CHAPTER 4. COMMUNITY COMPONENTS - MICROORGANISMS 



The mycoflora (fungi) are the best Drechslera and Gloeosporium . In the lat- 



studied component of the microbial com- ter stages of decay the dominant genera 



munity of mangrove swamps. Much pio- are Calso , Gliocidium , and Lulworthia . 

 neering work has been carried out in south 



Florida. Reviews of the current knowledge Understanding the occurrence and suc- 



of mangrove-associated fungi can be found cession of fungi on decaying mangrove 



in Kohlmeyer and Kohlmeyer (1979) and Fell leaves is important because of their role 



et al . (1980). in energy flow in mangrove swamps. Heald 



(1969), Odum (1970) and Odum and Heald 



One of the earliest studies of man- (1975b) hypothesized that fungi and bac- 



grove mycoflora was published by Kohlmeyer teria are important in converting mangrove 



(1969). He discovered large populations leaf organic material into a form that can 



of marine fungi on the submerged parts of be digested and assimilated by detriti- 



aerial roots, stems, and branches and on vores (see section 3.6). 

 living and dead mangrove leaves. Exten- 

 sive work at the University of Miami by 



Fell and his coworkers (e.g., Fell and Our understanding of the role and 

 Master 1973; Fell et al. 1975, 1980) ex- occurrence of bacteria in mangrove swamps 

 plored the role of fungi in the decom- is not as well documented as for fungi, 

 position of mangrove leaves and the im- Casagrande and Given (1975) have suggested 

 mobilization of nitrogen. Newell (1974) that bacteria are important in the early 

 studied the succession of mycoflora on stages of mangrove leaf decomposition and 

 seedlings of red mangrove. A survey of are replaced in the latter stages by funqi 

 the aquatic yeasts occurring in the south which are better equipped to attack re- 

 Florida mangrove zone was published by fractive organic compounds. Unlike the 

 Ahearn et al. (1968). mycoflora, the bacteria are clearly impor- 

 tant in the anaerobic regions of mangrove 



One of the most interesting pieces of swamps. Vankatesan and Ramamurthy (unpubl . 



information to emerge from this extensive data) found denitrifying bacteria to be 



mycoflora research concerns the succession abundant and ubiquitous in mangrove soils, 



of orqanisms associated with decaying Zuberer and Silver (1978) have emphasized 



leaves (summarized by Fell et al. 1975, the importance of nitrogen-fixing bacteria 



1980). Senescent leaves of red mangroves in the zone around mangrove roots. They, 



are typically colonized by species of in fact, were able to isolate and count a 



Nigrospora , Phyllostica , and Pestalotica . variety of types of bacteria from mangrove 



Once the leaf has fallen from the tree and sediments including aerobic heterotrophs, 



during the early stages of decay, the anaerobic heterotrophs, nitrogen-fixing 



fungal flora is dominated by species of heterotrophs, and sul fate-reducing bac- 



Phytophthora and, to a lesser extent, teria. 



40 



