Abstract:Three expedition huts in the Ross Sea region of Antarctica, built between 1901 and 1911 by Robert F. Scott and Ernest Shackleton, sheltered and stored the supplies for up to 48 men for 3 years during their explorations and scientific investigation in the South Pole region. The huts, built with wood taken to Antarctica by the early explorers, have deteriorated over the past decades. Although Antarctica has one of the coldest and driest environments on earth, microbes have colonized the wood and limited decay ha… Show more
“…In general, the fungal communities of Antarctic soils are dominated by filamentous ascomycetes and basidiomycete yeasts (Connell et al 2008; Arenz and Blanchette 2011). Filamentous basidiomycetes that are typically known as wood-decay fungi in temperate ecosystems have been very rarely isolated in Antarctica (Blanchette et al 2004; Ludley and Robinson 2008). Fungi in Zygomycetes are also isolated with some frequency in Antarctic (Lawley et al 2004).…”
Section: Cold-adapted Fungi and Their Living Strategiesmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…A group of cold-adapted fungi decompose woody structures and artefacts left by the early polar explorers in Antarctic. Blanchette et al (2004) first reported an unusual form of soft rot decay caused by Cadophora species which can cause degradation of the historic huts and artefacts. This type of decay has subsequently been found to be prevalent in historic woods and in soils from the immediate vicinity of the huts at many Antarctic locations and variety of filamentous fungi and yeasts such as Cadophora, Cladosporium, Cryptococcus and Geomyces species were discovered with a high frequency (Arenz et al 2006; Arenz and Blanchette 2009; Blanchette et al 2010).…”
Section: Cold-adapted Fungi and Their Living Strategiesmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…This type of decay has subsequently been found to be prevalent in historic woods and in soils from the immediate vicinity of the huts at many Antarctic locations and variety of filamentous fungi and yeasts such as Cadophora, Cladosporium, Cryptococcus and Geomyces species were discovered with a high frequency (Arenz et al 2006; Arenz and Blanchette 2009; Blanchette et al 2010). Although there are few woody plants on the Antarctic continent, researches provide strong evidence that Antarctic fungi are able to colonise and degrade-introduced wood and other organic materials (Blanchette et al 2004, 2010). Held et al (2005) found that Antarctic summer above 0°C and 75% relative humidity occurred for many weeks, which are conducive for fungal growing inside the historic huts on Ross Island.…”
Section: Cold-adapted Fungi and Their Living Strategiesmentioning
Our planet is dominant with cold environments that harbour enormously diverse cold-adapted fungi comprising representatives of all phyla. Investigation based on culture-dependent and independent methods has demonstrated that cold-adapted fungi are cosmopolitan and occur in diverse habitants and substrates. They live as saprobes, symbionts, plant and animal parasites and pathogens to perform crucial functions in different ecosystems. Pseudogymnoascus destructans caused bat white-nose syndrome and Ophiocordyceps sinensis as Chinese medicine are the representative species that have significantly ecological and economic significance. Adaptation to cold niches has made this group of fungi a fascinating resource for the discovery of novel enzymes and secondary metabolites for biotechnological and pharmaceutical uses. This review provides the current understanding of living strategy and ecological functions of cold-adapted fungi, with particular emphasis on how those fungi overcome the extreme low temperature and perform their ecological function.
