The role of chemical properties of the material deposited in nests of white stork in shaping enzymatic activity and fungal diversity

Abstract

Organic debris accumulated in bird nests creates a unique environment for organisms, including microbes. Built from various plant materials that are typically enriched by animal residues, bird nest favours the development of various fungal groups. The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical properties of the material deposited in the white stork Ciconia ciconia nests and the link between extracellular enzyme activity and the diversity and composition of culturable fungi. Our findings revealed low C/P and N/P ratio values in the nest materials, which indicate a high P availability. Nest material C/N/P ratio ranged from 67/8/1 to 438/33/1. Enzymatic activity strongly correlated with the content of carbon, nitrogen, and pH of the material deposited in the nests. A total of 2726 fungal isolates were obtained from the nests, from which 82 taxa were identified based on morphology and DNA sequence data. The study indicates that white stork nests are microhabitat characterised by diverse chemical and biochemical properties. We found relationship between the fungal richness and diversity and the C/P and N/P ratios of materials from the nests. Our study showed that culturable fungi occurred frequently in materials with high levels of C, N, and P, as well as high concentrations of base alkaline elements (Ca, Mg, and K).