ORCID
- Reverter, Miriam: 0000-0002-7743-8647
Abstract
Abstract Tropical coral reefs are hotspots of marine productivity, owing to the association of reef-building corals with endosymbiotic algae and metabolically diverse bacterial communities. However, the functional importance of fungi, well known for their contribution to shaping terrestrial ecosystems and global nutrient cycles, remains underexplored on coral reefs. We here conceptualize how fungal functional traits may have facilitated the spread, diversification, and ecological adaptation of marine fungi on coral reefs. We propose that functions of reef-associated fungi may be diverse and go beyond their hitherto described roles of pathogens and bioeroders, including but not limited to reef-scale biogeochemical cycles and the structuring of coral-associated and environmental microbiomes via chemical mediation. Recent technological and conceptual advances will allow the elucidation of the physiological, ecological, and chemical contributions of understudied marine fungi to coral holobiont and reef ecosystem functioning and health and may help provide an outlook for reef management actions.
DOI
10.1093/femsre/fuac028
Publication Date
2022-06-09
Publication Title
FEMS Microbiology Reviews
ISSN
0168-6445
Embargo Period
2022-07-05
Organisational Unit
School of Biological and Marine Sciences
Recommended Citation
Roik, A., Reverter, M., & Pogoreutz, C. (2022) 'A roadmap to understanding diversity and function of coral reef-associated fungi', FEMS Microbiology Reviews, . Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/femsre/fuac028
