Characterizing Fungal Diversity in the Cumberland River Across Four Urban Sites in Nashville, TN Using ITS Amplicon Sequencing

Authors

• Leena M. Al-Bunni, Belmont UniversityFollow
• Chris Barton, Belmont UniversityFollow
• Matthew Heard, Belmont UniversityFollow

Publication Date

Fall 11-23-2026

College

College of Sciences & Mathematics

Department

Biology, Department of

SURS Faculty Advisor

Matthew Heard and Chris Barton

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Abstract

Urban freshwater systems provide both recreational opportunities and drinking water resources, making water quality monitoring a critical public health concern. Since 1986, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has relied on Escherichia coli (E. coli) as an indicator of fecal and pathogenic contamination. However, the use of E. coli as an indicator does not capture fungi, which also inhabit freshwater systems and can act as pathogens or ecological disruptors. Advances in environmental DNA sequencing, such as Oxford Nanopore’s MinION, now make it possible to characterize these often overlooked fungal communities directly. This study characterizes fungal diversity in the Cumberland River, a major freshwater source in Nashville, Tennessee, and is the first to evaluate large-scale fungal communities in this river. Using ITS amplicon sequencing on the MinION, we assessed fungal community composition at four urban sites over three sampling weeks. Fungal richness ranged from 12 to 45 taxa per sample. Although richness trended higher at some sites, no significant differences were detected between sites or sampling weeks. Community composition was dominated by chytrid-related taxa at all four sites, which may reflect nutrient-rich or urban-influenced conditions. A rarefaction curve that had not reached a plateau suggests that additional sampling would reveal further fungal diversity. These results provide a baseline characterization of fungal communities in the Cumberland River and suggest that integrating fungal profiling with traditional E. coli monitoring may provide a more complete picture of freshwater quality.

Recommended Citation

Al-Bunni, Leena M.; Barton, Chris; and Heard, Matthew, "Characterizing Fungal Diversity in the Cumberland River Across Four Urban Sites in Nashville, TN Using ITS Amplicon Sequencing" (2026). Science University Research Symposium (SURS). 361.
https://repository.belmont.edu/surs/361