| dc.description.abstract | The most common zoosporic fungi, or to use a compromising, term which seems right according to the current perspective, the fungi-like protists, in the marine environment are the thraustochytrids and labyrinthulids. According to the latest classification, these organisms are placed under a separate phylum, the Labyrinthulomycota of the Kingdom Protoctista (Porter, 1989) and not under the Kingdom Fungi. However, based on their general similarities to fungi in terms of morphology and functional ecology and the fact that mycologists have traditionally studied these unique organisms, their inclusion in the discipline of mycology is well justified. In this, followed are the arguments put forth by Barr (1992) for including the Chytridiomycota and Oomycota under the broad, nontaxonomic umbrella of 'Fungi' and this term as well as 'protists' are used to encompass thraustochytrids and labyrinthulids. The history of the thraustochytrids starts with the description by Sparrow (1936) of Thraustochytrium proliferum from benthic algae. Based on their biflagellate zoospores, Sparrow (1960) placed the thraustochytrids under Oomycetes, in spite of their chylrid-like thalli. The existence of labyrinthulids came to be known even earlier, when the genus Labyrinthula was established by Cienkowski (1867) for two species isolated from inter-tidal algae. Since then, several more species of these organisms have been described from a wide variety of habitats and their physiology and ultrastructure have been the subject of numerous papers (Moss, 1986; Jennings, 1983). The taxonomy of these protists is still in a highly fluid state, while much remains to be studied regarding their ecology and physiology. Thus, more than 20 years after Goldstein (1973) wrote his review on marine zoosporic fungi, one could still repeat his statement that these organisms are swimming in an ocean of benign neglect. The present article will concentrate on the morphology, taxonomy and ecology of the members of the Labyrinthulomycota. | |
