The Ecology of Pathogenic Onygenales Fungi and the Impacts of Climate Change

Onygenalean fungi have the potential to cause disease in vertebrates, including humans, due to their possession of various virulence factors. The risk of infection and degree of their pathogenicity may increase as climate change persists and worsens. Here, we examine recent literature of the ecology of these fungi and argue a need for more surveillance to understand the evolution of virulence in the presence of climate change.

Climate change will cause a multitude of environmental impacts, but for Onygenalean fungi, these effects include increased thermotolerance, range expansion, and host immunosuppression. Many species within Onygenales are already closely associated with vertebrates in the environment, so an increase in pathogenicity as an effect from climate change indicates that vertebrates are at high risk for outbreaks and potential biodiversity loss due to Onygenalean fungal infections.

In this review, we highlight the topic of disease ecology of Onygenalean fungi and explore the challenges and unknowns that inhibit our understanding of these fungi.