CONCLUSIONS
This is the first contribution on the fungal community of high Andean forest soil under the biome closed in the south of Ecuador. The system shows high diversity of phyla and genera. Some of the interesting species such as Mortierella sp. and Saitozyma sp. could have biotechnological applications (Carota et al. 2018: Gorte et al. 2020). We recommend NGS for the characterization of filamentous fungi in soil, depending on the required level of taxonomic discrimination. However, molecular research should be complemented by studies on taxonomy, ecology and physiology of filamentous soil fungi in order to better understand the distribution and the benefits that each species of fungus could obtain from the soil. Such studies would also be important for the management, preservation, and restoration of the Andes soils habitat.