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Life
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Fungi from Extreme Environments
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Fungi from Extreme Environments

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2018) | Viewed by 68016

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Laura Selbmann

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Ecological and BiologicalSciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, Largo dell'Università snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Interests: fungi from extreme environments
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Until the recent past, extreme environments have been typically considered a prerogative for prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea). In addition, it is now becoming evident that eukaryotes are also settlers in extremes and fungi, in particular, are providing clear evidence of a resistance that is even higher than prokaryotes. As a few examples, their ability to grow under salt-saturated conditions, or in sites polluted with ionizing radiation, as in the damaged reactor in Chernobyl, or beyond what was thought the limit of tolerability for water stress, outstretched considerably our concept of “limits for life”.

Information is rapidly growing on this issue due to the great deal of efforts recently made with respect to extreme fungi, with important implications in different fields. i) Their astonishing resistance is of astrobiological relevance to assess the habitability of extra-terrestrial environments and, hence, the possibility of life beyond Earth. ii) Their wide and versatile metabolic competences, as the production of extremozymes and degradation of pollutants, are of high biotechnological potential and promising tools for contributing towards a more sustainable world. iii) The description of new fungal taxa from border environments is being extremely fruitful and is contributing to the widening of our knowledge on the amplitude of mycodiversity. iv) Phylogenetic studies are helping to acquire tools in how life evolves and adapts under extreme conditions, with implications in understanding the early evolution of life on Earth.

This Special Issue aims to focus on all these aspects in a collection of both reviews and original articles encompassing ecology, biodiversity, phylogeny, evolution, biotechnology and astrobiology.

Dr. Laura Selbmann
Guest Editor

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • phylogeny
  • resistance
  • survival
  • adaptation
  • astrobiology
  • extremozymes
  • extremo-tolerance

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

3 pages, 159 KiB  
Editorial
Extreme-Fungi and the Benefits of A Stressing Life
by Laura Selbmann
Life 2019, 9(2), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/life9020031 - 27 Mar 2019
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3876
Abstract
A stress-free condition is considered for humans to be related to relaxation or happiness [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungi from Extreme Environments)

