Recent progress in marine mycological research in different countries, and prospects for future developments worldwide

Abstract Early research on marine fungi was mostly descriptive, with an emphasis their diversity and taxonomy, especially of those collected at rocky shores seaweeds driftwood. Subsequently, further substrata (e.g. salt marsh grasses, animals, seagrasses, sea foam, seawater, sediment) habitats (coral reefs, deep-sea, hydrothermal vents, mangroves, sandy beaches, marshes) were explored for fungi. In parallel, areas have broadened from micro-morphology to ultrastructure, ecophysiology, molecular phylogenetics, biogeography, biodeterioration, biodegradation, bioprospecting, genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics metabolomics. Although only constitute a small fraction the global mycota, new species continue be described hosts/substrata unexplored locations/habitats, novel bioactive metabolites been discovered in last two decades, warranting greater collaborative effort. Marine Africa, Americas Australasia are under-explored, while Chytridiomycota allied taxa, associated functional roles sea, impacts climate change some topics needing more attention. this article, currently active mycologists different countries written history current state fungal individual highlighting strength subject, represents first step towards inter- transdisciplinary strategy.