Metabarcoding insights into the fungal diversity and biotechnological potential of mangrove sediments in Ecuador’s Reserva Ecológica Manglares Churute

Mangrove ecosystems are biodiversity hotspots and vital carbon sinks, yet their fungal communities—key drivers of nutrient cycling and ecosystem resilience—remain largely unexplored in the Neotropics. This is particularly true for Ecuador's protected reserves, where no molecular census of sediment fungi exists. To address this gap, we conducted the first metabarcoding survey of the fungal microbiome in the sediments of the Reserva Ecológica Manglares Churute (REMC), a critical mangrove habitat under increasing anthropogenic pressure. This is the first molecular study to characterize fungal communities in the mangrove sediments of the Reserva Ecológica Manglares Churute (REMC) in the neotropical context of Ecuador, using metabarcoding. The fungal community was dominated by Ascomycota (68%) and Basidiomycota (30%), with minor contributions from Mortierellomycota, Chytridiomycota, and Mucoromycota (