TEN PRESSING QUESTIONS (AND ANSWERS) ABOUT MARINE FUNGI AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR COLLABORATIONS IN THE OCEAN SCIENCES

  • Anthony S. Amend
  • , Nina Gunde-Cimerman
  • , Marco A. Coelho
  • , Colleen A. Durkin
  • , Cassandra Ettinger
  • , Hugh Gifford
  • , Amy S. Gladfelter
  • , Cene Gostinčar
  • , Lior Granit
  • , Igor Grigoriev
  • , Marcelo H. Gutiérrez
  • , K. J.E. Hickman
  • , Timothy Y. James
  • , Adam C. Jones
  • , Rotem Levi
  • , Márcia David-Palma
  • , Xuefeng Peng
  • , C. Alisha Quandt
  • , Teppo Rämä
  • , Lluvia Vargas-Gastélum
  • Syrena Whitner, Audrey Williams, Oded Yarden, Anne Yenewodage, Geoffrey Zahn

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Nearly 200 years have passed since the first marine fungus, collected from the shores of North Africa, was described. In that time, marine mycologists have continued to observe, describe, and study fungi in every marine ecosystem examined. Nevertheless, fungi remain functionally “dark matter” of the ocean, presenting a grand opportunity to unravel their roles in ecosystem processes. This report outlines the discussion among participants of the second occasional meeting of marine mycologists at Asilomar, California, in March 2024, in which a diverse and interdisciplinary consortium of researchers enumerated the most pressing, and often basic, unanswered questions in marine fungi. We report on the questions facing the field of marine mycology, identify challenges in addressing those questions, and propose concrete and practical solutions for obtaining their answers. A common thread is the need for increasing cross talk and collaboration between mycologists and oceanographers that would present opportunities for readers to participate in a rapidly growing field.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)40-49
Number of pages10
JournalOceanography
Volume38
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025, Oceanography Society. All rights reserved.

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'TEN PRESSING QUESTIONS (AND ANSWERS) ABOUT MARINE FUNGI AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR COLLABORATIONS IN THE OCEAN SCIENCES'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this