The culturable mycobiota of a Mediterranean marine site after an oil spill: isolation, identification and potential application in bioremediation

•Fungi may restore marine environment after oil spills.•First report about mycobiota of an oil contaminated Mediterranean Sea site•The observed fungal biodiversity is higher in water than sediments.•Most of isolated fungi grow on crude oil as sole carbon source.•Being able to strongly degrade oil, two fungi may be used as bioremediation agents.

Bioremediation of marine environment could be the response to oil spills threats. In the present study the fungal community from a Mediterranean marine site chronically interested by oil spills was investigated. Sixty-seven taxa were isolated from water sample and 17 from sediments; for many of the identified species is the first report in seawater and sediments, respectively. The growth of 25% of the fungal isolates was stimulated by crude oil as sole carbon source. Four strains were selected to screen hydrocarbons degradation using the 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol (DCPIP) colorimetric assay. A. terreus MUT 271, T. harzianum MUT 290 and P. citreonigrum MUT 267 displayed a high decolorization percentage (DP ≥ 68%). A. terreus displayed also the highest decreases of hydrocarbons compounds (up to 40%) quantified by gas-chromatography analysis.These results suggest that the selected fungi could represent potential bioremediation agents with strong crude oil degradative capabilities.

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