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This study is the first mycological evaluation of bat guano and the air around it in Harmanecká and Driny Caves in Slovakia. These caves are the most important underground localities of bats in Slovakia. Samples were collected in July 2014 and cultivated for fungi. Harmanecká Cave had seven species of filamentous fungi and one yeast-like fungus isolated from bat guano, compared to six species of filamentous fungi in guano from Driny Cave. Air samples from Harmanecká Cave had twelve species of fungi, compared to nine species from Driny Cave. Fungal density was higher in guano from Driny Cave (4720.1 CFU/g guano) than from Harmanecká Cave (3498.3 CFU/g). The pattern was reversed with fungi from the air. Fungal density in air from Harmanecká Cave (211.3 CFU/m 3 ) was higher than that from Driny Cave (175.7 CFU/m 3 ). Penicillium granulatum was the most frequently isolated fungal species, except in the guano of Driny Cave, where Mucor hiemalis was most common. Bat guano is a very good substrate for the development and survival of fungi in the caves, and it can be a reservoir of fungi harmful for bats. However, air samples from both caves contained more species of fungi than the bat guano, because the majority of fungi are transferred to underground ecosystems with air bioaerosols from the external environment.

Main conclusion Upregulation of the terpenoid pathway and increased ABA content in flax upon Fusarium infection leads to activation of the early plant's response (PR genes, cell wall remodeling, and redox status).Abstract Plants have developed a number of defense strategies against the adverse effects of fungi such as Fusarium oxysporum. One such defense is the production of antioxidant secondary metabolites, which fall into two main groups: the phenylpropanoids and the terpenoids. While functions and biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids have been extensively studied, very little is known about the genes controlling the terpenoid synthesis pathway in flax. They can serve as antioxidants, but are also substrates for a plethora of different compounds, including those of regulatory functions, like ABA. ABA's function during pathogen attack remains obscure and often depends on the specific plant-pathogen interactions. In our study we showed that in flax the non-mevalonate pathway is strongly activated in the early hours of pathogen infection and that there is a redirection of metabolites towards ABA synthesis. The elevated synthesis of ABA correlates with flax resistance to F. oxysporum, thus we suggest ABA to be a positive regulator of the plant's early response to the infection.Publisher's Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.