Abstract
The geothermal sites near neutral and alkalescent thermal springs in Tengchong Rehai National Park were examined through cultivation-dependent approach to determine the diversity of thermophilic fungi in these environments. Here, we collected soils samples in this area, plated on agar media conducive for fungal growth, obtained pure cultures, and then employed the method of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing combined with morphological analysis for identification of thermophilic fungi to the species level. In total, 102 strains were isolated and identified as Rhizomucor miehei, Chaetomium sp., Talaromyces thermophilus, Talaromyces byssochlamydoides, Thermoascus aurantiacus Miehe var. levisporus, Thermomyces lanuginosus, Scytalidium thermophilum, Malbranchea flava, Myceliophthora sp. 1, Myceliophthora sp. 2, Myceliophthora sp. 3, and Coprinopsis sp. Two species, T. lanuginosus and S. thermophilum were the dominant species, representing 34.78% and 28.26% of the sample, respectively. Our results indicated a greater diversity of thermophilic fungi in neutral and alkaline geothermal sites than acidic sites around hot springs reported in previous studies. Most of our strains thrived at alkaline growth conditions.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by

- Thermophilic fungi in West Anatolian hot springs
Derya Berikten, Merih Kivanc
Biologia.2025; 80(9): 2537. CrossRef - Genomic Sequencing and Functional Analysis of the Ex-Type Strain of Malbranchea zuffiana
Alan Omar Granados-Casas, Ana Fernández-Bravo, Alberto Miguel Stchigel, José Francisco Cano-Lira
Journal of Fungi.2024; 10(9): 600. CrossRef - Response surface bioprocess provenance for enhanced chitinase production by Thermomyces dupontii for translation of chitinous waste to short-chain chitooligosaccharides
Rajni Kumari, Manish Kumar, Apoorva Upadhayay, Pawan K. Dadheech, V. Vivekanand, Nidhi Pareek
Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology.2024; 55: 102980. CrossRef - Metagenome-assembled genomes reveal carbohydrate degradation and element metabolism of microorganisms inhabiting Tengchong hot springs, China
Zhufeng Zhang, Tao Liu, Xudong Li, Qing Ye, Hina Iqbal Bangash, Jinshui Zheng, Nan Peng
Environmental Research.2023; 238: 117144. CrossRef - Tryptophan-centered metabolic alterations coincides with lipid-mediated fungal response to cold stress
Yonghong Chen, Xiaoyu Yang, Longlong Zhang, Qunfu Wu, Shuhong Li, Jianghui Gou, Jiangbo He, Keqin Zhang, Shenghong Li, Xuemei Niu
Heliyon.2023; 9(2): e13066. CrossRef - Unveiling microbial diversity in deep geothermal fluids, from current knowledge and analogous environments
Danaé Bregnard, Alessio Leins, Guillaume Cailleau, Andrea Vieth-Hillebrand, Florian Eichinger, Joy Ianotta, Richard Hoffmann, Joerg Uhde, Saskia Bindschedler, Simona Regenspurg, Pilar Junier
Geothermal Energy.2023;[Epub] CrossRef - Identification and phylogenetic characterization based on DNA sequences from RNA ribosomal genes of thermophilic microorganisms in a high elevation Andean tropical geothermal spring
Roque Rivas-Párraga, Andrés Izquierdo, Karen Sánchez, Darío Bolaños-Guerrón, Alonzo Alfaro-Núñez
Bionatura.2022; 7(2): 1. CrossRef - Optimization of thermostable proteases production under agro-wastes solid-state fermentation by a new thermophilic Mycothermus thermophilus isolated from a hydrothermal spring Hammam Debagh, Algeria
Imen Talhi, Laid Dehimat, Atef Jaouani, Radia Cherfia, Mohammed Berkani, Fares Almomani, Yasser Vasseghian, Noreddine Kacem Chaouche
Chemosphere.2022; 286: 131479. CrossRef - Molecules derived from the extremes of life: a decade later
Zoe E. Wilson, Margaret A. Brimble
Natural Product Reports.2021; 38(1): 24. CrossRef - Diversity and Co-Occurrence Patterns of Fungal and Bacterial Communities from Alkaline Sediments and Water of Julong High-Altitude Hot Springs at Tianchi Volcano, Northeast China
Xiao Wang, Lorenzo Pecoraro
