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Pestalotiopsis microspora

Is a species of endophytic fungus capable of breaking down and digesting polyurethane. Originally identified in fallen foliage of common ivy (L: Hederae helicis) in Buenos Aires,[2] it also causes leaf spot in Hidcote (Hypericum patulum) shrubs in Japan.[3]
Its polyurethane degradation activity was discovered in the Yasuni National Forest within the Ecuadorian Amazonian rainforest by a group of student researchers led by molecular biochemistry professor Scott Strobel as part of Yale's annual Rainforest Expedition and Laboratory. It's the first fungus species to be able to survive exclusively on polyurethane and, more importantly, able to do so in anaerobic conditions. This makes the fungus a potential candidate for bioremediation projects involving large quantities of plastic.
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