Fungal Genetic Variants in Oceanic Environments

Abstract

Comparing specific types of organisms as they are found across environmental conditions has helped inform how genes and gene products of these organisms relate to phenotypes and adaptation. In this study, we examine metatranscriptomic data as found for oceanic fungi across different oceanic sampling sites. A specific set of three genes was chosen for evaluation based on conserved orthology, known association with core physiological processes in fungi, and level of abundance within oceanic metatranscriptomic data. We report upon a potential association of genetic variance with environmental conditions of iron, salt and phosphate in oceanic waters based on heatmap visualization and PERMANOVA analysis.