Fungi present distinguishable isotopic signals in their lipids when grown on glycolytic versus tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates

<p>Microbial activity in soils controls both the size and turnover rates of large carbon (<span class="inline-formula">C</span>) inventories stored in the subsurface, having important consequences for partitioning of <span class="inline-formula">C</span...

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Main Authors: S. Jabinski, V. Kučera, M. Kopáček, J. Jansa, T. B. Meador
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2025-07-01
Series:Biogeosciences
Online Access:https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/22/3127/2025/bg-22-3127-2025.pdf
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author S. Jabinski
S. Jabinski
V. Kučera
V. Kučera
M. Kopáček
M. Kopáček
J. Jansa
T. B. Meador
T. B. Meador
T. B. Meador
author_facet S. Jabinski
S. Jabinski
V. Kučera
V. Kučera
M. Kopáček
M. Kopáček
J. Jansa
T. B. Meador
T. B. Meador
T. B. Meador
author_sort S. Jabinski
collection DOAJ
description <p>Microbial activity in soils controls both the size and turnover rates of large carbon (<span class="inline-formula">C</span>) inventories stored in the subsurface, having important consequences for partitioning of <span class="inline-formula">C</span> between terrestrial and atmospheric reservoirs as well as recycling of mineral nutrients such as nitrogen or phosphorus (often bound to the <span class="inline-formula">C</span>) that support plant growth. Fungi are major decomposers of soil organic matter (SOM); however, uncertainty about the identity of predominant <span class="inline-formula">C</span> substrates that fuel their respiration confound models of fungal production and SOM turnover. To further define the signals of microbial heterotrophic activity, we applied a dual hydrogen (<span class="inline-formula">H</span>) and <span class="inline-formula">C</span> stable isotope probing (SIP) approach to pure fungal cultures representing the phyla Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Zygomycota growing on monomeric (glucose, succinate) or complex substrates (tannic acid, <span class="inline-formula"><i>β</i></span>-cyclodextrin). Our findings demonstrate that the investigated species incorporated only minor quantities of inorganic <span class="inline-formula">C</span> (provided as bicarbonate) into their membrane lipids, amounting to <span class="inline-formula">&lt;</span> 3 % of lipid-C, with no consistent patterns observed between species or growth substrates. The net incorporation of water-derived <span class="inline-formula">H</span> (i.e., <span class="inline-formula"><i>a</i><sub>w</sub></span>) into lipids also did not differ significantly between incubations with monomeric versus complex substrates; however, growth on succinate elicited significantly higher <span class="inline-formula"><i>a</i><sub>w</sub></span> values than glucose or <span class="inline-formula"><i>β</i></span>-cyclodextrin. This finding suggests that <span class="inline-formula"><sup>2</sup>H-SIP</span> assays have the potential to distinguish between microbial communities supported predominantly by substrates that are catabolized by the tricarboxylic acid cycle versus glycolytic pathway. Furthermore, the average <span class="inline-formula"><i>a</i><sub>w</sub></span> value of heterotrophic fungal incubations 0.69 <span class="inline-formula">±</span> 0.03 (SEM) is consistent with that observed for bacterial heterotrophs and may be applied for upscaling lipid-based estimates of fungal production in environmental assays.</p>
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spelling doaj-art-ec2e446d8a1242559b6023617d14467c2025-08-20T03:28:21ZengCopernicus PublicationsBiogeosciences1726-41701726-41892025-07-01223127314110.5194/bg-22-3127-2025Fungi present distinguishable isotopic signals in their lipids when grown on glycolytic versus tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediatesS. Jabinski0S. Jabinski1V. Kučera2V. Kučera3M. Kopáček4M. Kopáček5J. Jansa6T. B. Meador7T. B. Meador8T. B. Meador9Department of Ecosystem Biology, University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science, Branišovská 1760, 370 05 České Budějovice, CzechiaInstitute of Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Biology Centre CAS, Na Sádkách 7, 370 05 České Budějovice, CzechiaFaculty of Sciences, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 00 Praha, CzechiaInstitute of Microbiology CAS, Vídeňská 1083, 142 20 Praha, CzechiaDepartment of Ecosystem Biology, University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science, Branišovská 