Benthic hydroids (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) from the Spanish Antarctic expedition Bentart 95

A total of 61 species of hydroids, belonging to 13 families and 23 genera, were found during the Spanish Antarctic expedition Bentart 95 with the RV Hespérides. Ten of the species were identified only to generic level. The dominance of the subclass Leptothecatae, with 57 species, was remarkable. The remaining four species belong to the subclass Anthoathecatae. By far the most diverse family was the Sertulariidae, with 25 species (41%), followed by Haleciidae with nine species (15%) and Kirchenpaueriidae with six (10%). The family Plumulariidae, represented by one species of Nemertesia, is recorded for the first time from Antarctic waters. Eudendrium scotti, Perarella clavata and Symplectoscyphus hero are each recorded for the second time. Symplectoscyphus with 11 species was the dominant genus. Almost 60% of the species diversity is concentrated in just a little more than the 20% of genera. Nearly 70% of the species are endemic to Antarctic waters and 90% of them are restricted to Antarctic or Antarctic/sub-Antarctic waters.     

Culturable Actinobacteria from the Marine Sponge Hymeniacidon perleve: Isolation and Phylogenetic Diversity by 16S rRNA gene-RFLP Analysis

A total of 106 actinobacteria associated with the marine sponge Hymeniacidon perleve collected from the Yellow Sea, China were isolated using eight different media. The number of species and genera of actinobacteria recovered from the different media varied significantly, underlining the importance of optimizing the isolation conditions. The phylogenetic diversity of the actinobacteria isolates was assessed using 16S rRNA gene amplification–restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the 106 strains with different morphologies. The RFLP fingerprinting of selected strains by HhaI-digestion of the 16S rRNA genes resulted in 11 different patterns. The HhaI-RFLP analysis gave good resolution for the identification of the actinobacteria isolates at the genus level. A phylogenetic analysis using 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the isolates belonged to seven genera of culturable actinobacteria including Actinoalloteichus, Micromonospora, Nocardia, Nocardiopsis, Pseudonocardia, Rhodococcus, and Streptomyces. The dominant genus was Streptomyces, which represented 74% of the isolates. Three of the strains identified are candidates for new species.     

Unexpectedly Diverse Mesorhizobium Strains and Rhizobium leguminosarum Nodulate Native Legume Genera of New Zealand, while Introduced Legume Weeds Are Nodulated by Bradyrhizobium Species

The New Zealand native legume flora are represented by four genera, Sophora, Carmichaelia, Clianthus, and Montigena. The adventive flora of New Zealand contains several legume species introduced in the 19th century and now established as serious invasive weeds. Until now, nothing has been reported on the identification of the associated rhizobia of native or introduced legumes in New Zealand. The success of the introduced species may be due, at least in part, to the nature of their rhizobial symbioses. This study set out to address this issue by identifying rhizobial strains isolated from species of the four native legume genera and from the introduced weeds: Acacia spp. (wattles), Cytisus scoparius (broom), and Ulex europaeus (gorse). The identities of the isolates and their relationship to known rhizobia were established by comparative analysis of 16S ribosomal DNA, atpD, glnII, and recA gene sequences. Maximum-likelihood analysis of the resultant data partitioned the bacteria into three genera. Most isolates from native legumes aligned with the genus Mesorhizobium, either as members of named species or as putative novel species. The widespread distribution of strains from individual native legume genera across Mesorhizobium spp. contrasts with previous reports implying that bacterial species are specific to limited numbers of legume genera. In addition, four isolates were identified as Rhizobium leguminosarum. In contrast, all sequences from isolates from introduced weeds aligned with Bradyrhizobium species but formed clusters distinct from existing named species. These results show that native legume genera and these introduced legume genera do not have the same rhizobial populations.     

