Coastal mycology of Puerto Rico: A survey and biological aspects of marine, estuarine, and mangrove fungi

This study was subdivided into the chapters listed below, which treated a number of biological aspects of the coastal mycology of Puerto Rico (PR): (1) A review chapter on mangroves and mangrove-associated plants was included for PR. (2) A checklist that contains 604 taxa of fungi is provided. There were 13 new records for PR generated as a result of the studies described herein. (3) Samples of sea foam and senescent leaves of Avicennia germinans and Rhizophora mangle from two communities in an estuary known as Rincon Lagoon in SW PR were assessed far the frequency of occurrence of 8 selected filamentous fungi. Among 12 bags of sea foam and 1296 leaves screened (from February 2002 through January 2003, the samples consist of sporulating fungi and propagules, respectively. A two-way ANOVA performed on 8 filamentous fungi (propagules and spore counts, N = 432) in sea foam and ones isolated from mangrove leaves (colonies in A. germinans, N = 576; in R. mangle, N = 576) showed that variability was significant (p > 0.05). Statistical analysis suggested that date/site and site were significant (p > 0.05), although the date was insignificant (p < 0.05), rejecting the nine hypothesis. (4) Cladosporium oxysporum and C. sphaerospermum were isolated from seawater based on their ability to use the polyaromatic hydrocarbons naphthalene (C10H8) and phenanthrene (C14H 10) as a sole carbon and energy source. (5) The planthopper Petrusa marginata excretes a sugary honeydew upon which the fungus Asteridiella sepulta grows in the leaves of A. germinans . The association of A. sepulta and P. marginata had not been noted. (6) Field surveys in SW PR, and SW Florida (U.S.A.) from July 2001 throughout 2003, yielded 14 spp. of manglicolous basidiomycetes of which 4 were new records. (7) Stemonitis splendens is reported on R. mangle. This was the first report of this myxomycete on mangroves in the Caribbean and the fifth report from R. mangle. (8) Aquatic fungi were isolated from several subtrates from a river mouth estuary Manati River, N of PR. Finally, (9) a bibliography on coastal and marine biology primarily mycological in orientation is presented.