Diversity and distribution of hidden cultivable fungi associated with marine animals of Antarctica

Publication date: Available online 14 May 2019Source: Fungal BiologyAuthor(s): Valéria Martins Godinho, Maria Theresa Rafaela de Paula, Débora Amorim Saraiva Silva, Karla Paresque, Aline Paternostro Martins, Pio Colepicolo, Carlos Augusto Rosa, Luiz Henrique RosaAbstractIn the present study, we surveyed the distribution and diversity of fungal assemblages associated with 10 species of marine animals from Antarctica. The collections yielded 83 taxa from 27 distinct genera, which were identified using molecular biology methods. The most abundant taxa were Cladosporium sp. 1, Debaryomyces hansenii, Glaciozyma martinii, Metschnikowia australis, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, Thelebolus cf. globosus, Pseudogymnoascus pannorum, Tolypocladium tundrense, and different Penicillium and Metschnikowia species. The diversity, richness, and dominance of fungal assemblages ranged among the host; however, in general, the fungal community, which was composed of endemic and cold-adapted cosmopolitan taxa distributed across the different sites of Antarctic Peninsula, displayed high diversity, richness, and dominance indices. Our results contribute to knowledge about fungal diversity in the marine environment across the Antarctic Peninsula and their phylogenetic relationships with species that occur in other cold, temperate, and tropical regions of the World. Additionally, despite their extreme habitats, marine Antarctic animals shelter cryptic and complex fungal assemblages represented by ende...
Source: Fungal Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: research