Metagenomic analysis of the fungal community present in unimpacted and oil-impacted soil, South Shetland Islands, maritime Antarctica.

We assessed the fungal diversity and functional profile of two soils collected in contrasting environments: one unimpacted soil, Hennequin Point, King George Island, and the other impacted by whale oil, Whalers Bay, Deception Island, Maritime Antarctica, using metagenomic approaches. Taxonomic assignment revealed a predominance of Ascomycota in both soils. A total of 20 and 23 fungal genera were identified at King George and Deception islands, respectively. The rare genera Thermothielavioides, Pyricularia, Fulvia, and Coccidioides were detected in the Antarctic environment. The highest fungal diversity was observed in the soil of Deception Island. Canonical analysis of King George Island soil displayed higher values of total organic carbon, sulfur, and lead, which may have favored the presence of the genera Puccinia, Lachancea, and Akanthomyces. The soil of Deception Island presented correlations with higher levels of nitrogen, chromium, and iron, with a predominance of genera such as Aspergillus, Trichoderma, and Malassezia. Functional analysis revealed distinct adaptive strategies among the soils. Domains related to translation, gene regulation, and metabolic efficiency were observed for fungi in Hennequin Point soil, King George Island, suggesting resource optimization in a cold, moss-covered environment. In Deception Island soil, fungal redox metabolism, iron acquisition, and the degradation of nitrogen compounds were highlighted, reflecting adaptation to an anthropogenic soil rich in metal oxides. Both soils exhibited functional fungal networks involved in hydrolytic enzymatic pathways that may act in the decomposition of organic compounds. New sequencing must be performed due to the insufficient depth of the data. Our results indicated that the soil from Hennequin Point and Whalers Bay exhibited distinct fungal communities, which can be influenced by environmental and ecological factors such as moss, oil, and heavy metals encountered in pristine and oil-impacted soils resulting from anthropogenic activities over the years.