Isolation and identification of fungi associated with Rhizophora apiculata in Universiti Malaysia Terengganu

Abstract

Mangrove has potential as source of bioactive compounds for medicinal purposes, however it is not clear whether the bioactive compounds derived from the plant itself or from the microbes associated with mangrove. This study was carried out to isolate and identify the fungi associated with Rhizophora apiculata. The target groups of fungi include marine and terrestrial fungi. The sampling was conducted at the mangrove forest in Zone I, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT). In order to isolate and identify the fungi, fragments of roots, leaves and branches were cultured using three techniques: direct plating, damp incubation and slide culture technique. As a result, 48 fungal taxa were isolated from samples of fresh leaves, roots and branches in both direct culture technique and damp incubation technique. Out of these, a total of IO isolates belonging to Ascomycotina (two taxa), Deuteromycotina (six taxa) and Zygomycotina (two taxa) have been recorded using direct culture technique. On the other hand, in damp incubation technique, a total of eight species of fungi belonging to Ascomycotina (two taxa) and Deuteromycotina (six taxa) were isolated.