An overview of fungal taxonomic, functional, and genetic diversity in coastal and oceanic biomes in megadiverse Mexico

Abstract A comprehensive literature review of mycodiversity in sandy beaches and oceanic environments in Mexico is presented through the analysis of published works from 1949 to early 2023. In addition, four unexplored sandy beaches in the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of California were sampled in order to fill knowledge gaps in terms of sampling biases. Marine fungi of Mexico were reported from water column, sediment, and debris samples collected in sandy beaches, open ocean, deep-sea plains, hydrothermal vents, and oxygen minimum zones in the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of California, and the Caribbean Sea. The taxonomic, functional, and genetic diversity, as well as distribution patterns and potential use of marine fungal genetic resources are discussed. A list of 126 species in 83 genera, 40 families, 25 orders, 12 classes, three phyla and one subphylum (excluding non-cultured taxa) of marine fungi is documented from Mexico. Lastly, we identified areas that would benefit from additional research, including the exploration of further deep-sea biomes in the Pacific Ocean, and coastal areas covering ecoregions in the states of Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Michoacán, and Oaxaca.