While scientists initially speculated that exposure to oil might have weakened marsh plants and left them more vulnerable to a fungus now widespread in Alabama and Mississippi, some now suggest it is equally plausible that the oil may have acted as a sort of fertilizer, helping the fungus grow.

The fungus, Claviceps purpurea, renders the seeds of one of the Gulf Coast's primary marsh grasses sterile. It was present in both Alabama and Mississippi marshes during several inspections by the Press-Register in November and December.

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