Red Soils Harbor Diverse Culturable Actinomycetes That Are Promising Sources of Novel Secondary Metabolites

Red soils, which are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of southern China, are characterized by low organic carbon, high content of iron oxides, and acidity and, hence, are likely to be ideal habitats for acidophilic actinomycetes. However, the diversity and biosynthetic potential of actinomycetes in such habitats are underexplored. Here, a total of 600 actinomycete strains were isolated from red soils collected in Jiangxi Province in southeast China. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed a high diversity of the isolates, which were distributed into 26 genera, 10 families, and 7 orders within the class Actinobacteria; these taxa contained at least 49 phylotypes that are likely to represent new species within 15 genera. The isolates showed good physiological potentials for biosynthesis and biocontrol. Chemical screening of 107 semirandomly selected isolates spanning 20 genera revealed the presence of at least 193 secondary metabolites from 52 isolates, of which 125 compounds from 39 isolates of 12 genera were putatively novel. Macrolides, polyethers, diketopiperazines, and siderophores accounted for most of the known compounds. The structures of six novel compounds were elucidated, two of which had a unique skeleton and represented characteristic secondary metabolites of a putative novel Streptomyces phylotype. These results demonstrate that red soils are rich reservoirs for diverse culturable actinomycetes, notably members of the families Streptomycetaceae, Pseudonocardiaceae, and Streptosporangiaceae, with the capacity to synthesize novel bioactive compounds.     

Diversity of culturable sulfidogenic bacteria in two oil–water separation tanks in the north-eastern oil fields of India

Sulfidogenic communities in the production waters of onshore oil fields in north-eastern India were examined using a culturing approach. Production water samples were inoculated into medium selective for Sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) and Thiosulfate Reducing Bacteria (TRB). The total number of viable sulfidogenic microorganisms in the samples obtained from the two production water tanks was approximately 10⁵ MPN ml^?1 (most probable number per ml). Most of the isolates were thermo-tolerant and could be grown between 40 and 45 °C. Hydrogen sulfide production by TRB was significantly higher than by SRB. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the isolates were grouped in nine different phylotypes. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that most of the SRB were affiliated with the phylum Proteobacteria, encompassing Gram-negative bacteria, belonging to the genera Desulfovibrio, Desulfomicrobium, and Desulfobulbus. However, five isolates grouped with the genus Desulfotomaculum were found to be gram-positive SRB. Most of the thiosulfate reducing isolates was affiliated with the phylum Firmicutes, including Clostridium and Fusibacter and also with the phylum Proteobacteria, including the genera Enterobacter and Citrobacter. Phylotypes related to Clostridium (69%) and Desulfovibrio (53%) dominated the community in the production water samples. This study demonstrates the diversity of the TRB and SRB that play a critical role in the souring mediated corrosion of the oil–water separation tanks in the north-eastern India oil fields.     

Diversity and metabolic potential of culturable bacteria from the rhizosphere of Turkish tea grown in acidic soils

The purpose of this study was to investigate the diversity of cultivable phosphate solubilising (PSB) and total bacteria originated from 384 rhizospheric acidic soils samples of tea plants grown at 32 locations. Over 900 rhizoplane bacteria were randomly selected from agar-solidified trypticase soy broth, and identified using fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles. Based on FAME profiles, 53 bacterial genera were identified with a similarity index >0.3, but 60.3% of the identified isolates belonged to five genera: Bacillus (34.6%), Pseudomonas (8.9%), Stenotrophomonas (6.1%), Paenibacillus (5.9%) and Arthrobacter (4.8%). The bacilli group comprised many different species, with the most abundant being B. cereus, B. megaterium and B. sphaericus. The main identified Pseudomonads included P. fluorescens, P. putida, and P. alcaligenes. About 30.4% of the bacterial isolates could not be classified to genus since their similarity indices were <0.3 indicating no close matches. Most of the total and P-solubilizing bacteria isolated were Gram positive (61.3 and 52.3%), and Gram negative constituted only 38.7 and 47.7%. Out of the 214 PSB from a pool of 506 bacterial isolates recovered on the selective media from the rhizosphere of tea, 74 of them were characterized by carbon sources using BIOLOG^M GN2 and GP2 plates. Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Paenibacillus and Stenotrophomonas genera were the most prominent P-solubilizing groups in the rhizosphere and soil populations analyzed. B. cereus, P. fluorescens, S. maltophilia, B. megaterium, P. putida, B. sphaericus and Paenibacillus polymyxa were the most frequent P-solubilizing species in the acidic tea rhizosohere soils. Selected Gram-positive PSB appeared to favour carbohydrates, and Gram-negative bacteria appeared to favour carboxylic acids, amino acids and carbohydrates as carbon sources. Selected phosphate solubilizing acid tolerant strains showed high variability in utilizing various carbon sources.     

