The micromycetes of fouling communities in the caves of Lovćen National Park, Montenegro

Abstract

Fouling communities with the dominance of phototrophs such as cyanobacteria, algae, bryophytes, and ferns are formed in the illuminated zone of the caves. These communities includes also heterotrophic species—bacteria and micromycetes, often with the high abundance of the latter, indicating significant role of micromycetes for the developing of fouling communities.In this study we examined the micromycete species composition in the phototrophic communities of five caves, i.e., Golubinja Pećina, Veluštica Pećina, Njegoš Pećina, Vrbačka jama, Jama ER-1 located on the territory of Lovćen National Park in the southwestern Montenegro. Species identification was performed using standard approaches and cultivation methods. In total, 35 species of micromycetes were identified from the phototroph communities of the studied caves. Our study revealed that the species composition of micromycetes was unique for each of the investigated cave. The most frequent species was Rhizopus stolonifer, identified from Golubinja Pećina, Vrbačka jama, and Jama ER-1. Two species, i.e., Aspergillus terreus (found in Veluštica Pećina and Jama ER-1), and Cladosporium oxysporum (found in Golubinja Pećina and Veluštica Pećina) were found each in two caves, whereas all other species were reported from a single cave.