Abstract
Free-living nematodes constitute an important component of estuarine and marine benthic ecosystems. Some marine and soil nematodes are known to harbor microbes, including sym- biotic bacteria and fungi, in their external cuticle as well as internally. While assessing diversity of marine nematodes from southwest England using molecular approaches, we found evidence of co- amplification of fungal 18S rRNA sequences in conjunction with nematode 18S rRNA sequences. Based on an 18S rRNA PCR-DGGE approach, 3 fungal clone types were detected alongside nema- todes from 2 of 4 estuarine and marine sites in southwest England. At the phylogeny level, fungal clone type 1 belongs to Chaetothyriales while the other 2 clone types belong to Hypocreales. The fun- gal clones were co-amplified with specific marine nematode taxa indicating true ecological associa- tion rather than transient environmental contamination. The present study is the first to detect fungal 18S sequences in parallel with marine nematodes and opens up a new avenue of research for inves- tigating ecological interactions between nematodes and fungi in the marine environment.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
