Ancient Fungus, Algae Discovered in Deep-Sea Mud

Becky Oskin, LiveScience
March 5, 2013
http://www.livescience.com/27646-fungus-discovered-deep-ocean.html

summary
Researchers have found evidence of dormant algae and active colonies of fungi in mud millions of years old and deep beneath the sea floor. According to genetic evidence, the deepest fungi are separate from relatives on the Earth's surface, and likely diverged from them very early on. Some scientists are hopeful that new compounds, especially antibiotics, may be found in these previously unknown fungi. The scientists studied sediments drilled from ocean basins, searching for ribosomal RNA to see if microbes were metabolically active. The fungi found matched the concentrations of organic carbon in the samples, leading to the theory that they were a part of the carbon recycling on the seafloor. The algae also discovered are diatoms, and their genes show that they could be revived from their current dormancy.

connection
This article relates to our studies of fungi and plant life. The discovery shows that, in the time that these algae diverged from their relatives, plant life lived in the sea originally. The theory of the fungi participating in carbon recycling in the sea is an example of the role of fungi in cycling materials through ecosystems. We also learned about diatoms in more detail than the article goes into.