Dynamics in Fungi Community Structure and Diversity: A Negative Impact of Bat Guano Fertilizer on Agricultural Farmlands

Abstract

Aim: Bat guano is a well-suited substance for the growth and multiplication of fungal pathogens implicated in human, animal and food infections. However, it is used in agriculture as a biological fertilizer to improve soil fertility. This study evaluated the impact of bat guano on soil fungi community structure and diversity in farmlands fertilized with bat guano. Study Design: Experiments with different farmland soils fertilized with bat guano. Place and Duration of Study: Sample: Renaissance University, Department of Microbiology, Ugbawka, Enugu State, between May 2021 and July 2021. Methodology: Physico-chemical and mycological analyses of the bat guano-fertilized and control soils were done following standard analytical and microbiological methods. Soil fungal isolates were identified via macroscopy and microscopy. Results: Results revealed that all tested soil samples were sandy and application of the bat guano increased organic matter, nitrate and organic carbon content of the soils compared to the control. Culturable fungal isolates from bat guano-fertilized soils belonged to the genera Aspergillus, Cladophialophora, Colletotrichum, Curvularia, Diaporthe, Fusarium, and Rhizopus, relative to the control, which had no cultured fungal isolates. Bat guano also impacted the fungal structure of the soil, introducing pathogens such as Curvularia spp., Fusarium sp., Rhizopus sp., and Cladophialophora sp. implicated in human health, Phytopathogenic fungi such as Diaporthe sp. and Fusarium sp. and Food spoilage fungi such as Rhizopus sp. Conclusion: These findings thus alert the scientific community and general public to challenges in human health and food insecurity posed by bat guano fertilisation of farmlands.