Global Fungal Biodiversity Dataset (FunAqua)

Dataset description: The FunAqua dataset provides a global overview of fungal biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems using long-read eukaryotic metabarcoding. It includes data from 1,076 sediment samples and 1,299 filtered water samples collected across 1,452 sites in 87 countries. Sampling and processing followed standardized protocols for water and sediment. Fungal diversity was assessed by targeting the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, a widely accepted marker for fungal identification. High-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic analysis resulted in 50,152 fungal OTUs, representing diverse aquatic fungal communities worldwide. This dataset is a valuable resource for studies on freshwater fungal ecology, global biodiversity patterns, and ecosystem functioning, supporting research in conservation, biogeography, and environmental monitoring. FunAqua dataset composition File name File function Description Funaqua_metadata.tsv Sample data Metadata corresponding to each sample FunAqua_fungi_otu.csv OTU abundance data Table containing sequence counts of fungal OTUs in each sample FunAqua_euk_otu.csv OTU abundance data Table containing sequence counts of non-fungal OTUs in each sample FunAqua_fungi_tax.csv Taxonomy table Table with taxonomic classification data for fungal OTUs FunAqua_euk_tax.csv Taxonomy table Table with taxonomic classification data for non-fungal OTUs FunAqua_Water chemistry_Data.csv Water chemistry data Table containing results of water chemistry analyses FunAqua_sediment_chemistry.csv Sediment elemental analysis data Table containing results of sediment elemental analyses FunAqua_sediment_chemistry_references.csv Sediment elemental analysis reference data Includes analyses of calibration ranges for reference data Data reuse information: This dataset includes Data Reuse Information (DRI) tags to support equitable data sharing (Hug et al., 2025). The DRI identifies creators who prefer to be contacted before reuse: DRI: `{0009-0003-8968-6773, 0000-0003-4743-6111}` Please contact these individuals prior to reuse of the data. Water chemistry data collected by USGS found at Tangen and Bansal (2025)