The Impact of Fluoride Pollution on Fungal Communities at the Watershed Scale: A Case Study of the Qingshui River, Ningxia

This study systematically investigated the driving mechanisms and feedback effects of fluoride pollution gradients on fungal communities in water-soil systems, using the Qingshui River basin in Ningxia, China, as a case study. In 2022, 66 sets of samples, each comprising water, sediment, and riparian soil, were collected across three phases (May, July, December). High-throughput sequencing combined with fluoride speciation analysis revealed that fluoride pollution significantly reduced fungal alpha diversity (low-fluoride group > high-fluoride group I > high-fluoride group II), with aquatic habitats exhibiting the most sensitive response. Ascomycota and Chytridiomycota were identified as dominant fluoride-tolerant phyla, and <i>Ascobolus</i> and <i>Cladosporium</i> as representative tolerant genera. Fungi influenced fluoride speciation through mediating mineral weathering and organic matter metabolism; for instance, <i>Humicola</i> promoted fluoride immobilization, while <i>Archaeorhizomyces</i> participated in organic matter-bound fluoride (O.M.-F) metabolism. Fungi in sediments tended to promote the accumulation of residual fixed fluoride (Res-F), whereas those in riparian soils exhibited dual regulatory effects on the release of bioavailable fluoride (Ba-F). This research elucidates the succession patterns of fungal communities under fluoride pollution and their feedback mechanisms on fluoride biogeochemical cycling, offering a theoretical basis for ecological restoration in high-fluoride regions.