TY  - JOUR
A1  - Großart, Hans-Peter
A1  - Wurzbacher, Christian
A1  - James, Timothy Y.
A1  - Kagami, Maiko
T1  - Discovery of dark matter fungi in aquatic ecosystems demands a reappraisal of the phylogeny and ecology of zoosporic fungi
JF  - Fungal ecology
N2  - Our knowledge of zoosporic fungal phylogeny, physiology, and ecological functions, in particular their role in aquatic food web dynamics and biogeochemistry, is limited. The recent discovery of numerous dark matter fungi (DMF), i.e., uncultured and poorly known taxa belonging to early diverging branches of the fungal tree (namely the Rozellomycota and Chytridiomycota) calls for reconsideration of the phylogeny and ecology of zoosporic fungi. In this opinion paper, we summarize the exploration of new, recently discovered lineages of DMF and their implications for the ecology, evolution, and biogeography of the rapidly growing fungal tree. We also discuss possible ecological roles of zoosporic fungi in relation to recent methodological developments including single cell genomics and cultivation efforts. Finally, we suggest linking explorative with experimental research to gain deeper insights into the physiology and ecological functioning of zoosporic fungi DMF in aquatic habitats. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The British Mycological Society. All rights reserved.
KW  - Dark matter fungi
KW  - Zoosporic fungi
KW  - Fungal tree
KW  - Chytridiomycota
KW  - Rozellomycota
KW  - Fungal physiology and ecology
KW  - Aquatic habitats
Y1  - 2016
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.funeco.2015.06.004
SN  - 1754-5048
SN  - 1878-0083
VL  - 19
SP  - 28
EP  - 38
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - Oxford
ER  -