Investigation of actinomycete diversity in the tropical rainforests of Singapore

Five thousand actinomycetes were isolated from soil samples collected from rainforests in Singapore and the generic identities of these isolates were determined by using a procedure that combined morphological, chemotaxonomic and 16S rDNA sequence-based phylogenetic analyses. Actinomycetes belonging to a total of 36 genera were identified. The most abundant isolates are members of Streptomyces, Micromonospora, Actinoplanes, Actinomadura, Nonomuria, Nocardia and Streptosporangium. By phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA sequences of our isolates together with those of known actinomycete species, we also evaluated the species diversity of several genera including Streptomyces, Micromonospora, Nonomuria, and Actinomadura. We found that: first, the tropical isolates are present in most clades represented by known species; and second, many tropical isolates form new clades distant from the known species, indicating the presence of unidentified taxa at both species and genus levels. Based on these results, we conclude that actinomycete diversity in the tropical rainforest is very great and should represent an excellent source for discovery of novel bioactive compounds. Received 17 March 1999/ Accepted in revised form 24 June 1999     

安徽琅琊山大型真菌区系多样性

对安徽省琅琊山自然保护区大型真菌区系多样性进行了分析.结果表明该地区共有大型真菌107种,分属于25科56属,其中优势科为多孔菌科Polyporaceae(20种,占18.69％)、口蘑科Tricholomataceae(14种,占13.08％)、丝膜菌科Cortinariaceae(11种,占10.28％)、红菇科Russulaceae(10种,占9.35％),以上4科仅占琅琊山大型真菌总科数的16％,而种数占全部种数的51.4％;优势属有鹅膏属Amanita(8种,占7.48％)、栓菌属Trametes(7种,占6.54％)、乳菇属Lactarius(5种,占4.67％)、小皮伞属Marasmius(5种,占4.67％)、红菇属Russula(5种,占4.67％),共包括30种,占全部种数的28.04％.从属的区系地理成分上可分为:世界性分布成分(66.07％)、泛热带分布成分(19.64％)、北温带分布成分(10.71％)、东亚分布成分(1.79％).琅琊山大型真菌主要是以世界广布成分为主,其次是泛热带成分和北温带成分,这种分布状况可能与该地区的气候、地理和植被等自然条件的特征有着密切的关系.从种的组成上可划分为世界性分布种(70.09％)、温带分布种(14.95％)、热带-亚热带分布种(14.02％)及中国-日本共有种(0.93％)等4个分布类型,表现出一定的热带向温带过渡的区系特征.     

Identification of Fungi in the Botryosphaeriaceae Family Associated with Stem Blight of Vaccinium spp. in the Southeastern United States

Stem blight is a major disease of blueberry caused by Botryosphaeriaceae fungi. Chemical and cultural management options are limited, putting emphasis on breeding efforts to identify sources of resistance. The efficacy and durability of host resistance could be impacted by the species composition of the pathogen population in a region and by the isolates employed in the screenings used to identify the resistance. Samples (365) were collected from southern highbush (SHB) and rabbiteye blueberry (REB) cultivars from 28 sites in the southeastern US (AL, FL, GA, NC, and SC). Colony morphology identified 86% of the isolates as Botryosphaeriaceae. Conidia morphology and Maximum Likelihood analysis of the Internal Transcribed Spacer rDNA regions (ITS), translation elongation factor one alpha (tef1-α), and β-tubulin were used to identify isolates at genera or species level. A PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) test was used to identify isolates to genus. Neofusicoccum and Lasiodiplodia were the predominant genera. N. kwambonambiense, N. ribis, L. theobromae and L. pseudotheobromae were the most common species isolated. Phylogenies conducted with a limited number of isolates indicated non-clonal and potentially diverse populations occur on blueberry that warrant additional study. Botryosphaeria corticis, B. dothidea, and Diplodia seriata were isolated infrequently.     

Analysis of variations of basic morphometric characters in the species of grenadier (Macrouridae, Gadiformes) from the waters of the northern part of the Mid-Atlantic ridge

We investigate variations of the basic morphometric characters (length of head, length of snout, diameter of orbit, interorbital distance, etc.) of ten of the most common species of grenadiers (Macrouridae) in the waters of the northern part of the Mid-Atlantic ridge: Coelorinchus labiatus, Coryphaenoides armatus, C. brevibarbis, C. carapinus, C. guentheri, C. leptolepis, C. mediterraneus, C. rupestris, Macrourus berglax, and Paracetonurus flagellicauda. It is shown that most morphometric characters of the investigated species vary within the wider limits as compared with the published data. The representatives of genera Coelorinchus, Macrourus, and Paracetonurus well differ by a number of characters from the species of genus Coryphaenoides and from each other. In spite of a significant likeness in many characters of the species of genus Coryphaenoides, there are individual characters that differ well from one species to another.     

