OCCURRENCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF FUNGI IN A SUBTROPICAL MARINE ENVIRONMENT

Fungi amenable to culture were obtained from coastal and oceanic waters collected in the northwestern subtropical Atlantic Ocean. Eulittoral samples uniformly demonstrated relatively high mold populations of diverse speciation. Samples obtained more distant from land and in deep waters showed a greater than 10-fold decrease in average population density and about a 50% reduction in the number of species. A similar phenomenon was noted with progression into abyssal regions. The deepest sample from which Deuteromycetes were isolated was obtained at a depth of 4450 meters. An analysis of the data suggests that two species, Aureobasidium pullulans and Dendryphiella arenaria, are normal inhabitants of the marine environment.