Biodiversity & Taxonomy of Marine Fungi
I am generally interested in the biodiversity and taxonomy of fungi associated with coastal and marine ecosystems.
I teach a summer field course (Coastal and Marine Mycology) at the Chincoteague Bay Field Station with the goal of documenting the biodiversity of fungi we collect and identify in the pristine barrier island ecosystems of the Assateague Island National Seashore and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Coastal Virginia.
The image above shows my class (2019) sampling for mycoplankton off the coast of Virginia.
Smyth Mycology 
Have you found any interesting marine fungi from coastal water of Virginia? The photo shown on this page looks like a Savoryella sp. or Ascotaiwania sp. Do you keep records of the marine fungal species you come across during your field course?
LikeLike
Hi! Thanks for your question – we found a bunch of different fungi – mainly Ascomycota – from marsh grass culms and driftwood in coastal Virginia during our class. We’re looking to expand our sampling this summer.
The fungus pictured here, I believe, is a Halobyssothecium sp. – the ascocarp for which we pulled off of dead Spartina alterniflora culms washed up on the beach.
We started keeping some records, yes, but not as organized a list as I’d like it to be at this point. Hoping to fix that this summer.
LikeLike
It is good to know that you are looking into the diversity of marine fungi through field course in the US. I would be very interested to know what you will find in the field. I am always interested in collecting coastal marine fungi although my research now is on something else. Have a good fieldtrip in the summer!
LikeLike