A Quaternary sedimentary environmental ancient DNA (sedaeDNA) record of fungal-terrestrial ecosystem dynamics in a tropical biodiversity hotspot (Lake Towuti, Sulawesi, Indonesia).
Short-term observations suggest that environmental changes affect the diversity and composition of soil fungi, significantly influencing forest resilience, plant diversity, and soil processes. However, time-series experiments should be supplemented with geobiological archives to capture the long-term effects of environmental changes on fungi-soil-plant interactions, particularly in undersampled, floristically diverse tropical forests. We recently conducted trnL-P6 amplicon sequencing to generate a sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) record of the regional catchment vegetation of tropical Lake Towuti (Sulawesi, Indonesia), spanning over one million years (Myr) of the lake's developmental history. In this study, we performed 18SV9 amplicon sequencing to create a parallel paleofungal record to (a) infer the composition, origins, and functional guilds of paleofungal community members (saprobes/saprotrophs, ectomycorrhizae, endophytes, or plant pathogens) and (b) determine the extent to which downcore changes in fungal community composition reflect the late Pleistocene evolution of the Lake Towuti catchment.