Research

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10 pages, 3513 KiB  
Article
Biodiversity and Abundance of Cultured Microfungi from the Permanently Ice-Covered Lake Fryxell, Antarctica
by Laurie Connell, Benjamin Segee, Regina Redman, Russell J. Rodriguez and Hubert Staudigel
Life 2018, 8(3), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/life8030037 - 6 Sep 2018
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4635
Abstract
In this work, we explore the biodiversity of culturable microfungi from the water column of a permanently ice-covered lake in Taylor Valley, Antarctica from austral field seasons in 2003, 2008 and 2010, as well as from glacial stream input (2010). The results revealed [...] Read more.
In this work, we explore the biodiversity of culturable microfungi from the water column of a permanently ice-covered lake in Taylor Valley, Antarctica from austral field seasons in 2003, 2008 and 2010, as well as from glacial stream input (2010). The results revealed that there was a sharp decline in total culturable fungal abundance between 9 and 11 m lake depth with a concurrent shift in diversity. A total of 29 species were identified from all three water sources with near even distribution between Ascomycota and Basidomycota (15 and 14 respectively). The most abundant taxa isolated from Lake Fryxell in 2008 were Glaciozyma watsonii (59%) followed by Penicillium spp. (10%), both of which were restricted to 9 m and above. Although seven species were found below the chemocline of 11 m in 2008, their abundance comprised only 10% of the total culturable fungi. The taxa of isolates collected from glacial source input streams had little overlap with those found in Lake Fryxell. The results highlight the spatial discontinuities of fungal populations that can occur within connected oligotrophic aquatic habitats. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungi from Extreme Environments)
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12 pages, 519 KiB  
Article
Global Molecular Diversity of the Halotolerant Fungus Hortaea werneckii
by Alessia Marchetta, Bert Gerrits van den Ende, Abdullah M. S. Al-Hatmi, Ferry Hagen, Polona Zalar, Montarop Sudhadham, Nina Gunde-Cimerman, Clara Urzì, Sybren De Hoog and Filomena De Leo
Life 2018, 8(3), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/life8030031 - 23 Jul 2018
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 5838
Abstract
A global set of clinical and environmental strains of the halotolerant black yeast-like fungus Hortaea werneckii are analyzed by multilocus sequencing and AFLP, and physiological parameters are determined. Partial translation elongation factor 1-α proves to be suitable for typing because of the presence/absence [...] Read more.
A global set of clinical and environmental strains of the halotolerant black yeast-like fungus Hortaea werneckii are analyzed by multilocus sequencing and AFLP, and physiological parameters are determined. Partial translation elongation factor 1-α proves to be suitable for typing because of the presence/absence of introns and also the presence of several SNPs. Local clonal expansion could be established by a combination of molecular methods, while the population from the Mediterranean Sea water also responds differently to combined temperature and salt stress. The species comprises molecular populations, which in part also differ physiologically allowing further diversification, but clinical strains did not deviate significantly from their environmental counterparts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungi from Extreme Environments)
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14 pages, 2803 KiB  
Article
Roof-Inhabiting Cousins of Rock-Inhabiting Fungi: Novel Melanized Microcolonial Fungal Species from Photocatalytically Reactive Subaerial Surfaces
by Constantino Ruibal, Laura Selbmann, Serap Avci, Pedro M. Martin-Sanchez and Anna A. Gorbushina
Life 2018, 8(3), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/life8030030 - 15 Jul 2018
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 4982
Abstract
Subaerial biofilms (SAB) are an important factor in weathering, biofouling, and biodeterioration of bare rocks, building materials, and solar panel surfaces. The realm of SAB is continually widened by modern materials, and the settlers on these exposed solid surfaces always include melanized, stress-tolerant [...] Read more.
Subaerial biofilms (SAB) are an important factor in weathering, biofouling, and biodeterioration of bare rocks, building materials, and solar panel surfaces. The realm of SAB is continually widened by modern materials, and the settlers on these exposed solid surfaces always include melanized, stress-tolerant microcolonial ascomycetes. After their first discovery on desert rock surfaces, these melanized chaetothyrialean and dothidealean ascomycetes have been found on Mediterranean monuments after biocidal treatments, Antarctic rocks and solar panels. New man-made modifications of surfaces (e.g., treatment with biocides or photocatalytically active layers) accommodate the exceptional stress-tolerance of microcolonial fungi and thus further select for this well-protected ecological group. Melanized fungal strains were isolated from a microbial community that developed on highly photocatalytic roof tiles after a long-term environmental exposure in a maritime-influenced region in northwestern Germany. Four of the isolated strains are described here as a novel species, Constantinomyces oldenburgensis, based on multilocus ITS, LSU, RPB2 gene phylogeny. Their closest relative is a still-unnamed rock-inhabiting strain TRN431, here described as C. patonensis. Both species cluster in Capnodiales, among typical melanized microcolonial rock fungi from different stress habitats, including Antarctica. These novel strains flourish in hostile conditions of highly oxidizing material surfaces, and shall be used in reference procedures in material testing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungi from Extreme Environments)
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15 pages, 2681 KiB  
Article
Bioremediation of Landfill Leachate with Fungi: Autochthonous vs. Allochthonous Strains
by Federica Spina, Valeria Tigini, Alice Romagnolo and Giovanna Cristina Varese
Life 2018, 8(3), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/life8030027 - 4 Jul 2018
Cited by 37 | Viewed by 6221
Abstract
Autochthonous fungi from contaminated wastewater are potential successful agents bioremediation thanks to their adaptation to pollutant toxicity and to competition with other microorganisms present in wastewater treatment plant. Biological treatment by means of selected fungal strains could be a potential tool to integrate [...] Read more.
Autochthonous fungi from contaminated wastewater are potential successful agents bioremediation thanks to their adaptation to pollutant toxicity and to competition with other microorganisms present in wastewater treatment plant. Biological treatment by means of selected fungal strains could be a potential tool to integrate the leachate depuration process, thanks to their fungal extracellular enzymes with non-selective catalytical activity. In the present work, the treatability of two real samples (a crude landfill leachate and the effluent coming from a traditional wastewater treatment plant) was investigated in decolorization experiments with fungal biomasses. Five autochthonous fungi, Penicillium brevicompactum MUT 793, Pseudallescheria boydii MUT 721, P. boydii MUT 1269, Phanerochaete sanguinea MUT 1284, and Flammulina velutipes MUT 1275, were selected in a previous miniaturized decolorization screening. Their effectiveness in terms of decolorization, enzymatic activity (laccases and peroxidases), biomass growth and ecotoxicity removal was compared with that of five allochthonous fungal strains, Pleurotus ostreatus MUT 2976, Porostereum spadiceum MUT 1585, Trametespubescens MUT 2400, Bjerkanderaadusta MUT 3060 and B. adusta MUT 2295, selected for their well known capability to degrade recalcitrant pollutants. Moreover, the effect of biomass immobilization on polyurethane foam (PUF) cube was assessed. The best decolorization (60%) was achieved by P. spadiceum MUT 1585, P. boydii MUT 721 and MUT 1269. In the first case, the DP was achieved gradually, suggesting a biodegradation process with the involvement of peroxidases. On the contrary, the two autochthonous fungi seem to bioremediate the effluent mainly by biosorption, with the abatement of the toxicity (up to 100%). The biomass immobilization enhanced enzymatic activity, but not the DP. Moreover, it limited the biomass growth for the fast growing fungi, MUT 721 and MUT 1269. In conclusion, robust and versatile strains coming from well-characterized collections of microorganisms can obtain excellent results comparing and even exceeding the bioremediation yields of strains already adapted to pollutants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungi from Extreme Environments)