1760, 370 05 České Budějovice, CzechiaInstitute of Hydrobiology, Biology Centre CAS, Na Sádkách 7, 370 05 České Budějovice, CzechiaInstitute of Microbiology CAS, Vídeňská 1083, 142 20 Praha, CzechiaDepartment of Ecosystem Biology, University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science, Branišovská 1760, 370 05 České Budějovice, CzechiaInstitute of Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Biology Centre CAS, Na Sádkách 7, 370 05 České Budějovice, CzechiaInstitute of Hydrobiology, Biology Centre CAS, Na Sádkách 7, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czechia<p>Microbial activity in soils controls both the size and turnover rates of large carbon (<span class="inline-formula">C</span>) inventories stored in the subsurface, having important consequences for partitioning of <span class="inline-formula">C</span> between terrestrial and atmospheric reservoirs as well as recycling of mineral nutrients such as nitrogen or phosphorus (often bound to the <span class="inline-formula">C</span>) that support plant growth. Fungi are major decomposers of soil organic matter (SOM); however, uncertainty about the identity of predominant <span class="inline-formula">C</span> substrates that fuel their respiration confound models of fungal production and SOM turnover. To further define the signals of microbial heterotrophic activity, we applied a dual hydrogen (<span class="inline-formula">H</span>) and <span class="inline-formula">C</span> stable isotope probing (SIP) approach to pure fungal cultures representing the phyla Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Zygomycota growing on monomeric (glucose, succinate) or complex substrates (tannic acid, <span class="inline-formula"><i>β</i></span>-cyclodextrin). Our findings demonstrate that the investigated species incorporated only minor quantities of inorganic <span class="inline-formula">C</span> (provided as bicarbonate) into their membrane lipids, amounting to <span class="inline-formula">&lt;</span> 3 % of lipid-C, with no consistent patterns observed between species or growth substrates. The net incorporation of water-derived <span class="inline-formula">H</span> (i.e., <span class="inline-formula"><i>a</i><sub>w</sub></span>) into lipids also did not differ significantly between incubations with monomeric versus complex substrates; however, growth on succinate elicited significantly higher <span class="inline-formula"><i>a</i><sub>w</sub></span> values than glucose or <span class="inline-formula"><i>β</i></span>-cyclodextrin. This finding suggests that <span class="inline-formula"><sup>2</sup>H-SIP</span> assays have the potential to distinguish between microbial communities supported predominantly by substrates that are catabolized by the tricarboxylic acid cycle versus glycolytic pathway. Furthermore, the average <span class="inline-formula"><i>a</i><sub>w</sub></span> value of heterotrophic fungal incubations 0.69 <span class="inline-formula">±</span> 0.03 (SEM) is consistent with that observed for bacterial heterotrophs and may be applied for upscaling lipid-based estimates of fungal production in environmental assays.</p>https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/22/3127/2025/bg-22-3127-2025.pdf
spellingShingle S. Jabinski
S. Jabinski
V. Kučera
V. Kučera
M. Kopáček
M. Kopáček
J. Jansa
T. B. Meador
T. B. Meador
T. B. Meador
Fungi present distinguishable isotopic signals in their lipids when grown on glycolytic versus tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates
Biogeosciences
title Fungi present distinguishable isotopic signals in their lipids when grown on glycolytic versus tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates
title_full Fungi present distinguishable isotopic signals in their lipids when grown on glycolytic versus tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates
title_fullStr Fungi present distinguishable isotopic signals in their lipids when grown on glycolytic versus tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates
title_full_unstemmed Fungi present distinguishable isotopic signals in their lipids when grown on glycolytic versus tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates
title_short Fungi present distinguishable isotopic signals in their lipids when grown on glycolytic versus tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates
title_sort fungi present distinguishable isotopic signals in their lipids when grown on glycolytic versus tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates
url https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/22/3127/2025/bg-22-3127-2025.pdf
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