Blackmeristematicfungicansurvivehighdosesofradiationandareresistanttodesiccation.Theseadaptationshelpthemtocolonizeharsholigotrophichabitats,e.g.,onthesurfaceandsubsurfaceofrocks.Oneoftheirmostcharacteristicstress-resistancemechanismsistheaccumulationofmelanininthecellwalls.This,productionofotherprotectivemoleculesandaplasticmorphologyfurthercontributetoecologicalflexibilityofblackfungi.Increasedgrowthratesofsomespeciesafterexposuretoionizingradiationevensuggestyetunknownmechanismsofenergyproduction.OtherunusualmetabolicstrategiesmayincludeharvestingUVorvisiblelightorgainingenergybyformingfacultativelichen-likeassociationswithalgaeorcyanobacteria.Thelatterisnotentirelysurprising,sincecertainblackfungallineagesarephylogeneticallyrelatedtocladesoflichen-formingfungi.Similartoblackfungi,lichen-formingfungiareadaptedtogrowthonexposedsurfaceswithlowavailabilityofnutrients.Theyalsoefficientlyuseprotectivemoleculestotoleratefrequentperiodsofextremestress.Traitssharedbybothgroupsoffungimayhavebeenimportantinfacilitatingtheevolutionandradiationoflichen-symbioses.
Polyextremotolerant black fungi: oligotrophism, adaptivepotential, and a link to lichen symbioses.
MUGGIA, LUCIA;
2012
Abstract
Blackmeristematicfungicansurvivehighdosesofradiationandareresistanttodesiccation.Theseadaptationshelpthemtocolonizeharsholigotrophichabitats,e.g.,onthesurfaceandsubsurfaceofrocks.Oneoftheirmostcharacteristicstress-resistancemechanismsistheaccumulationofmelanininthecellwalls.This,productionofotherprotectivemoleculesandaplasticmorphologyfurthercontributetoecologicalflexibilityofblackfungi.Increasedgrowthratesofsomespeciesafterexposuretoionizingradiationevensuggestyetunknownmechanismsofenergyproduction.OtherunusualmetabolicstrategiesmayincludeharvestingUVorvisiblelightorgainingenergybyformingfacultativelichen-likeassociationswithalgaeorcyanobacteria.Thelatterisnotentirelysurprising,sincecertainblackfungallineagesarephylogeneticallyrelatedtocladesoflichen-formingfungi.Similartoblackfungi,lichen-formingfungiareadaptedtogrowthonexposedsurfaceswithlowavailabilityofnutrients.Theyalsoefficientlyuseprotectivemoleculestotoleratefrequentperiodsofextremestress.Traitssharedbybothgroupsoffungimayhavebeenimportantinfacilitatingtheevolutionandradiationoflichen-symbioses.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