Biology.2021; 10(9): 894. CrossRef - Thermophilic fungi in Araucaria Forest, Atlantic Forest Biome, Brazil
MARCIO ANDRÉ ANTONELLI, ANDRÉ LUIZ GAGLIOTI, PAULO ROBERTO DA SILVA, ADRIANA KNOB
Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências.2021;[Epub] CrossRef - Improved strategies to efficiently isolate thermophilic, thermotolerant, and heat-resistant fungi from compost and soil
Frederick Witfeld, Dominik Begerow, Marco Alexandre Guerreiro
Mycological Progress.2021; 20(3): 325. CrossRef - Diversity and ecology of cultivable fungi isolated from the thermal soil gradients in Deception Island, Antarctica
Hebert M. Figueredo, Vívian N. Gonçalves, Valéria M. Godinho, Daví V. Lopes, Fabio S. Oliveira, Luiz H. Rosa
Extremophiles.2020; 24(2): 219. CrossRef - Metabolites from Two Dominant Thermophilic Fungal Species Thermomyces lanuginosus and Scytalidium thermophilum
Xiao‐Yu Yang, Jun‐Xian Zhang, Qiu‐Yan Ding, Zi‐Cong He, Chun‐Yan Zhu, Ke‐Qin Zhang, Xue‐Mei Niu
Chemistry & Biodiversity.2020;[Epub] CrossRef - Eukaryotic organisms of continental hydrothermal systems
Sabrina R. Brown, Sherilyn C. Fritz
Extremophiles.2019; 23(4): 367. CrossRef - Diversity of thermophilic and thermotolerant fungi in corn grain
Katrina Sandona, Terri L. Billingsley Tobias, Miriam I. Hutchinson, Donald O. Natvig, Andrea Porras-Alfaro
Mycologia.2019; 111(5): 719. CrossRef - Nutrients Availability Shapes Fungal Community Composition and Diversity in the Rare Earth Mine Tailings of Southern Jiangxi, China
Genhe He, Xiaodong Wang, Xu Liu, Xiaoyu Xiao, Shoucheng Huang, Jichun Wu
Russian Journal of Ecology.2018; 49(6): 524. CrossRef - Fungi and fungal interactions in the Rhynie chert: a review of the evidence, with the description ofPerexiflasca taylorianagen. et sp. nov.†
Michael Krings, Carla J. Harper, Edith L. Taylor
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.2018; 373(1739): 20160500. CrossRef - Unexpected fungal communities in the Rehai thermal springs of Tengchong influenced by abiotic factors
Kai-Hui Liu, Xiao-Wei Ding, Nimaichand Salam, Bo Zhang, Xiao-Fei Tang, Baiwan Deng, Wen-Jun Li
Extremophiles.2018; 22(3): 525. CrossRef - Thermophilic molds: Biology and applications
Bijender Singh, Marcio J. Poças-Fonseca, B. N. Johri, Tulasi Satyanarayana
Critical Reviews in Microbiology.2016; 42(6): 985. CrossRef - Diversity of fungi associated with plants growing in geothermal ecosystems and evaluation of their capacities to enhance thermotolerance of host plants
Wen-Na Zhou, James F. White, Marcos A. Soares, Mónica S. Torres, Zuo-Ping Zhou, Hai-Yan Li
Journal of Plant Interactions.2015; 10(1): 305. CrossRef - Thermophilic fungi in the new age of fungal taxonomy
Tássio Brito de Oliveira, Eleni Gomes, Andre Rodrigues
Extremophiles.2015; 19(1): 31. CrossRef - Biodegradation of keratin in mineral-based feather medium by thermophilic strains of a new Coprinopsis sp.
A.A. Al-Musallam, D.H. Al-Gharabally, N. Vadakkancheril
International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation.2013; 79: 42. CrossRef - A molecular phylogeny of thermophilic fungi
Ingo Morgenstern, Justin Powlowski, Nadeeza Ishmael, Corinne Darmond, Sandrine Marqueteau, Marie-Claude Moisan, Geneviève Quenneville, Adrian Tsang
Fungal Biology.2012; 116(4): 489. CrossRef - Phylogenetic analysis of the Agrocybe aegerita multispecies complex in Southwest China inferred from ITS and mtSSU rDNA sequences and mating tests
Wei-Min Chen, Hong-Mei Chai, Hui-Ming Zhou, Guo-Ting Tian, Shu-Hong Li, Yong-Chang Zhao
Annals of Microbiology.2012; 62(4): 1791. CrossRef - Isolation of Talathermophilins from the Thermophilic Fungus Talaromyces thermophilus YM3-4
Ji-Peng Guo, Jian-Lin Tan, Yan-Li Wang, Hong-Yang Wu, Chuan-Ping Zhang, Xue-Mei Niu, Wen-Zheng Pan, Xiao-Wei Huang, Ke-Qin Zhang
Journal of Natural Products.2011; 74(10): 2278. CrossRef - Molecular identification of Pilobolus species from Yellowstone National Park
K. Michael Foos, Kathy B. Sheehan
Mycologia.2011; 103(6): 1208. CrossRef