title: Zygomycetes in Vesicular Basanites from Vesteris Seamount, Greenland Basin--A New Type of Cryptoendolithic Fungi.
abstract: Fungi have been recognized as a frequent colonizer of subseafloor basalt but a substantial understanding of their abundance, diversity and ecological role in this environment is still lacking. Here we report fossilized cryptoendolithic fungal communities represented by mainly Zygomycetes and minor Ascomycetes in vesicles of dredged volcanic rocks (basanites) from the Vesteris Seamount in the Greenland Basin. Zygomycetes had not been reported from subseafloor basalt previously. Different stages in zygospore formation are documented in the studied samples, representing a reproduction cycle. Spore structures of both Zygomycetes and Ascomycetes are mineralized by romanechite-like Mn oxide phases, indicating an involvement in Mn(II) oxidation to form Mn(III,VI) oxides. Zygospores still exhibit a core of carbonaceous matter due to their resistance to degradation. The fungi are closely associated with fossiliferous marine sediments that have been introduced into the vesicles. At the contact to sediment infillings, fungi produced haustoria that penetrated and scavenged on the remains of fragmented marine organisms. It is most likely that such marine debris is the main carbon source for fungi in shallow volcanic rocks, which favored the establishment of vital colonies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Palaeobiology and the Center for Earth Evolution (NordCEE), Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ivarsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Geodynamics and Sedimentology, Center for Earth Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Jörn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peckmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tehler
authors.affiliation: Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University, Svante Arrheniusväg 8, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Curt
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Broman
authors.affiliation: MARUM-Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bach
authors.affiliation: MARUM-Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Behrens
authors.affiliation: Geobiology Group, Geoscience Centre, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reitner
authors.affiliation: Geochemistry & Isotope Biogeochemistry Group, Department for Marine Geology, Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research (IOW), Warnemünde, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Böttcher
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Sciences, Technology and Environmental Studies, Södertörn University, Alfred Nobels Allé 7, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Norbäck Ivarsson
mesh_terms: D001203:Ascomycota / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005580:Fossils; D020508:Fungi, Unclassified / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000382:microbiology*; D006116:Greenland; D017895:Manganese Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry; D017640:Silicates / Q000737:chemistry*; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D017895:Manganese Compounds; D010087:Oxides; D017640:Silicates; C060346:basalt; C027424:manganese oxide