Diversity of culturable fungi in six Tibetan Plateau lakes, with descriptions of eight new taxa

Abstract

ABSTRACT The combination of low temperatures, oligotrophic conditions, high altitude, and varying salinity in Tibetan Plateau lakes endows them with a wealth of distinctive fungal resources. This study aimed to investigate the diversity of culturable fungi in sediment and water samples collected from six lakes located on the Tibetan Plateau at elevations above 4,500 m. A total of 843 fungal strains were isolated by dilution plate method using four different media. Initial ITS analyses revealed that they belong to 156 species across 83 genera, spanning 50 families, 26 orders, 12 classes, and 6 phyla. Further morphological and multi-locus phylogenetic analyses were conducted, resulting in the formal descriptions of a new genus, Xizangia, and seven new species, including Alternaria xizangensis, Emericellopsis ovoidea, Myceliophthora xizangica, Preussia cylindricalis, Preussia sedimenticola, Pseudeurotium sedimenticola, and Xizangia sedimenticola. This research provides insights into the biodiversity of culturable fungi in the unique and extreme ecosystem, shedding light on the potential discovery of novel species and genera.