Fungal Ecology on a Changing Planet

Dear Colleagues,

Fungi are ancient and highly diverse eukaryotic organisms, with an estimated 5 million species ranging from unicellular and microfungi to macroscopic forms such as mushrooms. As key players in atmospheric, aquatic, and terrestrial ecosystems, fungi drive essential ecological processes through symbiotic interactions and nutrient cycling. Their diversity and metabolic versatility underpin critical ecosystem functions, including plant biomass production, organic matter decomposition, carbon storage, and pathogen resistance.

However, global environmental change is reshaping ecosystems at an unprecedented pace, exposing fungal communities to multiple stressors. Climate change, pollution, habitat disturbance, and shifting nutrient cycles are altering fungal diversity and ecological functions, with cascading effects on ecosystem stability and resilience. Fungi are highly responsive to these disruptions, rapidly sensing environmental changes and modulating their metabolic networks to survive and adapt. Yet, the loss of fungal diversity due to human-driven pressures threatens ecosystem functions reliant on fungal-driven processes.

This Special Issue invites research and review articles exploring fungal ecology in a changing planet. We welcome studies that address, but are not limited to:

(i) Fungal diversity and ecological responses to environmental and human-driven stressors

(ii) Fungal tolerance to extreme conditions (e.g., heavy metals, organic pollutants, heat, salinity)

(iii) Metabolic and physiological adaptations of fungi under environmental stress

(iv) Conceptual frameworks linking fungal biodiversity to ecosystem functioning or linking fungal genes to traits under changing environments

(v) Mycoremediation strategies for mitigating environmental contamination

By advancing our understanding of fungal responses to global change, this Special Issue aims to highlight the ecological significance of fungi and their potential applications in ecosystem restoration and bioremediation.

Dr. Helson Mario Martins Do Vale
Guest Editor

Dr. Geisianny Moreira
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• fungi diversity
• fungal functional guilds
• fungal tolerance
• ecosystem functioning
• environmental stressors
• environmental contamination
• global environmental change
• fungal stress response
• fungal ecology
• fungal-driven processes
• mycoremediation
• fungal resilience
• fungal adaptation
• fungal responses to climate change