Nematode assemblages from the Kandalaksha Depression (White Sea, 251–288 m water depth)

The shallow-water nematodes of the White Sea are relatively well studied; however, information on the nematode fauna inhabiting the deepest part of this sea is very scarce. The composition of the nematode assemblages (at species and genus level) was studied in samples collected during four sampling occasions in the deepest part of the Kandalaksha Depression (the White Sea) in July 1998, October 1998, May 1999, and November 1999. Samples were collected from a depth of 251–288 m with the aid of a multicorer. In total, 59 nematode morphotypes belonging to 37 genera and 18 families were distinguished. The genera Sabatieria and Filipjeva dominated at all stations, followed by Aponema, Desmoscolex, and Quadricoma. The composition of the dominant genera can be considered typical for this depth range in temperate and Arctic waters, although Filipjeva and Aponema were among the dominant genera for the first time. The most abundant species were Sabatieria ornata, Aponema bathyalis, and Filipjeva filipjevi. In general, diversity of the nematode assemblages was lower than in the temperate and Arctic continental shelf and slope with reduced evenness and species richness. The evenness of nematode assemblages and other diversity indices decreased with increasing sediment depth. Based on the valid species and genera recorded, the nematode fauna of the Kandalaksha Depression showed a higher resemblance to that found in the shallow waters of Kandalaksha Bay.     

Diversity of Culturable Bacteria Isolated from Highland Barley Cultivation Soil in Qamdo,Tibet Autonomous Region

The soil bacterial communities have been widely investigated. However, there has been little study of the bacteria in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, especially about the culturable bacteria in highland barley cultivation soil. Here, a total of 830 individual strains were obtained at 4°C and 25°C from a highland barley cultivation soil in Qamdo, Tibet Autonomous Region, using fifteen kinds of media. Seventy-seven species were obtained, which belonged to 42 genera and four phyla; the predominant phylum was Actinobacteria (68.82%), followed by Proteobacteria (15.59%), Firmicutes (14.29%), and Bacteroidetes (1.30%). The predominant genus was Streptomyces (22.08%, 17 species), followed by Bacillus (6.49%, five species), Micromonospora (5.19%, four species), Microbacterium (5.19%, four species), and Kribbella (3.90%, three species). The most diverse isolates belonged to a high G+C Gram-positive group; in particular, the Streptomyces genus is a dominant genus in the high G+C Gram-positive group. There were 62 species and 33 genera bacteria isolated at 25°C (80.52%), 23 species, and 18 genera bacteria isolated at 4°C (29.87%). Meanwhile, only eight species and six genera bacteria could be isolated at 25°C and 4°C. Of the 77 species, six isolates related to six genera might be novel taxa. The results showed abundant bacterial species diversity in the soil sample from the Qamdo, Tibet Autonomous Region.     

Broad Diversity and Newly Cultured Bacterial Isolates from Enrichment of Pig Feces on Complex Polysaccharides

One of the fascinating functions of mammalian intestinal microbiota is fermentation of plant cell wall components. Eight-week continuous culture enrichments of pig feces with cellulose and xylan/pectin were used to isolate bacteria from this community. A total of 575 bacterial isolates were classified phylogenetically using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Six phyla were represented in the bacterial isolates: Firmicutes (242), Bacteroidetes (185), Proteobacteria (65), Fusobacteria (55), Actinobacteria (23), and Synergistetes (5). The majority of the bacterial isolates had ≥97 % similarity to cultured bacteria with sequences in the RDP, but 179 isolates represent new species and/or genera. Within the Firmicutes isolates, most were classified in the families of Lachnospiraceae, Enterococcaceae, Staphylococcaceae, and Clostridiaceae I. The majority of the Bacteroidetes were most closely related to Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Bacteroides ovatus, and B. xylanisolvens. Many of the Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes isolates were identified as species that possess enzymes that ferment plant cell wall components, and the rest likely support these bacteria. The microbial communities that arose in these enrichment cultures had broad bacterial diversity. With over 30 % of the isolates not represented in culture, there are new opportunities to study genomic and metabolic capacities of these members of the complex intestinal microbiota.     

