The analysis of 28S rRNA gene environmental sequences revealed not only a high fungal diversity in both aquifers, but also a clear difference in community structure between both aquifers. In addition, we isolated twenty-seven species of fungi from the groundwater and tested for their ability to degrade complex organic polymers. Most isolates showed positive activities for at least one of the tested polymer types.