The Importance of Fungi in the Sea 



309 



marine animals have been repeatedly found. Besides the bio- 

 logical importance of this discovery experiments with shipworms 

 and gribbles are of considerable interest, especially for wood 

 protection in sea water. 

 Shipworms 



While adult shipworms are able to digest wood that is free 

 of fungi, the swimming larvae seem not to be able to attack it. 

 They do not settle on fresh wood as was shown in experiments 

 with Teredo pediceUata Qutrf. (2(S). An attraction by wood or 

 other substances to the swimming animals could not be detected, 

 for they encountered the substrate by chance when swimming 

 around. But in tests witli alternative possibilities for attachment, 

 wood decayed by fungi was favored above fresh wood samples. 

 When investigating the nutrition of Teredo, Lane (36) also post- 

 ulated a dependence of the animals on marine fungi. The shells 

 of the free swimming larvae are still uncalcified and have no 

 teeth (35), hence— without regard to other facts— mechanical 

 penetration by young animals is favored by the fungal softening 

 of the surface layers of the wood ( Fig. 3 ) . 



Fig. 3. Larvae of shipworms (Teredo pediceUata Qiitrf. ). a) uncalcified 

 young animal when creeping, b ) animal after metamorphosis with calcar- 

 eous teeth (at right) and a pair of siphons (at left). Magnification approxi- 

 mately 200 times (figures drawn by Mrs. E. Kohlmeyer). 



