Marine Fungi of India

Published on: April 15, 2012 - 17:24 More in:

Panorama

If one considers truly marine fungi then the number is reduced to just 549 species. Therefore the monograph recently published by Broadway Book centre, Panaji on Marine Fungi of India becomes a useful compendium to the existing and the new generation of biological oceanographers and marine microbiologists/mycologists

By Nandkumar M Kamat

ceans occupy 79 per cent of the planet. It is the new frontier for mankind. Oceans are still nurseries of life. The standard model of pre-biotic and biotic evolution presupposes that life evolved first in the primordial oceans and then migrated to the land. The recent discovery of composition of water in the comets isotopically identical with our oceans has also validated the theory much popularised by astronomer Carl Sagan that most of the water in Earths hydrosphere was contributed by myriads of colliding comets.

Did terrestrial fungi have origins in oceans? Or did terrestrial species evolve into marine forms? There are different schools of thought and both agree that more ecological and genomic research is needed.

Fungi evolved 1800 million years ago. That makes them four times older than plants and half as old as bacteria. Fungi belong to super kingdom eukaryota. Their number is estimated to be 1.5 to 3 millions. But only 100 thousand species have been collected, identified, named and catalogued despite four centuries of research. These are classified in four phyla, 103 orders, 484 families and 4979 genera. It would still take several centuries to prepare a full map of global fungal biodiversity because of the rigorous field work involved.

The oceans of the world have received less attention than land in exploration of fungi. Considering that only 3047 fungi have been reported from aquatic habitats, there is a lot of potential to explore the vast oceans beginning with Indias own exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Global diversity of marine and estuarine fungi is limited to just 1500 species. If one considers truly marine fungi then the number is reduced to just 549 species. Therefore the monograph recently published by Broadway Book centre, Panaji on Marine Fungi of India becomes a useful compendium to the existing and the new generation of biological oceanographers and marine microbiologists/mycologists.

The 500-page monograph deals with 208 species of marine fungi from 139 genera reported from marine waters of coasts and islands of India. The monograph has been compiled by a team of five mycologists from Maharashtra and Goa. The principal author B D Borse, based in Dhule with 28 years of research experience had done his doctoral work at Pune University on marine fungi of Maharashtra coast in 1984. Since then he has published 65 research papers. Goa Universitys ex-dean of life sciences faculty, D J Bhat is an international expert on tropical fungi and needs no introduction to the last two generations of mycologists in India and world. His pioneering monograph on fascinating micro fungi of Western Ghats is globally acclaimed. Very few living mycologists can match him in excellence in fungal taxonomy.

True to the tradition of fine and original scholarship established by stalwarts like Nobel Laureate, C V Raman, he is one of the best students of C V Subramanian School of tropical mycology. To assist these two senior mycologists K N Borse, A R Tuwar and N S Pawar have also contributed in putting this monograph together based on painstaking reference to thousands of research papers. The references list about 800 valuable research papers. The strength of a good taxonomic monograph lies in clear descriptions, crisp drawings, detailed identification keys and information about habitats. The book has an appreciative preface from one of the greatest living marine mycologist Professor E B Gareth Jones, University of Malaya. He considers it a "valuable contribution to marine mycology.

The book informs us that marine mycology became a discrete branch of science only after 1936. India has about 27500 species of fungi or 28 per cent of global fungal biodiversity. Among these 3500 species are endemic which means these are found only in India. Marine fungi are those that either live exclusively in salty water or those that can adapt to salty water. The interesting aspect of the monograph is the well written introduction and a detail review of literature that helps in understanding the importance of marine fungi. Are these species useful in economy and industries?

The monograph gives an account of bioactive compounds and the use of the marine fungi in bioremediation. The monograph also highlights the pathbreaking work done by Goas illustrated marine mycologists, working scientists, made for each other, creative couple - Sheshagiri and Chandralatha Raghukumar. Both had obtained important patents on useful marine fungi for the country. The monograph lists 51 research papers of S Raghukumar indicating the intensity of his work that spans more than three decades at NIO, Goa. The names of Raghukumars would be inscribed in golden letters in the annals of history of marine mycology and marine biotechnology of India. They produced meritorious young marine mycologists, who have been enriching our knowledge of Indias marine biodiversity.

The book lists the methods to collect and study the marine fungi. It then proceeds with phylum-wise taxonomic descriptions. Wherever possible the distribution of marine fungal species has been given. This is helpful in creating an atlas of marine fungi. As a carefully compiled work the book is useful but one may feel concerned about the lack of emphasis on the conservation biology of marine fungi. Hot spots of marine fungal diversity could have been identified for systematic conservation of habitats of marine fungi. Some of these like tidal salt marshes, beds of sea grasses are under tremendous threat due to developmental pressures. It is common knowledge that seas around India are getting polluted. There is a fear of acidification of the Arabian Sea and development of anoxic conditions. What would be the fate of marine fungi under the scenario of climate change and pollution? How could fossilised marine fungi and data from metagenomic studies help us in reconstruction the phyogenetic and ontogenetic story of their evolution?

The monograph has not shed any light on future directions of research in molecular ecology, evolutionary biology and fungal metagenomics or applied areas like bio-prospecting of marine fungi and applications of marine fungi for nano-biotechnological research. Role of marine fungi in biogeochemical cycling of organic matter is yet to be fully elucidated. This monograph is, however, an essential compendium for all students of Indias biodiversity. It fills a vast gap in our present knowledge of Indias marine biodiversity. Knowledge in this single book would help India assert itself as signatory to convention on biodiversity. By stressing on the fungal dimension of marine biodiversity of India, this monograph has succeeded in catching the attention of Indias planners to under-utilised marine fungal wealth in our EEZ.