Filamentous fungi associated with Brazilian stone samples: structure of the fungal community, diversity indexes, and ecological analysis

The present study aims to explore the diversity patterns of cultivable filamentous fungi and establish the ecological interactions that occur within the mycological community on soapstone in two distinct places: Architectural Complex of Caraça and Congonhas town, in Minas Gerais state, Brazil. A total of 200 isolates of filamentous fungi were detected and 72 distinct taxa were identified using molecular tools. The rock-inhabiting fungal communities were comprised of cosmopolitan taxa, which displayed high diversity and richness, but low dominance indexes at two of the sampling sites over the course of 12 months. The detection of organic acids secreted by the isolated filamentous fungal species revealed the potential for deterioration of the model stone by these fungi. Our results suggest that the isolated fungal communities of the two Brazilian localities have the ability to adapt to environmental adversities over the four seasons of the year, predicting adaptive population dynamics in the stone colonization. We conclude that this study on the ecological dynamics of the rock-inhabiting fungal communities can help to understand the competitive interactions between the environmental fungi. In addition, these fungi may contribute to the preservation of the Brazilian historical heritage that is vulnerable to environmental conditions.