Fungal community dynamics associated with harmful cyanobacterial blooms in two Great Lakes

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) impose major costs on aquatic ecosystems worldwide, including the Laurentian Great Lakes. Microbial consumers, fungi, can have important interactions with bloom-forming algae and cyanobacteria, although relatively few studies investigated relationship between fungi HABs. We examined changes in fungal community coincident occurrence of large cyanobacterial two areas Lakes (western Lake Erie Saginaw Bay, Huron). collected water samples over course bloom development, peak, decline from 3 sites western 11 dates 2 Bay 4 dates. Single molecule sequencing (PacBio RS II) molecular markers (the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rRNA locus using fungal-specific primers 18S targeting early-diverging lineages fungi) was used to estimate composition. Results indicate a diverse within lakes, several phyla. The Chytridiomycota were particularly well-represented (54.8% 45.4% ITS sequences, respectively), we also found representation both Cryptomycota Aphelidiomycota, which are putatively obligate intracellular parasites. Further, associations (alpha diversity; composition) measures magnitude (chlorophyll a, phycocyanin, microcystin concentrations) Erie. Our results suggest potentially spatial temporal heterogeneity that motivates further research functional importance consequences for HABs freshwater more broadly.