23 research outputs found
Drought meets acid: three new genera in a dothidealean clade of extremotolerant fungi
Fungal strains isolated from rocks and lichens collected in the Antarctic
ice-free area of the Victoria Land, one of the coldest and driest habitats on
earth, were found in two phylogenetically isolated positions within the
subclass Dothideomycetidae. They are here reported as new genera and
species, Recurvomyces mirabilis gen. nov., sp.
nov. and Elasticomyces elasticus gen. nov., sp.
nov. The nearest neighbours within the clades were other rock-inhabiting
fungi from dry environments, either cold or hot. Plant-associated
Mycosphaerella-like species, known as invaders of leathery leaves in
semi-arid climates, are also phylogenetically related with the new taxa. The
clusters are also related to the halophilic species Hortaea
werneckii, as well as to acidophilic fungi. One of the latter, able to
grow at pH 0, is Scytalidium acidophilum, which is ascribed here to
the newly validated genus Acidomyces. The ecological implications of
this finding are discussed