Fungal biodiversity on northern Belgium bats and hibernacula. undefined

Bats can be affected by a range of fungal pathogens or be carriers of numerous fungal species and participate in their dispersal. In this study, 114 bat individuals belonging to seven species were sampled from various locations in Northern Belgium. Culture-based methods revealed an important mycological diversity, with a total of 209 different taxa out of the 418 isolates obtained. Overall, a mean of 3.7 taxa per bat was recorded but significant differences were observed between sampling sites. The mycobiomes were dominated by cosmopolitan and plant-associated species, in particular from the Cladosporium, Penicillium and Aspergillus genera. Other species known to be related to bats or their environment were also retrieved. Sampling of hibernacula indicated that diverse fungal species can inhabit these sites including yet undescribed species.