TY  - JOUR
A1  - Masigol, Hossein
A1  - Khodaparast, Seyed Akbar
A1  - Mostowfizadeh-Ghalamfarsa, Reza
A1  - Rojas-Jimenez, Keilor
A1  - Woodhouse, Jason Nicholas
A1  - Neubauer, Darshan
A1  - Grossart, Hans-Peter
T1  - Taxonomical and functional diversity of Saprolegniales in Anzali lagoon, Iran
JF  - Aquatic Ecology
N2  - Studies on the diversity, distribution and ecological role of Saprolegniales (Oomycota) in freshwater ecosystems are currently receiving attention due to a greater understanding of their role in carbon cycling in various aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we characterized several Saprolegniales species isolated from Anzali lagoon, Gilan province, Iran, using morphological and molecular methods. Four species of Saprolegnia were identified, including S. anisospora and S. diclina as first reports for Iran, as well as Achlya strains, which were closely related to A. bisexualis, A. debaryana and A. intricata. Evaluation of the ligno-, cellulo- and chitinolytic activities was performed using plate assay methods. Most of the Saprolegniales isolates were obtained in autumn, and nearly 50% of the strains showed chitinolytic and cellulolytic activities. However, only a few Saprolegniales strains showed lignolytic activities. This study has important implications for better understanding the ecological niche of oomycetes, and to differentiate them from morphologically similar, but functionally different aquatic fungi in freshwater ecosystems.
KW  - Achlya
KW  - Saprolegnia
KW  - aquatic ecosystems
KW  - carbon cycling
KW  - polymer degradation
KW  - Saprolegniaceae
KW  - Achlyaceae
Y1  - 2020
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-019-09745-w
SN  - 1573-5125
SN  - 1386-2588
VL  - 54
IS  - 1
SP  - 323
EP  - 336
PB  - Springer Science
CY  - Dordrecht
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Perkins, Anita
A1  - Rose, Andrew
A1  - Grossart, Hans-Peter
A1  - Rojas-Jimenez, Keilor Osvaldo
A1  - Barroso Prescott, Selva Kiri
A1  - Oakes, Joanne M.
T1  - Oxic and Anoxic Organic Polymer Degradation Potential of Endophytic Fungi From the Marine Macroalga, Ecklonia radiata
JF  - Frontiers in Microbiology
N2  - Cellulose and chitin are the most abundant polymeric, organic carbon source globally. Thus, microbes degrading these polymers significantly influence global carbon cycling and greenhouse gas production. Fungi are recognized as important for cellulose decomposition in terrestrial environments, but are far less studied in marine environments, where bacterial organic matter degradation pathways tend to receive more attention. In this study, we investigated the potential of fungi to degrade kelp detritus, which is a major source of cellulose in marine systems. Given that kelp detritus can be transported considerable distances in the marine environment, we were specifically interested in the capability of endophytic fungi, which are transported with detritus, to ultimately contribute to kelp detritus degradation. We isolated 10 species and two strains of endophytic fungi from the kelp Ecklonia radiata. We then used a dye decolorization assay to assess their ability to degrade organic polymers (lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose) under both oxic and anoxic conditions and compared their degradation ability with common terrestrial fungi. Under oxic conditions, there was evidence that Ascomycota isolates produced cellulose-degrading extracellular enzymes (associated with manganese peroxidase and sulfur-containing lignin peroxidase), while Mucoromycota isolates appeared to produce both lignin and cellulose-degrading extracellular enzymes, and all Basidiomycota isolates produced lignin-degrading enzymes (associated with laccase and lignin peroxidase). Under anoxic conditions, only three kelp endophytes degraded cellulose. We concluded that kelp fungal endophytes can contribute to cellulose degradation in both oxic and anoxic environments. Thus, endophytic kelp fungi may play a significant role in marine carbon cycling via polymeric organic matter degradation.
KW  - kelp
KW  - fungi
KW  - endophytes
KW  - carbon cycling
KW  - extracellular enzymes
KW  - cellulose polymeric organic matter
Y1  - 2021
U6  - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.726138
SN  - 1664-302X
VL  - 12
SP  - 1
EP  - 13
PB  - Frontiers in microbiology
CY  - Lausanne, Schweiz
ER  -