Blackmeristematicfungicansurvivehighdosesofradiationandareresistanttodesiccation.Theseadaptationshelpthemtocolonizeharsholigotrophichabitats,e.g.,onthesurfaceandsubsurfaceofrocks.Oneoftheirmostcharacteristicstress-resistancemechanismsistheaccumulationofmelanininthecellwalls.This,productionofotherprotectivemoleculesandaplasticmorphologyfurthercontributetoecologicalflexibilityofblackfungi.Increasedgrowthratesofsomespeciesafterexposuretoionizingradiationevensuggestyetunknownmechanismsofenergyproduction.OtherunusualmetabolicstrategiesmayincludeharvestingUVorvisiblelightorgainingenergybyformingfacultativelichen-likeassociationswithalgaeorcyanobacteria.Thelatterisnotentirelysurprising,sincecertainblackfungallineagesarephylogeneticallyrelatedtocladesoflichen-formingfungi.Similartoblackfungi,lichen-formingfungiareadaptedtogrowthonexposedsurfaceswithlowavailabilityofnutrients.Theyalsoefficientlyuseprotectivemoleculestotoleratefrequentperiodsofextremestress.Traitssharedbybothgroupsoffungimayhavebeenimportantinfacilitatingtheevolutionandradiationoflichen-symbioses.
Titolo: | Polyextremotolerant black fungi: oligotrophism, adaptivepotential, and a link to lichen symbioses. |
Autori: | |
Data di pubblicazione: | 2012 |
Rivista: | |
Abstract: | Blackmeristematicfungicansurvivehighdosesofradiationandareresistanttodesiccation.Theseadaptationshelpthemtocolonizeharsholigotrophichabitats,e.g.,onthesurfaceandsubsurfaceofrocks.Oneoftheirmostcharacteristicstress-resistancemechanismsistheaccumulationofmelanininthecellwalls.This,productionofotherprotectivemoleculesandaplasticmorphologyfurthercontributetoecologicalflexibilityofblackfungi.Increasedgrowthratesofsomespeciesafterexposuretoionizingradiationevensuggestyetunknownmechanismsofenergyproduction.OtherunusualmetabolicstrategiesmayincludeharvestingUVorvisiblelightorgainingenergybyformingfacultativelichen-likeassociationswithalgaeorcyanobacteria.Thelatterisnotentirelysurprising,sincecertainblackfungallineagesarephylogeneticallyrelatedtocladesoflichen-formingfungi.Similartoblackfungi,lichen-formingfungiareadaptedtogrowthonexposedsurfaceswithlowavailabilityofnutrients.Theyalsoefficientlyuseprotectivemoleculestotoleratefrequentperiodsofextremestress.Traitssharedbybothgroupsoffungimayhavebeenimportantinfacilitatingtheevolutionandradiationoflichen-symbioses. |
Handle: | http://hdl.handle.net/11368/2735501 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): | http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2012.00390 |
Appare nelle tipologie: | 1.1 Articolo in Rivista |