Phylogeny, Distribution and Potential Clinical Relevance of the Genus Cladophialophora Detected in Soils from Sierra de las Minas, Guatemala, Using Metabarcoding

Cladophialophora is a melanized fungal genus that includes environmental, transitional, and clinically relevant lineages, yet its diversity in tropical montane soils remains poorly understood. In this study, ITS2 metabarcoding was used to investigate Cladophialophora diversity in five soil samples collected along an altitudinal gradient (0-3015 m a.s.l) in the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala. From a total of 2,848 fungal ASVs obtained from soil samples, 38 were assigned to Cladophialophora and analyzed through UNITE-based taxonomic assignment, maximum-likelihood phylogenetic reconstruction, lineage classification, abundance profiling, and exploratory multivariate analyses. The recovered ASVs clustered predominantly within an environmental clade, whereas transitional, basal, and clinically affiliated clades were represented by fewer ASVs and lower relative abundances. Eleven phylogenetically defined lineages were recognized, with the C. floridana lineage being the most widespread and abundant, followed by the transitional C. lanosa lineage. ASVs affiliated with the C. bantiana clinical lineage were detected at low abundance and were restricted to a warmer zone of Zacapa. Overall, these findings provide the first metabarcoding-based and phylogenetically informed characterization of Cladophialophora in Guatemala and Sierra de las Minas soils and establish a baseline for future ecological and taxonomic studies.