Density and diversity of filamentous fungi in the water and sediment of Araçá bay in São Sebastião, São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

Araçá Bay, located in the city of São Sebastião, São Paulo, Brazil, is a protected area of substantial complexity. It represents the last remaining mangrove swamp preserve between the cities of Bertioga and Ubatuba on the northern coast of São Paulo State. This mangrove swamp has specific physical and chemical properties, and it shelters a wide variety of life, including fungi. These microorganisms are present in a variety of species with different morphophysiological features, and they have the ability to produce enzymes of biotechnological importance. The goal of this study was to quantify, isolate, and identify filamentous fungi in water and sediment samples from the Araçá Bay mangrove swamp in São Sebastião. Two samplings were performed in the summer and two were performed in the winter. The samples were collected from intertidal zones, and dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, salinity, and pH were measured in situ. The spread plate technique was used to inoculate the samples collected on plates with a potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium. A total of 208 colonies (68 from water samples and 140 from sediment samples) were isolated, and they were identified based on their morphological characteristics. Filamentous fungus density was higher in the sediment than in the water, and the samplings performed in the winter revealed a higher density than those performed in the summer. Though some of the environmental parameters were not ideal for fungal development, a high quantity of growth was nevertheless observed. When the isolated colonies were analyzed, the greatest diversity and species richness were found in the summer samples. The genera identified in all of the samples were Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium, and Fusarium. The pathogenic species found from these genera were Aspergillus fumigatus, A. terreus, Penicillium citrinum, and P. chrysogenum. These species are also able to produce enzymes that offer a variety of applications. The fungal community described herein represents the diversity found in this mangrove swamp during the period studied. Many of the fungus species found are pathogenic and may be useful due to their ability to produce specific enzymes applicable in the biotechnological and pharmaceutical industries. Keywords: Mangrove swamp, Environmental parameters, Mycology. Densidade e diversidade de fungos filamentosos na água e sedimento da Baía do Araçá, São Sebastião (SP), BrasilResumo: A Baía do Araçá, localizada no município de São Sebastião (SP), é uma região protegida, de grande complexidade, mantendo o último remanescente preservado de manguezal entre Bertioga e Ubatuba, litoral Norte do Estado de São Paulo. Manguezal caracteriza-se com propriedades físico-químicas específicas e abriga grande diversidade de seres vivos, entre eles os fungos. Estes microrganismos apresentam grande variedade de espécies e diferentes características morfofisiológicas com capacidade de produzir algumas enzimas de importância biotecnológica. Este trabalho teve como objetivo quantificar, isolar e id...

Screening and selection of autochthonous fungi from leachate contaminated-soil for bioremediation of different types of leachate

“…This range of pH was suitable for many alkali-tolerant fungi and impacted the type of fungi found in the three different sites [59]. This finding is in agreement with the pH values reported by Sebastião and Paulo [60]. These authors detected common soil fungi, such as Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp.…”

Communities of Mucorales (phylum Mucoromycota) in different ecosystems of the Atlantic Forest

“…Although MAN exhibits a soil pH favorable to the growth of Mucorales, it is considered an extreme ecosystem, with low soil oxygenation and high concentration of salinity and sulfides (Hossain & Nuruddin 2016;Doi et al 2018), which was corroborated by our soil analysis (Tab. 4, Fig.…”

“…However, species composition among DOF, TAB and SAN areas were quite similar, which suggests homogeneous communities among these areas. Due to the peculiar characteristics of MAN soil, such as high salinity, poor aeration and high temperatures, this ecosystem is a receptive habitat for thermophilic/thermo-tolerant and halophilic/halotolerant fungi (Doi et al 2018;Jaitly & Rai 1982). Only R. stolonifer and S. racemosum were isolated from MAN soils in this study and both are hereby reported for the first time in mangrove sediments in Brazil.…”

Eukaryote microbes potential for bioflocs in the swamp aquaculture

“…The fungi genera that can grow in water and mangrove sediments include Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium, and Fusarium. The fungi capabilities can be explored to produce some enzymes for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries (Doi et al, 2018).…”