Hydrolytic enzyme production
Marine yeasts are reported to be truly versatile agents of biodegradation
(De souza and D’souza, 1979; Kobatake et al., 1992). They participate in a range
of ecologically significant processes in the sea, especially in estuarine and nearshore
localities. These activities include decomposition of plant substrates,
nutrient-recycling phenomena and biodegradation of oil and recalcitrant
compounds. Biomass data and repeated observations of microhabitat colonization
by various marine yeasts support ancillary lab evidence for the contribution of this
segment of the marine mycota to productivity and transformation activities in the
sea (Meyers et al., 1975).