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16 pages, 21646 KiB  
Article
Integrity of the DNA and Cellular Ultrastructure of Cryptoendolithic Fungi in Space or Mars Conditions: A 1.5-Year Study at the International Space Station
by Silvano Onofri, Laura Selbmann, Claudia Pacelli, Jean Pierre De Vera, Gerda Horneck, John E. Hallsworth and Laura Zucconi
Life 2018, 8(2), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/life8020023 - 19 Jun 2018
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 7196
Abstract
The black fungi Cryomyces antarcticus and Cryomyces minteri are highly melanized and are resilient to cold, ultra-violet, ionizing radiation and other extreme conditions. These microorganisms were isolated from cryptoendolithic microbial communities in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (Antarctica) and studied in Low Earth Orbit [...] Read more.
The black fungi Cryomyces antarcticus and Cryomyces minteri are highly melanized and are resilient to cold, ultra-violet, ionizing radiation and other extreme conditions. These microorganisms were isolated from cryptoendolithic microbial communities in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (Antarctica) and studied in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), using the EXPOSE-E facility on the International Space Station (ISS). Previously, it was demonstrated that C. antarcticus and C. minteri survive the hostile conditions of space (vacuum, temperature fluctuations, and the full spectrum of extraterrestrial solar electromagnetic radiation), as well as Mars conditions that were simulated in space for a 1.5-year period. Here, we qualitatively and quantitatively characterize damage to DNA and cellular ultrastructure in desiccated cells of these two species, within the frame of the same experiment. The DNA and cells of C. antarcticus exhibited a higher resistance than those of C. minteri. This is presumably attributable to the thicker (melanized) cell wall of the former. Generally, DNA was readily detected (by PCR) regardless of exposure conditions or fungal species, but the C. minteri DNA had been more-extensively mutated. We discuss the implications for using DNA, when properly shielded, as a biosignature of recently extinct or extant life. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungi from Extreme Environments)
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14 pages, 2132 KiB  
Article
Big Sound and Extreme Fungi—Xerophilic, Halotolerant Aspergilli and Penicillia with Low Optimal Temperature as Invaders of Historic Pipe Organs
by Katja Sterflinger, Christian Voitl, Ksenija Lopandic, Guadalupe Piñar and Hakim Tafer
Life 2018, 8(2), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/life8020022 - 14 Jun 2018
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 6051
Abstract
Recent investigations have shown that xerophilic fungi may pose a biodeterioration risk by threatening objects of cultural heritage including many types of materials, including wood, paint layers, organic glues or leather and even metal. Historic—and also new built—pipe organs combine all those materials. [...] Read more.
Recent investigations have shown that xerophilic fungi may pose a biodeterioration risk by threatening objects of cultural heritage including many types of materials, including wood, paint layers, organic glues or leather and even metal. Historic—and also new built—pipe organs combine all those materials. In this study, halotolerant aspergilli and penicillia with low optimal temperatures were shown to be the most frequent invaders of pipe organs. The fungi form white mycelia on the organic components of the organs with a clear preference for the bolus paint of the wooden pipes, the leather-made hinges of the stop actions and all parts fixed by organic glue. Physiological tests showed that the strains isolated from the instruments all show a halotolerant behavior, although none was halophilic. The optimum growth temperature is below 20 °C, thus the fungi are perfectly adapted to the cool and relatively dry conditions in the churches and organs respectively. The de-novo genome sequences analyses of the strains are currently ongoing and will reveal the genomic basis for the halotolerant behavior of the fungi. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungi from Extreme Environments)
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15 pages, 2410 KiB  
Article
Sun Exposure Shapes Functional Grouping of Fungi in Cryptoendolithic Antarctic Communities
by Claudia Coleine, Laura Zucconi, Silvano Onofri, Nuttapon Pombubpa, Jason E. Stajich and Laura Selbmann
Life 2018, 8(2), 19; https://doi.org/10.3390/life8020019 - 2 Jun 2018
Cited by 37 | Viewed by 6643
Abstract
Antarctic cryptoendolithic microbial communities dominate ice-free areas of continental Antarctica, among the harshest environments on Earth. The endolithic lifestyle is a remarkable adaptation to the exceptional environmental extremes of this area, which is considered the closest terrestrial example to conditions on Mars. Recent [...] Read more.
Antarctic cryptoendolithic microbial communities dominate ice-free areas of continental Antarctica, among the harshest environments on Earth. The endolithic lifestyle is a remarkable adaptation to the exceptional environmental extremes of this area, which is considered the closest terrestrial example to conditions on Mars. Recent efforts have attempted to elucidate composition of these extremely adapted communities, but the functionality of these microbes have remained unexplored. We have tested for interactions between measured environmental characteristics, fungal community membership, and inferred functional classification of the fungi present and found altitude and sun exposure were primary factors. Sandstone rocks were collected in Victoria Land, Antarctica along an altitudinal gradient from 834 to 3100 m a.s.l.; differently sun-exposed rocks were selected to test the influence of this parameter on endolithic settlement. Metabarcoding targeting the fungal internal transcribed spacer region 1 (ITS1) was used to catalogue the species found in these communities. Functional profile of guilds found in the samples was associated to species using FUNGuild and variation in functional groups compared across sunlight exposure and altitude. Results revealed clear dominance of lichenized and stress-tolerant fungi in endolithic communities. The main variations in composition and abundance of functional groups among sites correlated to sun exposure, but not to altitude. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungi from Extreme Environments)
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15 pages, 16733 KiB  
Article
Cystobasidium alpinum sp. nov. and Rhodosporidiobolus oreadorum sp. nov. from European Cold Environments and Arctic Region
by Benedetta Turchetti, Laura Selbmann, Nina Gunde-Cimerman, Pietro Buzzini, José Paulo Sampaio and Polona Zalar
Life 2018, 8(2), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/life8020009 - 5 May 2018
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 7256
Abstract
Over 80% of the Earth’s environments are permanently or periodically exposed to temperatures below 5 °C. Cold habitats harbour a wide diversity of psychrophilic and psychrotolerant yeasts. During ecological studies of yeast communities carried out in cold ecosystem in the Italian Alps, Svalbard [...] Read more.
Over 80% of the Earth’s environments are permanently or periodically exposed to temperatures below 5 °C. Cold habitats harbour a wide diversity of psychrophilic and psychrotolerant yeasts. During ecological studies of yeast communities carried out in cold ecosystem in the Italian Alps, Svalbard (Norway, Arctic region), and Portugal, 23 yeast strains that could not be assigned to any known fungal taxa were isolated. In particular, two of them were first identified as Rhodotorula sp., showing the highest degree of D1/D2 sequence identity with Cystobasidum laryngis accounted to only 97% with the type strain (C. laryngis CBS 2221). The other 21 strains, exhibiting identical D1/D2 sequences, had low identity (97%) with Rhodosporidiobolus lusitaniae and Rhodosporidiobolus colostri. Similarly, ITS sequences of the type strains of the most closely related species (93–94%). In a 2-genes multilocus D1/D2 and ITS ML phylogenetic tree, the studied strains pooled in two well separated and supported groups. In order to classify the new 23 isolates based on phylogenetic evidences, we propose the description of two novel species Cystobasidium alpinum sp. nov. and Rhodosporidiobolus oreadorum sp. nov. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungi from Extreme Environments)
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Review

