Fungi dominate eukaryotic microbial assemblages in hot spring biofilms of East and Southeast Asia.

ABSTRACT: Terrestrial hot springs are globally distributed extreme environments, and these systems have long served as natural laboratories for studying microbial life under thermal stress. While much of the research to date has focused on thermophilic bacteria and archaea, there is a growing appreciation for the diversity and ecological significance of eukaryotic microorganisms in these habitats. In this study, we used metagenomic sequencing to assess inter-domain microbial diversity in biofilms from 47 circumneutral hot springs across East and Southeast Asia, with a specific focus on resolving eukaryotic taxa and their ecology. Whilst all biofilm communities were dominated by bacteria, the microbial eukaryotes represented approximately 10% of the taxonomic diversity and accounted for 1.3% of overa

SUBMITTER: Thirumaran S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12752328 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature