CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Regional Centre, 176, Lawson's Bay Colony, Visakhapatnam, 530017, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Biological Oceanography Division, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403004, India.
Fungal Biol. 2024 May;128(3):1751-1757. doi: 10.1016/j.funbio.2024.03.001. Epub 2024 Mar 2.
This study explores the fungal diversity associated with tarballs, weathered crude oil deposits, on Goa's tourist beaches. Despite tarball pollution being a longstanding issue in Goa state in India, comprehensive studies on associated fungi are scarce. Our research based on amplicon sequence analysis of fungal ITS region fills this gap, revealing a dominance of Aspergillus, particularly Aspergillus penicillioides, associated with tarballs from Vagator and Morjim beaches. Other notable species, including Aspergillus sydowii, Aspergillus carbonarius, and Trichoderma species, were identified, all with potential public health and ecosystem implications. A FUNGuild analysis was conducted to investigate the potential ecological roles of these fungi, revealing a diverse range of roles, including nutrient cycling, disease propagation, and symbiotic relationships. The study underscores the need for further research and monitoring, given the potential health risks and contribution of tarball-associated fungi to the bioremediation of crude oil-contaminated beaches.
本研究探讨了与果阿旅游海滩上的焦油球、风化原油沉积物相关的真菌多样性。尽管焦油球污染是印度果阿邦的一个长期问题，但有关相关真菌的综合研究却很少。我们的研究基于真菌 ITS 区的扩增子序列分析，填补了这一空白，结果显示，与来自瓦格托和莫尔吉姆海滩的焦油球相关的真菌主要是青霉属，尤其是青霉 penicillioides。还鉴定出了其他一些值得注意的物种，包括枝孢属、炭角菌属和木霉属，所有这些都可能对公共卫生和生态系统产生影响。进行了 FUNGuild 分析，以研究这些真菌的潜在生态作用，结果显示它们具有多种作用，包括养分循环、疾病传播和共生关系。鉴于焦油球相关真菌对受原油污染海滩的生物修复的潜在健康风险和贡献，该研究强调需要进一步的研究和监测。
