Diversity, Ecological Role and Biotechnological Potential of Antarctic Marine Fungi

Abstract

The Antarctic Ocean is one of the most remote and inaccessible environments on our planet and hosts potentially high biodiversity, being largely unexplored and undescribed. Fungi have key functions and unique physiological and morphological adaptations even in extreme conditions, from shallow habitats to deep-sea sediments. Here, we summarized information on diversity, the ecological role, and biotechnological potential of marine fungi in the coldest biome on Earth. This review also discloses the importance of boosting research on Antarctic fungi as hidden treasures of biodiversity and bioactive molecules to better understand their role in marine ecosystem functioning and their applications in different biotechnological fields.

Local Environmental Conditions Promote High Turnover Diversity of Benthic Deep-Sea Fungi in the Ross Sea (Antarctica)

“…In particular, we found 12 ASVs affiliating to nine genera, including genera commonly encountered in a variety of benthic deep-sea ecosystems (e.g., Aspergillus; [24,32]) and polar systems (e.g., Naganishia, Dothideomycetes and Agaricomycetes; [27,74,75]). Fungi belonging to the genera Trichoderma found in this study were already reported and isolated from lake and sediments of the Penguin Island in Antarctica [76,77], while other genera commonly found in Antarctic sediments, such as Metschnikowia, Galciozyma and Psedogymnoascus, were not encountered (for a more detailed list see [28]). Furthermore, other fungal taxa, including members belonging to Fusarium and Wickerhamomyces, have been reported to be associated with Antarctic sponges and macroalgae [78][79][80], while taxa affiliated with Exophiala and Aspergillus have been previously isolated from different Antarctic marine samples [28,81].…”

“…Fungi belonging to the genera Trichoderma found in this study were already reported and isolated from lake and sediments of the Penguin Island in Antarctica [76,77], while other genera commonly found in Antarctic sediments, such as Metschnikowia, Galciozyma and Psedogymnoascus, were not encountered (for a more detailed list see [28]). Furthermore, other fungal taxa, including members belonging to Fusarium and Wickerhamomyces, have been reported to be associated with Antarctic sponges and macroalgae [78][79][80], while taxa affiliated with Exophiala and Aspergillus have been previously isolated from different Antarctic marine samples [28,81]. Such a comparison suggests that Antarctic deep-sea sediments can host profoundly different fungal assemblages depending on specific environmental and ecological settings.…”

“…Microbial assemblages in benthic deep-sea ecosystems play an important role in C and nutrient cycling and transfer of energy and material to the higher trophic levels [11]. Besides prokaryotes, fungi are widespread in deep-sea environments spanning from hypersaline anoxic basins [12][13][14] to cold seeps [15,16], from hydrothermal vents [17][18][19] to surface and subsurface sediments [13,[20][21][22][23][24], including benthic Antarctic systems [25][26][27][28] and references therein). Theoretical estimates suggest that fungi can be the most diversified component of eukaryotes on Earth, with more than 5 million species of which only 5% have been described [29,30].…”

Diversity, Abundance, and Ecological Roles of Planktonic Fungi in Marine Environments

“…The recent application of molecular approaches has revealed far more diverse and abundant marine fungi than those previously studied, with a growing body of evidence for their biogeochemical and ecological functions [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Furthermore, fungi isolated from marine or marine-related habitats are producers of several bioactive compounds [ 7 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ], which can open up a new era of drug research. Nevertheless, marine fungi remain one of the most under-studied microbial groups, with 95% of the ocean remaining mycologically unexplored [ 9 ].…”

Untapped Potential of Marine-Associated Cladosporium Species: An Overview on Secondary Metabolites, Biotechnological Relevance, and Biological Activities

“…The marine environment covers approximately 70% of the Earth's surface and represents an enormous pool of biodiversity resources [1][2][3]. Marine microorganisms possess the potential for several biotechnological and industrial applications and play an important ecological role [4,5]. The last decades have witnessed numerous studies in the natural metabolites derived from marine creatures or their associated microorganisms [6][7][8].…”