Czech scientists discovered new fungi living in saline soils and in seagrass roots
Mycologists from the Institute of Botany, CAS, have discovered and provided an expert description of two new genera of microscopic fungi inhabiting saline-rich environments – in seagrasses off Mauritius and in saline soils of Western Bohemia. The discovery shows that some fungi species, until recently thought to be restricted exclusively to marine environments, are in fact capable of surviving on land, including in terrestrial habitats with high salt concentrations. The research findings have been published in the international scientific journal IMA Fungus.
The new genera, Thalassodendromyces and Halomyrma, belong to the order Lulworthiales, a group of fungi mainly known from marine environments where they inhabit driftwood, sea foam, corals, sea algae, sea grasses, exoskeletons of animals and other marine substrates. However, recent research shows that these fungi have a much wider ecological expansion than previously assumed.
One of the newly discovered species, Thalassodendromyces purpureus, was isolated from the roots of the Thalassodendron ciliatum tropical seagrass in the Indian Ocean along the Mauritian coastline. The unique symbiotic relationship it forms with its host plant in this marine environment has so far received little scientific study.
Monilioid hyphae of Thalassodendromyces purpureus. Photo: M. Vohník
The second new species, Halomyrma pluriseptata, was discovered in saline soils of the Soos National natural reserve in the Czech Republic. This type of biotope is a type of wetland in which both the soil and water are rich in salts. Although the site is inland, genetic analysis revealed that Halomyrma is related to marine species, suggesting an unexpected link between marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
The authors of the study explain that “based on genetic data and lab experiments, the key factor determining the presence of these fungi is the salinity of the environment, rather than it is marine or terrestrial.”
The researchers combined modern molecular and biological methods (DNA analysis) with microscopic and cultivation approaches which allowed them not only to genetically identify the new species but also to provide a detailed description of their morphology and growth characteristics in laboratory conditions.
This discovery underlines the importance of extreme and often overlooked habitats such as sea coastlines or inland salt marshes, for maintaining the diversity of fungi and other microorganisms. At the same time, it poses new questions regarding ecological adaptability, evolutionary processes and the dispersal of microscopic fungi across continents and ecosystems.
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Réblová M., Nekvindová J., Hynar O., Vohník M. (2025): From seagrass roots to saline soils: discovery of two new genera in Lulworthiales (Sordariomycetes) from osmotically stressed habitats. IMA Fungus 16: e157688. https://doi.org/10.3897/imafungus.16.157688