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Can zoosporic true fungi grow or survive in extreme or stressful environments?

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Abstract

Zoosporic true fungi are thought to be ubiquitous in many ecosystems, especially in cool, moist soils and freshwater habitats which are rich in organic matter. However, some of the habitats where these fungi are found may periodically experience extreme conditions, such as soils in extremely dry, hot and cold climates, acidic and alkaline soils, polluted rivers, anaerobic soil and water, saline soil and water, periglacial soils, oligotrophic soils, tree canopies and hydrothermal vents. It is clear that many ecotypes of zoosporic true fungi have indeed adapted to extreme or stressful environmental conditions. This conclusion is supported by studies in both the field and in the laboratory. Therefore, in our opinion, at least some true zoosporic fungi can be considered to be extremophiles.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences A12, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia

    Frank H. Gleason

  2. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA

    Steve K. Schmidt

  3. Instituto de Botánica Spegazzini, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, calle 53 N 477, 1900, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Agostina V. Marano

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  1. Frank H. Gleason
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  2. Steve K. Schmidt
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Correspondence to Frank H. Gleason.

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Communicated by T. Matsunaga.

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Gleason, F.H., Schmidt, S.K. & Marano, A.V. Can zoosporic true fungi grow or survive in extreme or stressful environments?. Extremophiles 14, 417–425 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-010-0323-6

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