This book focuses on the fungi found in one of the most pristine regions on Earth: Antarctica. It discusses the fungal occurrence in all substrates of the region, including soil, seawater, lake and marine sediments, rocks, ice, and snow. It also addresses the impact of climate changes on these organisms, the genomic techniques developed to study them, and how a number of compounds, such as antibiotics and enzymes, produced by the Antarctic fungi can be used in medicine, agriculture and the chemical industry.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Fungal Pigments" that was published in JoF

Fungi that inhabit polar-region can grow and decompose organic compounds under subzero temperatures play important roles in the nutrient cycle of polar-region ecosystems. Thus, changes in the mycoflora affect the ecological recycling in these regions, and understanding the cold-adaptation strategies of fungi under extreme environments is critical for a better understanding of polar-region ecosystems. Due to their ability to survive under extreme environments, fungi in polar-region are seen to show potential for utilization in biotechnologies. This book presents our current understanding of the mycoflora in polar-region and their cold adaptation strategies, and applied studies using their abilities.

The data in this book are new or updated, and will serve also as Origin of Life and evolutionary studies. Endospores of bacteria have a long history of use as model organisms in astrobiology, including survival in extreme environments and interplanetary transfer of life. Numerous other bacteria as well as archaea, lichens, fungi, algae and tiny animals (tardigrades, or water bears) are now being investigated for their tolerance to extreme conditions in simulated or real space environments. Experimental results from exposure studies on the International Space Station and space probes for up to 1.5 years are presented and discussed. Suggestions for extaterrestrial energy sources are also indicated. Audience Researchers and graduate students in microbiology, biochemistry, molecular biology and astrobiology, as well as anyone interested in the search for extraterrestrial life and its technical preparations.

Over the last decades, scientists have been intrigued by the fascinating organisms that inhabit extreme environments. These organisms, known as extremophiles, thrive in habitats which for other terrestrial life-forms are intolerably hostile or even lethal. Based on such technological advances, the study of extremophiles has provided, over the last few years, ground-breaking discoveries that challenge the paradigms of modern biology. In the new bioeconomy, fungi in general, play a very important role in addressing major global challenges, being instrumental for improved resource efficiency, making renewable substitutes for products from fossil resources, upgrading waste streams to valuable food and feed ingredients, counteracting life-style diseases and antibiotic resistance through strengthening the gut biota, making crop plants more robust to survive climate change conditions, and functioning as host organisms for production of new biological drugs. This range of new uses of fungi all stand on the shoulders of the efforts of mycologists over generations. The book is organized in five parts: (I) Biodiversity, Ecology, Genetics and Physiology of Extremophilic Fungi, (II) Biosynthesis of Novel Biomolecules and Extremozymes (III) Bioenergy and Biofuel synthesis, and (IV) Wastewater and biosolids treatment, and (V) Bioremediation.

This book divides Antarctica into eight ice-free regions and provides information on the soils of each region. Soils have been studied in Antarctica for nearly 100 years. Although only 0.35% (45,000 km2) of Antarctica is ice-free, its weathered, unconsolidated material qualify as “soils”. Soils of Antarctica is richly illustrated with nearly 150 images and provisional maps are provided for several key ice-free areas.

A photographic guide to decay fungi colonising amenity trees showing stages of development and studio portraits to allow arborists to correctly identify fruiting bodies.