Mind the (Phylogenetic) Gap: Exploring the routes through ungulate intestines of passenger and resident fungi

Abstract

Fungal components of the diets and microbiomes of herbivores are understudied. Little is known about the factors that shape them and if they are the same as those for the plant and bacteria components. Teasing apart which species are residents and which are merely passengers in herbivore intestines requires an understanding of fungal guilds and dispersal mechanisms that is currently incomplete. Herbivores could disperse fungal pathogens through their feces, or they could help spread beneficial symbiotic fungi that could improve growth in recently reforested areas. Additionally, fungi in the microbiome could aid in digestion and help improve the nutrition of livestock as well as cut down on methane emissions. Until more is known about the fungal components of diets and microbiomes, these remain possibilities. This thesis aims to close knowledge gaps between the plant, bacterial, and fungal components of herbivore diets and microbiomes. We investigate the fungal components of fecal samples from six African mammals collected from six protected areas. We analyze composition and diversity in the overall fecal samples, and the diet and microbiome subsets across four variables. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to examine locational variation in the fungal microbiome, which makes it all the more exciting that we found that location plays a significant role in fungal community composition. While we were unable to conclude much due to insufficient knowledge of fungal guilds, we hope that our findings will shed light on overlooked communities and their potential to address important global issues.