Field and Laboratory Studies on some Photosynthetic Bacteria in Aswan High Dam Lake. II. Isolation and Identification of Purple Non-sulfur Bacteria (Rhodospirillaceae)

485 isolates were recorded from different localities between summer 1984 and spring 1985. These isolates comprise five different genera with eight different species of purple non-sulfur bacteria- Rhodopseudomonas was the most common genus at all sites and was represented by three species. R. acidophila, R. blastica, R. palustris. Rhodomicrobium was the second in frequency and was represented by R. vannielli only. This species was only recorded for khor sites. Rhodocyclus was represented by two species, R. gelatinosus and R. tenuis. Rhodobacter and Rhodospirillum were represented by one species each, Rhodobacter capsulatus and Rhodospirillum rubrum. Khor sites were richer in number of isolates and genera of purple non-sulphur bacteria than the main body of AHDL. Some species were more common in winter and spring while others predominate in summer and autumn.     

Geographical and ecological distribution of marine halacarid genera and species (Acari: Halacaridae)

At the end of 2002, the number of marine halacarid species was 1018, that of genera 51. A single genus, Copidognathus contains 33% of all species (336). Eleven genera are monotypic. Geographical provinces with a large number of species are the tropical western Pacific, temperate northeastern Atlantic, temperate southeastern Pacific, and Mediterranean-Black Sea. Most records of halacarid species are from temperate and tropical areas; 10% of species are known from polar zones. On a generic level, 29 genera are recorded from tropical and temperate but not from polar provinces, five genera are restricted to the tropics, and none to polar regions. The majority (920 species or 90%) of all species live in the upper 200 m. Records of genera with exclusively algivorous or brackish/fresh water species are bound to littoral habitats; all the other genera occur in more than one depth zone. Arenicolous genera, though most abundant in the littoral zone, have representatives in the bathyal. Four marine genera (Copidognathus, Halacarellus, Isobactrus, Lohmannella) have representatives in coastal fresh water, and three genera, Acarothrix, Caspihalacarus and Peregrinacarus, are predominantly inhabitants of diluted brackish and fresh water. None of the free-living halacarid genera of the world's oceans appears to be endemic to one geographical province.     

Mosquito diversity (Diptera: Culicidae) and medical importance,in a bird sanctuary inside the flooded forest of Prek Toal,Cambodia

Wild birds have been identified as reservoirs of many pathogens transmissible to humans through bird-biting mosquitoes. Understanding the diversity of vector fauna in bird-conservation areas, is a cornerstone to later develop early detection systems and reduce the risk of emerging disease incidence. Prek Toal is a bird Sanctuary in the Tonle-Sap area in Cambodia hosting the largest migratory bird colony of southeast Asia. The Culicidae fauna was investigated during both dry and rainy seasons. In total, 8,224 mosquitoes from 6 genera and 25 species were collected. The two most represented genera were Anopheles (8 species) and Culex (11 species), while the dominant species was Culex vishnui (58.8%). During the rainy season, 1.6 fold more mosquitoes were caught and the number of species doubled. One of the most notable feature is the absence of any Aedinii mosquito which could be attributed to the low human density around the area, and the large populations of migratory birds. A total of 13 species from 3 genera are reported to be of medical importance. 6 medically-important species were collected in all 3 sites, and are known to bite both wild birds and humans: An. barbirostris, An. campestris, Cx. bitaeniorhynchus, Cx. vishnui, Ma. indiana and Ma. uniformis. One of the most important feature is the over-abundance of Culex vishnui, largely dominant in Prek Toal throughout the seasons and the sites, and being present everywhere in Cambodia. This finding stresses its potentiality to act as bridge vectors in the case of new disease emergence.     

