Godhino and colleagues present baseline data describing the diversity and distribution of fungi found associated with invertebrates in the Antarctic ocean. 10 algal or sediment associated animal species (from 8 phyla) were collected from the intertidal zone at locations along the Antarctic peninsula. The apparent lack of control here for excluding fungi associated with the algae and sediments in which the animals were collected (rather than ensuring collection of exclusively invertebrate associated fungi) renders, for me, the results less significant. Associated fungal colonies were isolated and grown on agar, sequenced and amplified using the fungal ITS region, and CFU’s grouped into taxa at 99% identity.
Across 8 animal phyla, 67 fungal taxa were identified, notably members of Mortierellomycota, and the ‘modern’ Dikaryons Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. 78% of fungi identified were of low abundance, highlighting a high proportion of rare taxa associated with these animals. Overall, a high abundance of fungal diversity compared with previously described associations with other organisms and substrates (e.g. sponges, macroalgae, sediments) indicates an element of complexity within fungal assemblages in Antarctic animals, and a wider distribution than previously thought.
These results are just a stepping stone to understanding animal-fungal interactions in the Antarctic. Additionally, some of these interactions may be symbiotic, prompting the need for further research.
Godinho, V. M., de Paula, M. T. R., Silva, D. A. S., Paresque, K., Martins, A. P., Colepicolo, P., ... & Rosa, L. H. (2019). Diversity and distribution of hidden cultivable fungi associated with marine animals of Antarctica. Fungal biology, 123(7), 507-516.
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