Mycelial fungi in cryopegs

摘要

Mycelial fungi from cryopegs (tundra, Kolyma lowland, Russia) have been studied. The use of media with different amounts of salt and cultivation at 4 and 25 °C allowed us to isolate filamentous fungi assigned to 11 species. The micromycetes of genus Geomyces were found most often. The total amount of fungi reached 1–4×102 CFU ml[minus sign]1 of water. The extreme conditions of the cryopegs – the high salinity of the water (150–200 g l[minus sign]1) and the constant low temperatures (average annual temperature is from [minus sign]9 to [minus sign]11 °C) – might serve as a model for the conditions of interplanetary environments.