Fungi associated with gorgonians in Singapore

The aims of this prelimina ry study were: I) to document the diversity of fungi associated with gorgonians near Singapore; 2) to d etermine whether the kinds and abundances of fungi differ between healthy and unhealthy gorgonians: and 3) to compare the effectiveness of different extraction methods and cul ture media. Ten gorgonian species from 3 families (Ellisellidae, Plexauridae, Subergorgiidae) were sampled to facilitate inter-family and intergeneric comparisons of gorgonian-fungal associations. The highest numbers of fungal isolates grew on Cornmeal agar (CMA) and Rose Bengal Agar (RBA) while CMA and Glucose Yeast Agar (GYA) gave the highest diversity of isolates. The Moist Chamber method gave the fewest numbers of isolates and the lowest diversity. All isolated fungi were Deuteromycetes. The commonest genera were sterile fungi, Aspergillus, Penicillium,Trichoder,na and Cladorporiurn, while the rarer genera included Tritirachium, G/iomastix, Sco/ecobasidium and Acremonium. Fungi isolated from healthy and unhealthy gorgonians belonged to similar genera, and total numbers of isolates did not differ significantly between healthy and unhealthy gorgonians. These fungi do not appear to be causative agents of gorgonian diseases on Singapore reefs; instead, they may represent a natural flora associated with gorgonians, or saprophytes using dead tissues on unhealthy gorgonians.