## 3 Results and Discussion
### Fungal Community
The genus _Cadophora_ was identified in samples N88 (relative frequencies 23%--Protocol 1 and 29.9%--Protocol 2), N99 (0.1%--Protocol 1, not detected with Protocol 2) and N1 (0.3%--Protocol 1, not detected with Protocol 2). Species belonging to the genus _Cadophora_ are reported from decaying wood, soil and plants [101; 102], from wooden artifacts from the Ross Sea region (Antarctica) and Deception Island (South Shetlands, Antarctica) and from decayed arctic driftwoods [103; 104; 105; 106]. _C. malorum_, _C. luteo-divacea_, _C. fastigata_ and previously undescribed _Cadophora_ species designated as C. species H, C. species E and C. species NH were proved to cause type 1 soft rot after 12 months of incubation on _Betula_ and _Populus_ sound wood [103]. The genus _Podospora_ accounted for more than 66% of total reads of the fungal community of sample N4. _Podospora_ species are saprophytic, predominantly reported as coprophilous [107; 108; 109; 110]. _Acidomellaria_ (species _A. panicicola_, 5.9%--Protocol 1 and 7.6%--Protocol 2) and _Cerinosterus_ (species _C. luteoalbus_, frequencies 5.3%--Protocol 1 and 5.2%--Protocol 2) were found only in sample N88. The first species is closely related to endophyte species and is usually isolated form the roots of plants living in acid and nutrient-poor environments [111]. The latter was isolated from decayed historic wood on Deception Island (South Shetlands, Antarctica) and from arctic driftwood attacked by soft-rot fungi [105; 106]. Some of the less abundant taxa deserve a special mention. _Reticulascus clavatus_ was exclusively found in sample N9 (3.7%--Protocol 1 and 9%--Protocol 2). It is reported as the teleomorph form of _Cylindricalcium clavatum_. The species was isolated from submerged wood of _Almus glutinosa_, _Platanus_ sp., _Fraxinus_ sp. and from decayed wood of _Ulmus scabra_[112]. _Mollisia dextrinospora_, found in sample N88 (1.1%--Protocol 1 and 1.3%--Protocol 2) is reported as the teleomorph form of a _Cadophora_-like anamorph [113]. It was isolated from decaying wood [114]. _Leythophora_ (_Conichaeta_) _hoffmannii_, found only in sample N9 (1.2%--Protocol 1 and 0.8%--Protocol 2), is a facultative plant pathogen; it can colonize as sapotroph soils, leaf litter, and coarse wood debris or cause opportunistic mycosis in humans. Nevertheless, it is also reported as a soft-rot fungi, able to degrade the aromatic compounds (phenolics and aryl alcohols/aldehydes) that are produced during wood decomposition thanks to a pool of extracellular enzymes [115; 116]. The genus _Penicillium_ includes species reported as soil inhabitants able to degrade lignin, lignin-related aromatic compounds, and cellulose or as soft-rot agents [117; 118; 119; 120; 121]. _Penicillium simplicissimum_, identified in sample N88 (0.7%--Protocol 1 and 0.5%--Protocol 2), is not considered a white-rot fungus but several works demonstrated its ability to degrade lignin and lignin-related compounds derivate from lignin degradation by wood-rot fungi [122; 123; 124; 125]. _Exophila_ was part of the fungal communities of samples N9 (0.1%--Protocol 1 and 0.4%--Protocol 2) and N88 (3.7%--Protocol 1 and 2.2%--Protocol 2). The genus includes agents of opportunistic infection in humans, potentially able to cause a wide diversity of mycoses, varying from cutaneous infections to disseminated syndromes [126; 127; 128]. Moreover, _E. xenobiotica_ is reported as an opportunistic black yeast isolated from hydrocarbon-rich environments [129]. The fungal communities of Pisa samples are more difficult to interpret. Most of the obtained sequences remained unidentified; for some samples, more than 60% of total reads are generically reported as Fungi. However, in four of the analyzed woods, more than 71% of sequences are reported as belonging to the family Serendipitaceae (Figure S4), therefore these data suggest that the fungal communities of the Pisa samples are dominated by basidiomycetes. Several fungal species belonging to the phylum Basidiomycota are well known wood degraders.