Italian National Museum of Antarctica “Felice Ippolito” – Section of Mycology

ITALIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ANTARCTICA “Felice Ippolito” – SECTION OF MYCOLOGY

The Mycological Section of the Italian National Museum of Antarctica was established in 2006; it includes a collection of rocks hosting microbial communities and a fungal culture collection (CCFEE, Culture Collection of Fungi From Extreme Environments). The collection is maintained in the Laboratory of Systematic Botany and Mycology, Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, Viterbo (I). This collection, unique in the world, was established in the late ’80s as a result of mycological researches carried out in Antarctica in the framework of PNRA (National Program for Research in Antarctica). The collection includes fungal strains isolated from different samples collected over more than 20 years of Italian expeditions in Antarctica and many strains donated in 2000 by I.E. Friedmann (Florida State University), the discoverer of endolithic life in deserts.

The Antarctic fungal strains of the collection have been isolated from different substrates such as soil, mosses, lichens and, especially, rocks colonized by communities of cryptoendolithic (growing inside the rock) fungi and lichens.  Moreover, isolations are made also on a wide selection of rock samples collected in the driest cold and hot areas worldwide  (eg. Indian Himalayas, Andes, Alps, Bolivian Salaar, Australian and Algerian deserts) kindly supplied by mountain climbers, guides and travelers. At present the collection includes about 1000 fungal strains; yet, the number is increasing because of the current new isolations ??andthanks to collaborations and exchanges with other research centers and both Italian and foreign universities.

The CCFEE hosts filamentous fungi, yeasts and black meristematic fungi; the latter, due to their strong melanization, as well as peculiar morphological and physiological adaptations, are capable to tolerate extremes?? of temperature, radiation and osmotic stress. Because of the poor differentiation their Systematics must be approached with molecular techniques. All data related to the collection are cataloged in an Access database.

The activities of the Section include:

1) storage at -20 ° C of rocks in sterile sampling bags, properly labeled;

2) isolation, classification (morphological and molecular) of fungi preserved in the collection;

3) preservation of microfungi both on agar slants and frozen (-80 ° C); yeasts are also freeze-dried;

Several studies are promoted by the collection among which researches concerning “biodiversity and evolution” and  “adaptation and survival”. In particular, meristematic black fungi are investigated with molecular approaches based on ITS, LSU, SSU rDNA nuclear and mitochondrial rDNA mtSSU genes to clarify their phylogeny. These studies led to the description of six new genera and eleven new species to date and have also shed light on the evolutionary processes for adaptation in extreme conditions. In addition, in the framework of the LIFE program (Lichens and Fungi Experiment), it was proved the capacity of these organisms to survive both simulated and actual space conditions over a period of 1.5 years outside the International Space Station (ISS). Survival was tested with cultural methods, colorimetric tests and PCR techniques. The results of this experiment contributed to clarify the possibility of interplanetary transfer of life.

Scientific responsible of the Thematic Section is Dr. Laura Selbmann. At the moment there is no exhibition area, but the collections are visited on request.

Tel. 0761 357012

selbmann@unitus.it

onofri@unitus.it

Captions to Images:

a)      Microfungiof the CCFEE cultured on agar slant.

b)      Colonized Antarctic sandstone.

c)       Laura Zucconi and Laura Selbmann during sampling excursion in Antarctica, XXVI Italian Expedition 2010-2011.