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14 pages, 1065 KiB  
Review
Fungal Diversity in Lichens: From Extremotolerance to Interactions with Algae
by Lucia Muggia and Martin Grube
Life 2018, 8(2), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/life8020015 - 22 May 2018
Cited by 76 | Viewed by 13599
Abstract
Lichen symbioses develop long-living thallus structures even in the harshest environments on Earth. These structures are also habitats for many other microscopic organisms, including other fungi, which vary in their specificity and interaction with the whole symbiotic system. This contribution reviews the recent [...] Read more.
Lichen symbioses develop long-living thallus structures even in the harshest environments on Earth. These structures are also habitats for many other microscopic organisms, including other fungi, which vary in their specificity and interaction with the whole symbiotic system. This contribution reviews the recent progress regarding the understanding of the lichen-inhabiting fungi that are achieved by multiphasic approaches (culturing, microscopy, and sequencing). The lichen mycobiome comprises a more or less specific pool of species that can develop symptoms on their hosts, a generalist environmental pool, and a pool of transient species. Typically, the fungal classes Dothideomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, Leotiomycetes, Sordariomycetes, and Tremellomycetes predominate the associated fungal communities. While symptomatic lichenicolous fungi belong to lichen-forming lineages, many of the other fungi that are found have close relatives that are known from different ecological niches, including both plant and animal pathogens, and rock colonizers. A significant fraction of yet unnamed melanized (‘black’) fungi belong to the classes Chaethothyriomycetes and Dothideomycetes. These lineages tolerate the stressful conditions and harsh environments that affect their hosts, and therefore are interpreted as extremotolerant fungi. Some of these taxa can also form lichen-like associations with the algae of the lichen system when they are enforced to symbiosis by co-culturing assays. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungi from Extreme Environments)
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