Yeasts at the soil-litter interface in the Cerrado-Amazon ecotone

• Grant number: 24/14525-2
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Acacio Aparecido Navarrete
• Grantee: Acacio Aparecido Navarrete
• Host Institution: Universidade Brasil. Campus Fernandópolis. Fernandópolis , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Dora Inés Kozusny-Andreani ; Maryland Sanchez Lacerda Pedroni ; Paula Benevides de Morais

Abstract

Yeasts are constituents of the soil community and in this environment they use organic carbon and minerals, such as those arising from the decomposition of accumulated litter, for cellular maintenance, performance of ecological functions and synthesis of metabolic products with bioinnovation potential. Due to i) the little knowledge about the diversity and interactions of yeasts in the edaphic ecosystems of tropical forests, ii) the occurrence of forests with a predominance of Vochysiaceae in the Cerrado-Amazon ecotone, an impor-tant plant family for local communities and the recovery of degraded areas, and iii) the bio-technological potential, especially agricultural and environmental, of yeasts at the soil-litter interface, this project aims to evaluate the following hypothesis: The soil-litter interface in forests with a predominance of Vochysiaceae in the Cerrado-Amazon transition is habitat of new species of yeast belonging to communities with high richness, diversity and equita-bility. Ten adult trees of species belonging to the Vochysiaceae family will be selected in two forest areas, at a distance of at least 10 m from each other in areas previously identifi-ed by research projects funded by CNPq in the Cerrado-Amazon transition, comprising the States of Tocantins and Mato Grosso. Soil cores (0-5 cm deep) will be collected for culture-independent and culture-dependent assessments of the yeast community. Molecular analy-zes based on 18S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and computational bioinformatics and statistical methods will be used to evaluate the richness, evenness, diversity, structure and composition of yeast communities at the soil-litter interface. Yeast isolation will be carried out using enrichment methodology, followed by molecular identification of representative colonies of different morphotypes. Yeast populations revealed by DNA sequencing and not cultivated in the cultivation and isolation stage will be detected and their abundance quanti-fied using the Real-Time quantitative PCR technique (qPCR Sybr Green). Experience in using methodologies (DNA sequencing, qPCR Sybr Green, bioinformatics and statistics applied to the analysis of 'omic' data and metadata, and techniques for isolation and mole-cular identification of microorganisms) was acquired by the principal investigator and col-laborators over years of professional experience in research in Brazil and abroad. This pro-ject was structured to encourage cooperation and exchange of experience between research teams that use distinct but complementary scientific approaches and methodologies capa-ble of promoting knowledge in yeast ecology at the interface of agricultural and environ-mental sciences. The focus of this study on the survey of new species through a molecular inventory of diversity, isolation and identification of yeast isolates will be able to comple-ment the efforts made within the scope of INCT yeasts: Biodiversity, preservation and bio-technological innovations, which has sought to understand, preserve and sustainably use yeasts from Brazilian biodiversity. (AU)