An overview on Philippine estuarine oomycetes

Estuarine saprotrophic oomycetes are a group of eukaryotic, fungal-like protists of the Kingdom Straminipila. Species classified as estuarine oomycetes are commonly present on mangrove leaf litter and saltmarsh plant debris. They are distributed over several families (i.e. Peronosporaceae, Pythiaceae, Salisapiliaceae, and Salispinaceae). It is estimated that there are more than 100 species of estuarine oomycetes and, surprisingly, some supposedly terrestrial phytopathogenic hemibiotrophic oomycetes, e.g. Phytophthora elongata, Ph. insolita, and Ph. ramorum, are likewise present in the estuarine biome. In the Philippines, this group has been neglected for several decades as compared to the obligate biotrophic and hemibiotrophic members of Peronosporaceae and Albuginaceae. In this account, a general overview on the systematics and phylogeny of estuarine oomycetes is given. Further, the state of knowledge regarding thallus organization, taxonomy, habitat, and status of Philippine oomycetes are presented.