Effect of salinity on the reproduction of terrestrial and marine fungi

Abstract

The effect of salinity on the sporulation of twenty selected fungi, which included terrestrial (10), fresh-water (2) and marine (8) species, was investigated using a variety of techniques, e.g. growth on agar plates, shake culture, a range of substrates and perfusion chambers. Sporangiospores of terrestrial mucoraceous fungi were produced over the whole range of salinities tested but zygospore production was inhibited at higher salinities. Terrestrial ascomycetes showed limited tolerance to high salinity and this may be affected by the available growth factors present. Marine ascomycetes have a wide tolerance to low-salinity conditions and may be less conditioned by the available substrate. The sporulation of the majority of the fungi imperfecti, irrespective of their ecological origin, exhibited a broad tolerance to highland low-salinity conditions. Exceptions were the appendaged marine hyphomycetes which are intolerant of extreme low-salinity conditions, and the appendaged fresh-water hyphomycetes which were inhibited by high-salinity conditions. In Chaetomium globosum Kunze ex Fr. the effect of salinity on perithecial development depends on when the sea-water concentration is added to the perfusion medium. The significance of these observations in relation to the ecological distribution of aquatic fungi is discussed, and what is meant by the term ‘marine fungi’ briefly considered.