Meeting Abstract
Rainforests cover approximately six percent of Earth’s land surface, yet contain nearly 50 percent of all living organisms. The medicinal purposes of fungi found in these rainforests are extremely important to advancements in modern science. Throughout the rainforest, various microhabitats are present, each with its own set of diverse environmental factors. Within these microhabitats, the relationship between fungi and bacteria are of particular importance, because the two are in constant competition. Although all environmental factors contribute to the competition amongst bacteria and fungi, moisture plays a key role in this relationship because it strongly influences the growth rates of both bacteria and fungi. We set out to determine whether the environmental factors present within local microhabitats correlate with the antimicrobial properties of fungi, with a particular focus on local moisture differences. Twelve fungi were collected from three experimental sites (within 10 meters of a swamp, within 10 meters of a stream, and 50 meters away from both), after which Gram staining was used to conclude the classification of bacterial colonies that were locally extracted from the soil. Antimicrobial activity was determined using an adapted Kirby-Bauer method. After incubating overnight (≈ 16 hours) at an approximate temperature of 27°C, the diameter of the area of inhibition surrounding the fungal samples were measured, and those fungi with antimicrobial properties were identified. In this presentation, we will discuss the differences in locations from which fungi were collected, the relative antimicrobial activity of fungi from each location, the process of fungal identification, and the implications of our findings in relation to both medicine and fungal activity in situ.
