Zihao Zhao’s FWF project “Biogeography and Functional Traits of Fungi in the Ocean” explores the diversity, global distribution, and ecological functions of pelagic fungi in marine carbon cycling. Although bacteria have long been considered the primary agents of organic matter remineralization, growing evidence reveals that fungi are also widespread in the ocean and actively decompose organic material. This project tackles our limited knowledge of how marine fungi differ from bacteria in their ecological roles, biogeography, and functional capacities.

He will examine which environmental factors shape fungal biogeography, how fungal communities respond—both genetically and functionally—to changing conditions, and how fungal enzymes and proteins are expressed across particle size classes and ocean depths. By integrating amplicon sequencing, metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, and metaproteomics, the project will generate the first comprehensive global assessment of pelagic fungal diversity and function, deepening our understanding of their contribution to ocean carbon sequestration.