Fungal Genomics & Biology
Open Access

Department of Molecular Biology, Ariel University, Science Park, Ariel, Israel

Publications

• Research Article   
  Fungal-Diatom Relationships on Floating Plastic Surfaces in the Mediterranean Sea
  Author(s): Sheli Itzahri, Keren Davidov and Matan Oren*
  
  Plastic debris in the ocean serves as a stable ground for the formation of a complex ecosystem, termed plastisphere, which includes a variety of organisms from different taxonomic groups. Not much is known about the relationships between the organisms of the plastisphere communities. In this study we describe a novel symbiotic-like interaction between a marine fungus and several species of pennate diatoms on plastic surfaces that were submerged in the water of a Mediterranean Sea marina in Israel. Scanning electron microscope images of the surfaces revealed a network of fungal hyphae with multiple diatom cells attached to them via the side or the tip of their body. Using Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) metabarcoding for the fungal Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) barcode locus, we found that the diatom-bearing fungus belongs to the phylum Ascomycota.. View More»
  DOI: 10.35248/2165-8056.24.14.237

  Abstract HTML PDF