Cryptic fungal diversity in deep-sea environments

Ref ID: 19322

Author:

Yuriko Nagano, Takahiko Nagahama

Author address:

Institute of Biogeosciences, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC),
Yokosuka, Kanagawa, JAPAN

Full conference title:

Asian Mycological Congress 2013 and the 13th International Marine and Freshwater Mycology Symposium

Date: 19 August 2014

Abstract:

As in other environments, microorganisms are known to play an important role in deep-sea
ecosystems. Since the first foray into deep-sea research, with the development of advanced instrumentation for sampling and researching life at great depths, the presence and ecological
importance of deep-sea bacteria and archaea has been extensively researched and documented. In
contrast, fungi, one of the most extremotolerant and ecologically important groups of microorganisms,
have been relatively underexplored in deep-sea environments. However, the presence of fungi in
deep-sea environments, including deep marine subsurface and their ecological importance in
ecosystems, is gaining attention. Many fungi have been isolated by culture-dependent methods from
various deep-sea environments, with the majority of fungi showing similarity to terrestrial species. On the
other hand, a significant amount of cryptic fungal diversity has been recently revealed by
culture-independent emerging technologies. Recently revealed cryptic diversity in deep-sea
environments includes novel fungal lineages, such as the new phylum Cryptomycota. Cryptomycota is
suspected to lack typical fungal chitin-rich cell walls and is suggested as an ancient lineage within the
kingdom of fungi. Zoosporic fungi, including Cryptomycota and other completely unknown lineages, have
been extensively detected, especially from hydrothermal vents and methane cold-seeps. Further
investigation on cryptic fungal diversity in deep-sea environments holds promise in providing key insights
into the phylogenetic histories of fungi and their ecological role in environments.

Abstract Number: I2-01

Conference Year: 2013

Link to conference website: NULL

New link: NULL

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