ABSTRACT
The fermentative ability of fungi has been known since the early days of civilization, and it has found a wide variety of applications. The best known example is the involvement of Saccharomyces cerevisiae popularly known as baker’s yeasts in bread-making, brewing, and wine-making. However, our knowledge of the ecological roles of fungi in oxygen-depleted environments has been limited because of the lack of techniques for observing, isolating, and growing these fungi, and as a result they were thought to have only
a minor role in the ecosystem processes of anoxic environments (Mans›eld and Barlocher 1993; Dighton 2003).
