Natal-Molina, Gloria M.

Profile Picture

Filters

20131
Reset filters

Settings

Citations

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Publication
    Inventario de hongos asociados a suelo enriquecido con guano de murciélago en cueva de los culebrones, en la Reserva Mata de Plátano (Arecibo,, Puerto Rico)
    (2013) Natal-Molina, Gloria M.; Maldonado Ramírez, Sandra L.; College of Arts and Sciences - Sciences; Montalvo Rodríguez, Rafael; Rodríguez Minguela, Carlos; Department of Biology; Fernandez Van Cleve, John
    A cave is defined as any natural area below the earth's surface that extends beyond the dark zone and is accessible to humans. Caves are considered extreme environments for life that provide resources to oligotrophic microorganisms. In such restricted environments, bat’s guano enriches soil for fungal development. Cave fungi are habitual saprophytes although some may play a pathogenic role. Moreover the wide distribution and abundance of fungi in these habitats contribute to support the food chain as certain insects feed on spores and mycelia. In recent years cave research focusing on fungi have been published from countries such as India, France, Canada, Mexico, and the United States. However, in Puerto Rico no study has been conducted in guano-enriched cave soil to document commensal and potential pathogenic fungal strains. For this purpose, Cueva de Los Culebrones in the Mata de Plátano Reserve (Arecibo, Puerto Rico) was used as sampling site for this study, relying on culture-dependent and molecular techniques for the characterization of fungal isolates. Three areas in the cave (entrance, middle, and end) were selected to collect soil samples. The soil was homogenized using a Stomacher and serial dilutions were made using phosphate buffer. Samples were inoculated using the spread technique and incubated at 25ºC, 37ºC, and 40ºC to provide temperature conditions similar to those recorded for the sampling areas. As statistical analysis was used Jacaard index. A FastDNA ® SPIN for Soil Kit was used extract genomic DNA from fungal isolates (n=40 morphotypes) using a modified version of the manufacturer's protocol. These morphotypes include mycelial fungi and yeast which were classified into nine genera: Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Geotrichum, Oidiodendron, Paecilomyces, Penicillium, Rhodotorula, Uncinocarpusii, as well a strains classified by Ascomycota and Eurotiomycetes. The genus Aspergillus as mycelial fungi and the yeast genus Rhodotorula was the most abundant in both samples and all areas of the cave. Uncinocarpus reesii no has been previously reported from cave environments in Puerto Rico. The identification of opportunistic fungi such as Aspergillus fumigatus, A. parasiticus, Cladosporium spp., Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and Uncinocarpus reesii from Cueva De Los Culebrones provide new information about potential health risks for people who enjoy visiting this cave.