Searching for eukaryotic life preserved in Antarctic permafrost

• Published in: Polar Biology
• Main Authors: Zucconi, L., Selbmann, L., Buzzini, P., Turchetti, B., Guglielmin, M., Frisvad, J. C., Onofri, S.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: McMurdo Dry Valley Antarctica Antarctic region; Upper Victoria Lake Antarctica Antarctic region; Antarctic permafrost; GenBank sequence data; gene pool; psychrotolerance; species diversity; Fungi Plantae (Fungi; Microorganisms; Nonvascular Plants; Plants) - Ascomycetes [15100] Eurotium genus Cordyceps genus; Plants) - Fungi Imperfecti or Deuteromycetes [15500] Penicillium genus Cladosporium genus Alternaria genus Aureobasidium genus Sporidiobolus genus Cryptococcus genus; Plants) - Phycomycetes [15900] Rhizopus genus; Plantae (Fungi; Plants) - Fungi [15000] Engyodonthium genus; 07502; Ecology: environmental biology - General and methods; 07506; Ecology: environmental biology - Plant; 07512; Ecology: environmental biology - Oceanography; 40000; Soil microbiology; 52801; Soil science - General and methods; Ecology; Environmental Sciences; cultural method laboratory techniques; molecular method laboratory techniques; physiological method laboratory techniques; Biodiversity; Marine Ecology; Soil Science; /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/life_below_water; name=SDG 14 - Life Below Water; Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctica; McMurdo Dry Valleys; permafrost; Polar Biology
• Online Access: https://orbit.dtu.dk/en/publications/67ecf168-3560-4455-8729-d2c0eb332fb0; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-1119-6

Fungi and yeasts isolated in pure culture from Antarctic permafrost collected at different depths in the McMurdo Dry Valleys were identified with cultural, physiological and molecular methods. Fungi belonged to the genera Penicillium, Eurotium, Cladosporium, Alternaria, Engyodonthium, Aureobasidium, Cordyceps, Rhizopus and yeasts to the genera Cryptococcus and Sporidiobolus. All the strains can be defined as mesophilic psychrotolerant. The molecular analyses revealed that these fungal genotypes do not deviate from the global gene pool of fungi commonly spreading worldwide at present, but possible ancestral strains have been found on the base of metabolic profiles.