Publication details
Diversity of microfungi from James Ross Island, Antarctica
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2009 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | Structure and Function of Antarctic Terrestrial Ecosystems : Book of Abstracts and Contributed Papers. |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Microbiology, virology |
| Keywords | Antarctica; filamentous fungi; black fungi; psychrophilic organisms |
| Description | The Antarctic mycobiota is diversified depending on differences in local climate and substrate. The majority of the filamentous fungi are cosmopolitan, cold-tolerant mesophilic species. They are capable to grow and reproduce at least under Antarctic summer conditions.The most frequent taxa were Geomyces pannorum var. pannorum, Phoma herbarum, Mortierella spp.,Cladosporium spp. and Penicillium spp. Most of these fungi have been reported in previous mycological studies in Antarctica. In contrast Engyodontium rectidentatum, Penicillium miczynskii, Spiniger meineckellus and Verticillium leptobactrum were isolated from samples collected in Antarctica for the first time in this study. Most of the isolated fungi represented anamorphic forms. Only Thelebolus microsporus reproduced sexually. This spesies is psychrophilic together with black melanised fungi which exhibit meristematic growth and form compact restricted microcolonies inside rocks.The mycobiota of James Ross Island is mainly formed by anamorphic Ascomycota, only a few species of Basidiomycota and Mucoromycotina were present. |
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