Fungal diversity of marine biofilms on artificial reefs in the north-central Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

Abstract:We present the first characterization of fungal community diversity of natural mixed-species biofilms on artificial marine reefs. Four artificial reefs in the Mississippi (MS) Sound, USA, representing low-profile (underwater) and high-profile (periodically air-exposed) conditions were sampled every 3 months over a 23-month period to investigate changes in fungal diversity within reef biofilms. Fungal presence was assessed via PCR amplification of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of fungal ribosomal DNA, and by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of fungal ITS regions -the latter being used to track variation in fungal community structure with respect to season, location, and reef profile type. Fungal communities were also characterized taxonomically through both morphological identification and phylogenetic comparisons of ITS gene sequences, with 36 fungal genera cultured from reef biofilms. Using a multivariate statistical approach, significant temporal and spatial differences in fungal biofilm communities were detected. High-profile reefs differed significantly in biofilm fungal community composition across the 10 sampling periods. This assessment of marine fungal biofilm communities over time provides novel insights into the fungal diversity present on artificial reefs in an understudied region, the north-central Gulf of Mexico.

Morphological and Molecular Identification of Biofilm Forming Fungi from Fish Farms and Fish Benches in Aydın Province

“…Although this number seems low, combined with other biotic and abiotic factors, they might become important for fish and human health. A previous study about the fungal diversity of marine biofilms in the Gulf of Mexico has similar findings with our study with regards to fungal diversity (Salamone et al, 2016). All of the fungi we isolated belong to facultative marine genera: "those from freshwater or terrestrial milieus able to grow in the marine environment" (Kohlmayer, 1974).…”

Comparative Analysis of the Ecological Succession of Microbial Communities on Two Artificial Reef Materials

“…Studies of biofouling-colonized ARs have focused on investigation of macroalgae and invertebrate communities and have largely disregarded the microbial community structure and the corresponding succession. Only one study has investigated the microbial biofilm diversity and succession of ARs with terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of fungal internal transcribed spacer regions [ 14 ].…”

Microbial community shift on artificial biological reef structures (ABRs) deployed in the South China Sea

“…However, they got disturbed by biological and nonbiological constraints. To our knowledge, only few studies have examined the microbial community composition and succession on ARs 8 , 9 . Thus, exploring the development of microbial communities over time enhances revealing the ecological part of ARs 10 .…”