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First evidence of the deep-sea fungus Oceanitis scuticella Kohlmeyer (Halosphaeriaceae, Ascomycota) from the Northern Hemisphere

  • Joëlle Dupont

    Joëlle Dupont’s main research fields are fungal diversity and taxonomy. Her research uses molecular tools and multiple gene phylogenies for systematic and to describe the diversity of fungi from various habitats, particularly food such as cheeses, or fungi associated to plants such as endophytes from conifers or wheat and some plant pathogens, more rarely fungi from extreme environments such as rocks and the deep sea. Recently Joëlle and her group developed research about sexual reproduction of Penicillium and about their domestication to produce cheese. As an expert in microscopic fungi, Joëlle Dupont is involved in applied mycology in collaboration with the food industry.

         and Enrico Schwabe

    For about 20 years Enrico Schwabe has specialized on the molluscan class Polyplacophora with a focus on the taxonomy and biogeography of this group. His more recent research includes biological interactions of marine animals, especially parasitism of Copepods with other invertebrates. Being involved in several deep-sea programs he also concentrates on the interaction among benthic organisms via isolated basins and the question of how far environmental parameters may influence biogeography, biodiversity and abundance of organisms.

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Published/Copyright: July 22, 2016
Botanica Marina
From the journal Botanica Marina Volume 59 Issue 4

Abstract

We report on a collection of the deep-sea fungus Oceanitis scuticella from recently sunken wood at abyssal depth in the Northwest Pacific Ocean. The fungus was originally described as wood-associated from the Angola Basin. Subsequently, it was also found on sunken wood in the Southwest Pacific Ocean. Ascomata and ascospores of O. scuticella were examined by scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. The phylogenetic affiliation of the fungus within the Halosphaeriaceae was demonstrated using partial nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions and large subunit (LSU) rDNA sequencing. Slight morphological differences between this collection and previously described material were observed concerning ascomata shape, namely the drop-shaped cavity, the form of the hypostroma and the thickness of the peridium. In addition, the ascospores were smaller than those reported in previous collections. LSU rDNA phylogeny provided a good support for the placement of the NW Pacific Ocean sample within O. scuticella. The ITS rDNA sequence of the present collection differed from those of the earlier collections by 2.5–3%, a value accepted for intraspecific variation in fungi. Based on the present material, some factors interpreted as indicators for true deep-sea fungi, such as the absence of bark or co-existing xylophagic bivalves in sunken wood, are discussed and their importance is considered as limited.

Keywords: deep sea; distribution; genetics; Halosphaeriaceae; morphology

About the authors

Joëlle Dupont

Joëlle Dupont’s main research fields are fungal diversity and taxonomy. Her research uses molecular tools and multiple gene phylogenies for systematic and to describe the diversity of fungi from various habitats, particularly food such as cheeses, or fungi associated to plants such as endophytes from conifers or wheat and some plant pathogens, more rarely fungi from extreme environments such as rocks and the deep sea. Recently Joëlle and her group developed research about sexual reproduction of Penicillium and about their domestication to produce cheese. As an expert in microscopic fungi, Joëlle Dupont is involved in applied mycology in collaboration with the food industry.

Enrico Schwabe

For about 20 years Enrico Schwabe has specialized on the molluscan class Polyplacophora with a focus on the taxonomy and biogeography of this group. His more recent research includes biological interactions of marine animals, especially parasitism of Copepods with other invertebrates. Being involved in several deep-sea programs he also concentrates on the interaction among benthic organisms via isolated basins and the question of how far environmental parameters may influence biogeography, biodiversity and abundance of organisms.

Acknowledgments

The participation of ES on the KuramBio Expedition was kindly enabled by the chief scientist, Dr. Angelika Brandt (University of Hamburg, Germany). The second author especially thanks the captain and crew of the German Research Vessel Sonne for the professional work at sea. We also thank all members of the Agassiz trawl team, and especially the sorting crews for their enormous support. Dr. Anastassya Maiorova (A.V. Zhirmunsky Institute of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia) kindly allowed the use of in situ images (Figure 1A). Dr. Helmut Lehnert (Oberottmarshausen, Germany) kindly provided spore images (Figure 1I). Mike and Renee Els (South Africa), Dr. Laura Würzberg (Center of Natural History, Universität Hamburg – Zoological Museum, Hamburg, Germany), and Martin Spies (ZSM) are thanked for polishing the English in a manuscript draft. We thank two anonymous reviewers and especially Dr. Ka-Lai Pang (National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung) for helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. This is KuramBio contribution: 37.

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Received: 2016-4-6
Accepted: 2016-6-28
Published Online: 2016-7-22
Published in Print: 2016-8-1

©2016 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

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  2. In this issue
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https://doi.org/10.1515/bot-2016-0030
Keywords for this article
deep sea; distribution; genetics; Halosphaeriaceae; morphology

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. In this issue
  3. Research articles
  4. Genomic and phylogenetic analysis of Ceramium cimbricum (Ceramiales, Rhodophyta) from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans supports the naming of a new invasive Pacific entity Ceramium sungminbooi sp. nov.
  5. A collections-based approach to the species and their distribution based on the bladed Bangiales (Rhodophyta) of Iceland
  6. Community structure of epiphytic diatoms on seaweeds in Northeastern Brazil
  7. Method validation and determination of total iodine in seaweed bathwater
  8. Proximate biochemical composition and mineral content of edible species from the genus Cystoseira in Portugal
  9. Assessment of the establishment success of eelgrass Zostera marina (Alismatales: Zosteraceae) from seeds in a cost-effective seed protection method: implications for large-scale restoration
  10. First evidence of Ostreopsis cf. ovata in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, Ecuadorian coast
  11. First evidence of the deep-sea fungus Oceanitis scuticella Kohlmeyer (Halosphaeriaceae, Ascomycota) from the Northern Hemisphere
  12. Short communication
  13. Spore dispersal in the intertidal kelp Lessonia spicata: macrochallenges for the harvested Lessonia species complex at microscales of space and time
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