Species Distribution Models Support Distinct and Non-Random Climatic Constraints on Globally Distributed Generalist Fungi

Fungi play essential roles in ecosystems as pathogens, mutualists, and ubiquitous decomposers. However, like many important microbes, the spatial distribution of species and natural populations remains poorly understood compared to plants and animals. Many fungi are described as global generalists because they occur across wide geographic areas, but it remains unclear how and if these species are constrained by climate or geographic barriers. In this study, we used Species Distribution Models to infer the global climatic suitability of three common and globally distributed fungi: Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus fumigatus. Models were constructed using global occurrence data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and were trained with Bioclimatic variables from the WorldClim dataset. All species’ models showed high prediction fit, with predicted occurrence concentrated in the temperate and subtropical regions and broadly structured patterns. Each species showed distinct predicted distributions, but they displayed considerable spatial overlap on a global scale. Together, these results demonstrate that even apparently globally occurring and generalist fungal species occupy climatically structured niches. This study highlights the utility of SDMs and it provides a framework for future studies integrating ecological, genomics and evolutionary perspectives among the difficult to assess geographically widespread and common fungi.