Marine fungi exist. And we know almost nothing about them. These elusive water dwelling fungi offer valuable insight to evolution, phylogenetics, ecological health, drug discovery, remediation and more. We welcome one of the few researchers who are surveying these fungi to share her findings and usher other researchers into the mysterious, essential world of marine fungi. We discuss the nascency of the field, how research is currently being conducted, ideas for how to proceed, and why looking to the ocean for new fungal species is a worthy endeavor.

Cassie Ettinger is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology at the UC Riverside advised by Dr. Jason Stajich. She received a Ph.D. in Integrative Genetics and Genomics at UC Davis studying the seagrass microbiome and seagrass mycobiome. Cassie received her B. A. in Molecular and Cell Biology with a Genetics, Genomics and Development emphasis from UC Berkeley in the spring of 2013. While at UC Berkeley she participated in research in Dr. Ellen Simms’ lab on multiple projects involving rhizobia-legume symbiosis. Cassie’s current research interests include plant-microbe interactions, the co-evolution of microbes and their hosts, and marine fungi.

Topics Covered

• Defining marine fungi, also known as aquatic fungi and water molds
• Recognizing the infancy of marine mycology  
• Evolution of fungi from water to land, and back
• Surveying, sampling, and growing marine fungi in the lab
• Genomics of marine fungi
• Seagrass-associated fungi and seagrass microbiomes
• Pigmented fungi
• How citizen scientists can advance marine mycology
• Chytridiomycota, oomycetes, aspergillus, slime molds, marine lichen

Show Notes

Cassie’s Website: https://casett.github.io/index.html
Jonathan Eisen’s Lab: https://phylogenomics.me/people/cassie-ettinger/
Instant Ocean: http://www.instantocean.com/products/sea-salt-mixes/sea-salt-mixture.aspx
JAMSTEC Specimen: https://www.jamstec.go.jp/e/hot_pictures/?515
The Mantle Drilling and Observatory: https://www.jamstec.go.jp/mare3/mdp/e/images/brochure.pdf
STRES: http://www.stresblackfungi.org/
Foldscope: https://www.foldscope.com/
Freshwater Mushroom: https://fishbio.com/field-notes/wildlife-ecology/mushrooms-underwater
Cassie’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/casettron

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