Life on the edge: mineral incrustations colonized by fungal communities in the sulfur fumarole on Sierra Negra volcano (Galápagos Archipelago).

Despite the extensive studies on plant and animal endemism in the Galápagos Islands, fungal diversity remains largely unexplored, particularly in fumarole environments. Here, we explore the fungal diversity in two gypsum incrustations within an active fumarole of Sierra Negra volcano (Isabela Island). We hypothesize that minor differences in the chemical and mineralogical characteristics of these substrates, despite similar environmental conditions, lead to distinct fungal communities with substrate-specialized taxa.