Abstract

Some macrofungi within the basidiomycetes are known to play major role in the sustenance of mangrove ecosystem, however, there are limited molecular reports on the characterization of these fungi found in the estuarine areas of Africa. In this study, the Universal Internally Transcribed Spacer (ITS 1 and 4) primers were used to identify and characterize two distinct fruiting bodies that were harvested from two mangrove tree species in Nun River, Central Niger Delta. Molecular results of this study identified the edible Lentinus squarrosulus as the species fruiting on the trunk of Rhizophora racemosa while the pathogenic Marasmius palmivorus was fruiting on a fallen branch and pneumatophores of Avicennia africana. Gel images of amplicons of these fungi reveal similarity at 500 bp while phylogenetic assessment using neighbor-joining at 500 bootstrap value showed that the two species were of different common ancestry. The study therefore suggest that these mushroom species might be tolerant to the high salinity in coastal mangrove areas. They might be playing roles as decomposers and nutrient recyclers in the estuarine ecosystem.

Key words: Avicennia africana, Coastal biodiversity, Mangrove fungi, Molecular ecology, Rhizophora racemosa, Saprophytes, White rot