Filamentous Fungi in the Sediments of the East Siberian and Laptev Seas

This is the first report on abundance and diversity of cultured yeasts and filamentous fungi in the sediments of the Laptev and East Siberian seas. A total of 63 isolates of mycelial fungi belonging to 32 morphotypes were obtained from 35 sediment samples. Most morphotypes were represented by single colonies in individual samples; the most often occurring species were Pseudeurotium zonatum, Pseudogymnoascus pannorum, and Cordyceps farinosа. In both seas, abundance of filamentous fungi (up to 12 colonies per 1 g wet sediment) was lower than that of yeasts (up to 68 colonies per 1 g wet sediment). In the Laptev Sea, yeast abundance was low at all stations, while in the East Siberian Sea higher values were found at near-estuarine stations.