Rapid Fire
Marine Fungi
- 10 Jan 2025
- 2 min read
Marine fungi, comprising 5% of ocean biomass, play a crucial role in ecosystems, thriving in environments ranging from rocky seashores to deep waters.
- About: Marine fungi are microscopic organisms that live in ocean environments, playing key roles in decomposition, symbiosis, and producing bioactive compounds.
- Types: Obligate Marine Fungi (exclusively marine), Facultative Marine Fungi ( evolved from terrestrial environments, can survive in marine habitats)..
- Survival Strategies: Marine fungi adapt to feast-famine conditions by changing cell forms for better resource handling.
- For example, Paradendryphiella salina, found on seaweeds, produces enzymes from bacteria to digest its host.
- Ecological Importance: Marine fungi are crucial for nutrient cycling, ecosystem stability.
- Lichens, which represent a symbiotic relationship (fungi and algae living together), also contribute to marine ecosystems.
- Fungi: These eukaryotic organisms are heterotrophs (consume other plants or animals), functioning as saprophytes (feeding on dead and decaying organisms) or parasites.
- Fungi reproduce sexually or asexually via spores. R.H. Whittaker classified Fungi as a distinct multicellular eukaryotic kingdom.
- Fungi while beneficial in medicine (e.g., antibiotics), food, and industry, they can also cause diseases, and produce toxic mycotoxins.
Read more: Funga Taxonomic Kingdom
