MYCOLab Ai Logo - gold and army green

Exploring Fungal Diversity in Marine Plastic (PET) Wastes and Seafoam in Udo Island, South Korea, with Reports of Two New Species

Summary

Researchers collected fungi from plastic waste and seafoam on a South Korean island and identified 45 different types, including two completely new species never described before. These findings show that marine fungi are diverse and may help break down plastic or participate in ocean nutrient cycling. The study highlights how even seemingly temporary habitats like seafoam and pollution sources like plastic waste can harbor unique and important fungal communities.

Background

Marine fungi play crucial roles in ocean ecosystem functions including organic matter degradation and biogeochemical cycling, yet many marine habitats remain poorly explored. This study investigates fungal diversity in two underexplored coastal habitats: PET plastic waste and seafoam from Udo Island, South Korea.

Objective

To identify and characterize fungal communities from marine PET plastic waste and seafoam samples using multigene phylogenetic analysis and morphological characterization, with emphasis on discovering novel species and previously unrecorded fungi in Korea.

Results

A total of 88 fungal strains were isolated and identified as 45 taxa across 35 genera, with 22 taxa from PET waste and 24 from seafoam. Two novel species were identified: Leptospora conidiifera and Neodevriesia oceanoplastica, along with five previously unrecorded species in South Korea.

Conclusion

The study demonstrates that both anthropogenic (plastic waste) and ephemeral (seafoam) marine habitats harbor distinct and diverse fungal communities that serve as reservoirs of unique fungal biodiversity. Marine fungi may play unrecognized roles in nutrient cycling and warrant further investigation of their ecological functions.
  • Published in:Mycobiology,
  • Study Type:Descriptive Study,
  • Source: PMID: 41089594, DOI: 10.1080/12298093.2025.2566528
Scroll to Top