Physiological diversity of the first filamentous fungi isolated from the hypersaline dead sea

A number of filamentous fungi isolated from different sites and depths of the hypersaline Dead Sea, including the new species Gymnascella marismortui, were tested under different temperature and salinity regimes on agar plates for colony growth, enzyme production (amylase, caseinase, cellulase, urease) and degradation of synthetic dyes. Whereas Ulocladium chlamydosporum (mitosporic fungi) appeared poorly adapted to temperatures and salinities of the Dead Sea, G. marismortui (Ascomycetes) was found to be much better adapted. The cosmopolitan Penicillmm westlingii (Mitosporic fungi) strains showed little effect of salinity and temperature on growth. Enzyme production and the number of dyes being degraded by each of the strains generally decreased with increasing salinity.