Fungal Communities on Rock Surfaces in Demänovská Ice Cave and Demänovská Cave of Liberty (Slovakia)

ABSTRACT

This paper is the first geomycological report regarding the fungal communities on rock surfaces in the Demänovská Ice Cave and the Demänovská Cave of Liberty, Slovakia. The samples were collected in June 2014 from five locations from inside both the caves by using sterile swabs wetted with physiological saline (0.85% NaCl). The density of epilithic fungi isolated from the Demänovská Ice Cave ranged from 238.7 to 575.1 CFU (colony-forming units) per m² of the rock surface, and from the Demänovská Cave of Liberty ranged from 88.6 to 347 CFU. Seventeen different free-living culturable fungi (15 filamentous fungi, one yeast, and one yeast-like fungus) were isolated from the rock surfaces of both caves. Generally, Cladosporium cladosporioides and Aspergillus flavus were the most frequently cultured species from the Demänovská Ice Cave and the Demänovská Cave of Liberty, respectively. Free-living fungi found on the rock surfaces of both caves can lead to their slow biodegradation.

KEYWORDS:

• Culturable fungi
• geomycology
• limestone
• rock surface
• Slovak caves

Additional information

Funding

This work was co-financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education carried out by the University of Wrocław “Grant to Young Researchers” Award Number: 0420/2299/17 | Recipient: R. Ogórek.