Benthic hydroids (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) from Peter I Island (Southern Ocean, Antarctica)

Twenty-three species of benthic hydroids, belonging to eight families and 13 genera, were found in a hydroid collection from Peter I Island, collected during both the Bentart 2003 and Bentart 2006 Spanish expeditions with BIO Hespérides in 2003 and 2006. Fourteen out of the 23 species constitute new records for Peter I Island, raising the total number of known species in the area to 30, as also do seven out of the 13 genera. The majority of the species are members of the subclass Leptothecata; the subclass Anthoathecata being scarcely represented. Sertulariidae is the family with the greatest number of species in the collection, with eight species (35%), followed by Lafoeidae with five (22%). Symplectoscyphus with four species (17%) and both Antarctoscyphus and Halecium with three (13%), including H. frigidum sp. nov., were the most diverse genera. Twenty species (ca. 77%) are endemic to Antarctic waters, either with a circum-Antarctic (11 species, ca. 42%) or West Antarctic (9 species, ca. 35%) distribution. Twenty-four (ca. 92%) are restricted to Antarctic or Antarctic/sub-Antarctic waters; only two species have a wider distribution. Peter I Island hydroid fauna is composed of typical representatives of the Antarctic benthic hydroid fauna, though it is characterized by the low representation of some of the most diverse and widespread Antarctic genera (Schizotricha and Staurotheca).     

Newly Cultured Bacteria with Broad Diversity Isolated from Eight-Week Continuous Culture Enrichments of Cow Feces on Complex Polysaccharides

One of the functions of the mammalian large intestinal microbiota is the fermentation of plant cell wall components. In ruminant animals, the majority of their nutrients are obtained via pregastric fermentation; however, up to 20% can be recovered from microbial fermentation in the large intestine. Eight-week continuous culture enrichments of cattle feces with cellulose and xylan-pectin were used to isolate bacteria from this community. A total of 459 bacterial isolates were classified phylogenetically using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Six phyla were represented: Firmicutes (51.9%), Bacteroidetes (30.9%), Proteobacteria (11.1%), Actinobacteria (3.5%), Synergistetes (1.5%), and Fusobacteria (1.1%). The majority of bacterial isolates had <98.5% identity to cultured bacteria with sequences in the Ribosomal Database Project and thus represent new species and/or genera. Within the Firmicutes isolates, most were classified in the families Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Erysipelotrichaceae, and Clostridiaceae I. The majority of the Bacteroidetes were most closely related to Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, B. ovatus, and B. xylanisolvens and members of the Porphyromonadaceae family. Many of the Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes isolates were related to species demonstrated to possess enzymes which ferment plant cell wall components; the others were hypothesized to cross-feed these bacteria. The microbial communities that arose in these enrichment cultures had broad bacterial diversity. With over 98% of the isolates not represented as previously cultured, there are new opportunities to study the genomic and metabolic capacities of these members of the complex intestinal microbiota.     

Succession of fungi colonizing porous and compact limestone exposed to subtropical environments

Little is known about the dynamics of succession of fungi on limestone exposed in subtropical environments. In this study, the colonization of experimental blocks of compact and porous limestone by a fungal community derived from natural biofilms occurring on Structure X from the archaeological site of Becán (México), was studied using a cultivation-dependent approach after short-term (9 m) exposure in order to provide a preliminary insight of the colonization process under seminatural conditions. Microbial growth seen as the change of colour of stone surfaces to black/dark green was more abundant on the porous limestone. There was a fairly clear difference in microbial colonization between the onset of the experiment and the 6th month for both limestone types, but no significant increase in the colonization of coupons occurred between months 6 and 9. This could be related to the low rainfall expected for this period, corresponding to the dry season. A total of 977 isolates were obtained. From these, 138 sterile fungi were unidentified, 380 could only be assigned to the order Sphaeropsidales; the remaining isolates (459) were grouped into 27 genera and 99 different species. Nearly all detected fungal species belonged to the Ascomycota (90 %). Rare taxa (species represented by one to three isolates) included the recently described genus Elasticomyces, several species of genera Hyalodendron, Monodyctis, Papulospora, Curvularia, and Septoria. Other taxa were Minimedusa and Gliomastix luzulae, which have not been previously described for stone environments. Abundant fungi included several species of the common genera Cladosporium, Alternaria, and Taeniolella typical for a range of habitats. Succession of populations was observed for certain taxa, this shift in the composition of fungal communities was more evident in porous limestone. After 6 m of exposure, species of the genera Scolecobasidium, Hyalodendron, and Taeniolella were predominant, while after 9 m, the predominant species belonged to the genera Curvularia and Alternaria, particularly on porous stone. These results suggest that Curvularia and Alternaria replaced other fungi, due to a higher tolerance towards low levels of available water during the dry season. Higher levels of water within the porous stone, keep longer periods of microbial activity, minimizing the impact of desiccation. This study contributes to understand the diversity of fungal communities in stone surfaces in subtropical settings and the dynamics of colonization on limestone.