Fungus Populations in Marine Waters and Coastal Sands of the Hawaiian, Line, and Phoenix Islands

Abstract

Saprophytic and facultative parasitic fungi present in the coastal waters and adjacent pelagic areas of the Hawaiian Islands, and in coastal sands of the Hawaiian, Line, and Phoenix islands, were isolated by plating methods. Isolates from all areas sampled indicate that abundant and varied fungus populations do exist in these environments. The number of fungi obtained from the inshore neritic zone was seven times that obtained from the oceanic zone. The fungus Aureobasidium pullulans (De Bary) Arnaud was isolated repeatedly from oceanic waters. A comparison is made between the genera and the average number of isolates per liter of water known from the Atlantic Ocean with those found in this study of the Pacific Ocean. The number of fungi isolated from sand samples of the different islands ranged from 2 to 1,600 per gram. Species diversity was evident throughout the samples. The leeward Hawaiian islands had a higher average number of isolates per gram than any other island group. In conclusion the problems of defining a marine fungus are discussed.