TY  - JOUR
A1  - Masigol, Hossein
A1  - Khodaparast, Seyed Akbar
A1  - Woodhouse, Jason Nicholas
A1  - Rojas Jiménez, Keilor
A1  - Fonvielle, Jeremy Andre
A1  - Rezakhani, Forough
A1  - Mostowfizadeh-Ghalamfarsa, Reza
A1  - Neubauer, Darshan
A1  - Goldhammer, Tobias
A1  - Grossart, Hans-Peter
T1  - The contrasting roles of aquatic fungi and oomycetes in the degradation and transformation of polymeric organic matter
JF  - Limnology and oceanography
N2  - Studies on the ecological role of fungi and, to a lesser extent, oomycetes, are receiving increasing attention, mainly due to their participation in the cycling of organic matter in aquatic ecosystems. To unravel their importance in humification processes, we isolated several strains of fungi and oomycetes from Anzali lagoon, Iran. We then performed taxonomic characterization by morphological and molecular methods, analyzed the ability to degrade several polymeric substrates, performed metabolic fingerprinting with Ecoplates, and determined the degradation of humic substances (HS) using liquid chromatography-organic carbon detection. Our analyses highlighted the capacity of aquatic fungi to better degrade a plethora of organic molecules, including complex polymers. Specifically, we were able to demonstrate not only the utilization of these complex polymers, but also the role of fungi in the production of HS. In contrast, oomycetes, despite some morphological and physiological similarities with aquatic fungi, exhibited a propensity toward opportunism, quickly benefitting from the availability of small organic molecules, while exhibiting sensitivity toward more complex polymers. Despite their contrasting roles, our study highlights the importance of both oomycetes and fungi in aquatic organic matter transformation and cycling with potential implications for the global carbon cycle.
Y1  - 2019
SN  - 0024-3590
SN  - 1939-5590
VL  - 64
IS  - 6
SP  - 2662
EP  - 2678
PB  - Wiley
CY  - Hoboken
ER  -