Definition of marine fungi

There have been various definitions of marine fungi in the literature. While some authors defined marine fungi based on their ability to grow at certain seawater concentrations (Johnson and Sparrow, 1961; Tubaki, 1969), other workers have determined the physiological requirements for the growth of marine fungi in sea water, or in particular concentrations of sodium chloride (Meyers, 1968; Jones and Jennings, 1964). The most widely accepted definition for marine fungi is that of Kohlmeyer and Kohlmeyer (1979), according to which obligate marine fungi are those that grow and sporulate exclusively in a marine or estuarine habitat; while facultative marine fungi are those from freshwater or terrestrial mileus able to grow and possibly also sporulate in the marine environment." They further suggest that a valid criterion for the definition of a marine fungus might be its ability to germinate and to form mycelium under natural marine conditions although such conditions may vary, depending on the species.