Abstract
The presence and association of fungi with sessile marine animals such as coral and sponges has been well established, yet information on the extent of diversity of the associated fungi is still in its infancy. Culture – as well as metagenomic – and transcriptomic-based analyses have shown that fungal presence in association with these animals can be dynamic and can include “core” residents as well as shifts in fungal communities. Evidence for detrimental and beneficial interactions between fungi and their marine hosts is accumulating and current challenges include the elucidation of the chemical and cellular crosstalk between fungi and their associates within the holobionts. The ecological function of fungi in association with sessile marine animals is complex and is founded on a combination of factors such as fungal origin, host health, environmental conditions and the presence of other resident or invasive microorganisms in the host. Based on evidence from the much more studied terrestrial systems, the evaluation of marine animal–fungal symbioses under varying environmental conditions may well prove to be critical in predicting ecosystem response to global change, including effects on the health of sessile marine animals.
Highlights
There is no consensus on the definition of marine fungi, even though it is clear that the grouping of marine fungi is primarily based on an ecological rather than a taxonomical basis (Kohlmeyer and Kohlmeyer, 1979; Hyde et al, 2000)
Much of the research on these organisms has focused on fungi from marine environments such as obtained or found associated with mangroves, wood substrates, sediments (Jones, 2011b and references within), as well as on fungal infections of marine mammals (Higgins, 2000)
A significant landmark in the study of fungi from the marine environment was the report by Barghoorn and Linder (1944) who in addition to their descriptions of marine-derived fungi stated that “The fact that a score or more of species have been described as occurring in the sea is of importance since it shows that fungi tolerate salt water, but that marine conditions furnish a normal habitat for the relatively small number of fungi that have become adapted to it.”
Summary
There is no consensus on the definition of marine fungi, even though it is clear that the grouping of marine fungi is primarily based on an ecological rather than a taxonomical basis (Kohlmeyer and Kohlmeyer, 1979; Hyde et al, 2000). The occurrence of fungal associations with other organisms within the marine environment has been reported and discussed for over a century, including the concerns whether fungi can, at all, grow in sea water (Murray, 1893).
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