Ecology and biology of microfungi from Antarctic rocks and soils

Cryptoendolithic microbial communities, living in porous sandstone rocks in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (Ross Desert) of Southern Victoria Land, Antarctic a, were found within weathered pegmatite rocks in Northern Victoria Land, a nd the first endemic Antarctic fungal genus Friedmanniomyces endolithicus a nam.- gen. and sp. nov. was isolated from this community. Selected microfun gi from these communities and from soil were examined for the production of extracellular enzymes and antibiotic substances. The cryptoendolithic stra in CCFEE 5001 was particularly remarkable for consistent glycosidase activi ty, coupled with barely detectable growth. Chitnase activity was highest in the soil microfungus Verticillium cfr. lecanii (CCFEE 5003). This strain a nd its purified chitinase were active on Mucor plumbeus, Cladosporium clado sporioides, Aspergillus versicolor, and Penicillium verrucosum, producing m ycelial damage and cell lysis. The strain CCFEE 5020, isolated from rocks, showed antibiotic activity against Pseudomonas putida, Sarcina sp., Bacillu s subtilis, and Escherichia coli, under the test conditions. Good antibioti c activity was produced in the temperature range of 5 degrees to 25 degrees C, pH 4.0, agitation at 700 rpm, and areation at 1.0 vvm, in media contain ing 0.5% substrate sugar, though this supported only minimal growth. The in vestigation of soil microfungi in contrasting sites at the BIOTAS area at E dmonson Point indicated that both the presence of bird colonies and changes in temperature and UV exposure obtained by using plastic cloches influence d species composition and density, A 'Culture Collection of Fungi from Extr eme Environments' (CCFEE) has been established at the University of Tuscia, housing fungal strains from Antarctica.