Fungi in deep-sea sediments of the Central Indian Basin

摘要

Although a great amount of information is available on bacteria inhabiting deep-sea sediments, the occurrence of fungi in this environment has been poorly studied and documented. We report here the occurrence of fungi in deep-sea sediments from ～5000m depth in the Central Indian Basin (9-16°S and 73-76°E). A total of 181 cultures of fungi, most of which belong to terrestrial sporulating species, were isolated by a variety of isolation techniques. Species of Aspergillus and non-sporulating fungi were the most common. Several yeasts were also isolated. Maximum species diversity was observed in 0-2 cm sections of the sediment cores. Direct staining of the sediments with Calcofluor, a fluorescent optical brightener, revealed the presence of fungal hyphae in the sediments. Immunofluorescence using polyclonal antibodies raised against a deep-sea isolate of Aspergillus terreus (# A 4634) confirmed its presence in the form of hyphae in the sub-section from which it was isolated. A total of 25 representative species of fungi produced substantial biomass at 200 bar pressure at 30° as well as at 5℃. Many fungi showed abnormal morphology at 200 bar/5℃. A comparison of terrestrial isolates with several deep-sea isolates indicated that the former could grow at 200 bar pressure when growth was initiated with mycelial inocula. However, spores of a deep-sea isolate A. terreus (# A 4634), but not the terrestrial ones, showed germination at 200 bar pressure and 30℃. Our results suggest that terrestrial species of fungi transported to the deep sea are initially stressed but may gradually adapt themselves for growth under these conditions.