Land-use categories shape aquatic conidial fungal communities in Atlantic Forest streams: the roles of water chemistry and substrate quality.

Land-use changes significantly alter aquatic conidial fungal communities, with forested areas hosting higher diversity and distinct compositions compared to urban and rural zones.

• Why it matters: Understanding how land use impacts fungal diversity is crucial because these fungi play a vital role in organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling in tropical streams, yet their responses to environmental pressures are poorly known.
• What they did: The study analyzed fungal communities in submerged leaf litter across forested, rural, and urban sites in two Brazilian river basins, identifying 22 taxa and measuring water chemistry and substrate nutrients.
• The result: Findings reveal that land use influences fungal community composition through changes in water chemistry and substrate quality, emphasizing the importance of riparian vegetation for conserving aquatic biodiversity and water quality.