Research Information System
Biologia, vol.80, no.9, pp.2537-2549, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
Thermophilic fungi, though increasingly recognized for their ecological and industrial relevance, remain poorly studied in geothermal aquatic systems of Anatolia. This study characterizes the chemical environments and thermophilic fungal diversity in 13 hot springs located in Kütahya and Afyon provinces of Turkey. Water analysis revealed variation in pH, mineral content, and nitrogen compounds, which may influence fungal colonization. A total of 137 filamentous fungal isolates were obtained from 47 water samples, with 25 isolates confirmed as thermophilic based on growth at temperatures up to 62 °C. These thermophiles, including Thermomyces lanuginosus, Thermothelomyces thermophilus, Thermothelomyces hinnuleus, Melanocarpus albomyces, Rhizomucor pusillus, Trichocladium griseum, Humicola insolens, Mycothermus thermophilus, Thermomyces thermophilus, Thermothielavioides terrestris, and Malbranchea cinnamomea were exclusively found in Kütahya, particularly in the Gediz-Ilıca thermal springs, which displayed the highest species richness. Multilocus phylogenetic analyses using ITS and D1/D2 rDNA regions confirmed the taxonomic identities and evolutionary relationships of the isolates, revealing novel locality records and potential new strains. This study provides the first comprehensive investigation of thermophilic fungal diversity in hot springs of Kütahya and Afyon, revealing previously undocumented species distributions and high-temperature growth capabilities. These findings not only expand our ecological understanding of fungal life in geothermal systems, but also identify promising candidates for biotechnological exploitation, particularly in the production of thermostable enzymes and other heat-tolerant biomolecules. By characterizing these extremophiles in an understudied region, our study advances fungal biodiversity research and highlights the bioprospective potential of geothermal habitats.