During the past 40 years, marine biologist Jan Kohlmeyer has found and described more than 130 previously unknown species of marine fungi and close to 50 genera, the next step in the taxonomic hierarchy.
Now he and his wife, Brigitte, also an Institute of Marine Sciences faculty member, have discovered a new fungus they call Glomerobolus and a novel method of reproduction.
The method is ballistic. That is, the fungus squeezes gelatinous spheres called propagules between finger-like structures and shoots them outward in all directions like microscopic cannon balls.
"This is similar to squeezing a watermelon seed between your thumb and index finger and pressing until it flies away," Kohlmeyer says. "Rain or dewdrops cause the gelatinous, star-shaped fruiting bodies to swell quickly. When the pressure of the outer `fingers' reaches its maximum, the central propagule is forcibly ejected."
The sticky projectiles adhere to whatever they hit more than a foot away. Snails and other invertebrates lunch on some, while tiny fish sup on those that plop in the water.
Among life forms, fungi receive little public attention, yet they are an extremely valuable component of marine and terrestrial ecosystems, Kohlmeyer says. They break down and recycle cellulose in dead plants so new ones can grow in their place.
"If it weren't for marine fungi, our beaches and riverbanks would be piled high with dead plants," he said. "Not having them would be like not having mushrooms to break down plant litter in the forest."
The Kohlmeyers describe new species in detail and ship pure cultures to the National Institutes of Health to be analyzed chemically and tested for possible anti-cancer properties.
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