“…In general, the fungal communities of Antarctic soils are dominated by filamentous ascomycetes and basidiomycete yeasts (Connell et al 2008; Arenz and Blanchette 2011). Filamentous basidiomycetes that are typically known as wood-decay fungi in temperate ecosystems have been very rarely isolated in Antarctica (Blanchette et al 2004; Ludley and Robinson 2008). Fungi in Zygomycetes are also isolated with some frequency in Antarctic (Lawley et al 2004).…”
Section: Cold-adapted Fungi and Their Living Strategiesmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…A group of cold-adapted fungi decompose woody structures and artefacts left by the early polar explorers in Antarctic. Blanchette et al (2004) first reported an unusual form of soft rot decay caused by Cadophora species which can cause degradation of the historic huts and artefacts. This type of decay has subsequently been found to be prevalent in historic woods and in soils from the immediate vicinity of the huts at many Antarctic locations and variety of filamentous fungi and yeasts such as Cadophora, Cladosporium, Cryptococcus and Geomyces species were discovered with a high frequency (Arenz et al 2006; Arenz and Blanchette 2009; Blanchette et al 2010).…”
Section: Cold-adapted Fungi and Their Living Strategiesmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…This type of decay has subsequently been found to be prevalent in historic woods and in soils from the immediate vicinity of the huts at many Antarctic locations and variety of filamentous fungi and yeasts such as Cadophora, Cladosporium, Cryptococcus and Geomyces species were discovered with a high frequency (Arenz et al 2006; Arenz and Blanchette 2009; Blanchette et al 2010). Although there are few woody plants on the Antarctic continent, researches provide strong evidence that Antarctic fungi are able to colonise and degrade-introduced wood and other organic materials (Blanchette et al 2004, 2010). Held et al (2005) found that Antarctic summer above 0°C and 75% relative humidity occurred for many weeks, which are conducive for fungal growing inside the historic huts on Ross Island.…”
Section: Cold-adapted Fungi and Their Living Strategiesmentioning
Our planet is dominant with cold environments that harbour enormously diverse cold-adapted fungi comprising representatives of all phyla. Investigation based on culture-dependent and independent methods has demonstrated that cold-adapted fungi are cosmopolitan and occur in diverse habitants and substrates. They live as saprobes, symbionts, plant and animal parasites and pathogens to perform crucial functions in different ecosystems. Pseudogymnoascus destructans caused bat white-nose syndrome and Ophiocordyceps sinensis as Chinese medicine are the representative species that have significantly ecological and economic significance. Adaptation to cold niches has made this group of fungi a fascinating resource for the discovery of novel enzymes and secondary metabolites for biotechnological and pharmaceutical uses. This review provides the current understanding of living strategy and ecological functions of cold-adapted fungi, with particular emphasis on how those fungi overcome the extreme low temperature and perform their ecological function.
“…Moreover, only soft rot fungi has been observed in the decomposition of wooden structures, mostly old huts, in Antarctica (Blanchette et al 2004) and it was concluded that the harsh climate conditions preclude the development of white and brown rot fungi. This would exclude all wood decomposing Basidiomycota from the biota of Antarctica.…”
Antarctica's severe climate and its geographical isolation are the factors that hinder the arrival of non-native species by natural means. However, the movement of people and cargo associated with national scientific programs and tourism render Antarctica much more accessible to exotic organisms. Both the transport routes and carriers are varied. The wide range of uses to which timber is put means that it is readily freighted to Antarctic stations. However, it can harbor numerous alien organisms. All the timber materials transported to the ''Arctowski'' station for the 32nd Polish Antarctic Expedition in the 2007/2008 season were scanned as a potential vector for alien species. This study focuses on the non-lichenized fungi and insects which were found on the timber. Four species of perithecia-forming Ascomycota, five species of corticioid and polyporoid Basidiomycota, four unidentified basidiomycetes taxa in form of sterile mycelia, and two insects belonging to Cerambycidae, were detected. Most of these 'hitch-hikers' were connected with the untreated parts of the timber. Their enduring survival in harsh Antarctic conditions is regarded as highly improbable. Nevertheless, some ascocarps frequently contained vital spores, and live insect larvae and imago were found in hibernation. The results also emphasize that such organisms can be accidentally transported to Antarctica and that the elementary rules for the eventual safe transport of noninfected goods should be obeyed and respected.
“…Studies have taken place both in relatively easily accessible and more benign locations (Azmi et Seppelt 1990, Cheryl et Seppelt 1999 and in more environmentally challenging areas such as the Victoria Land Dry Valleys (Friedmann et al 1985, Cameron et al 1971. The occurrence of fungi associated with humanassociated habitats and artifacts, such as in historical huts, have been studied extensively by Tubaki (1961), Martin (1988), Blanchette (2000), Blanchette et al (2004) and Held et al (2005).…”
This paper presents the results of a biodiversity study of microfungi in ornithogenic soils from Beaufort Island (Ross Sea, continental Antarctic). During the 2004/05 austral summer, we sampled a wide range of soil habitats from an abandoned penguin rookeries to examine the biodiversity of soil microfungi. Beaufort Island is predominantly ice and snow covered, isolated, difficult to access and known to have been visited only infrequently. Warcup's soil plating method was used for fungal cultivation. A total of ten fungal taxa were isolated, consisting of seven ascomycetes, two anamorphic fungi and one yeast. In terms of their thermal classes, a total of four psychrophilic, five psychrotolerant and 1 mesophilic fungi were isolated. Thelebolus microsporus, Geomyces sp. and Thelebolus sp. were the most common isolated fungi. Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) and 18S rDNA sequences were obtained from 17 fungal isolates, confirming their identification as Thelebolus microsporus, Thelebolus sp., Phoma herbarum and Geomyces sp.
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