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Diversity and Ecology of Fungi from Underexplored and Extreme Environments

Summary

This research collection explores fungi living in extreme environments like salty lagoons, Arctic lakes, and polluted soils. Scientists discovered that many fungi have special abilities to survive harsh conditions and can even help clean up contaminated areas. The findings suggest that understanding these remarkable fungi could lead to new applications in environmental cleanup and sustainable agriculture. The research emphasizes the need to combine traditional laboratory methods with modern genetic techniques to fully understand fungal diversity.

Background

Fungi represent one of the most diverse and ecologically important groups of organisms on Earth, yet much of their biodiversity remains unknown and unexplored. Fungi thrive in challenging environments resulting from anthropogenic pressures such as pollution or naturally extreme conditions including arid, saline, cold, or nutrient-deprived settings. Extremotolerant and extremophilic fungi represent an emerging research field in mycology with relevance to applied sciences and novel taxonomic and functional diversity.

Objective

This editorial presents a collection of nine research articles and one review contributing to the growing field of extremotolerant and extremophilic fungi. The purpose is to summarize compiled contributions and provide broader interpretive context referencing past research and anticipating future directions in fungal research from underexplored and extreme environments.

Results

The collection reveals fungal diversity across multiple extreme environments including dark septate endophytes under stress conditions, metallotolerant black fungi, industrial yeasts, anaerobic ecosystems, hypersaline lagoons, rock-inhabiting fungi, polar lakes, and seagrass ecosystems. Studies identified novel taxa, characterized genetic variability in industrial fungi, and demonstrated previously unrecognized ecological roles in various extreme niches.

Conclusion

The research demonstrates the importance of integrating traditional microbiology with modern molecular approaches to understand fungal biodiversity. Future directions should emphasize environmental sequencing, single-cell genomics, metabolomics, symbiotic interactions, and interdisciplinary approaches combining ecology, phylogenetics, and materials science while maintaining grounding in ecological knowledge and taxonomic accuracy.
  • Published in:Journal of Fungi (Basel),
  • Study Type:Editorial Review,
  • Source: PMID: 40422677, DOI: 10.3390/jof11050343
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