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Cold-Adapted Yeasts in Alpine and Apennine Glaciers

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Cold-adapted Yeasts

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Abstract

Alpine and Apennine glaciers contain only a small part of the total ice mass existing on Earth and it is well known that these ice masses probably are going to disappear in the next future. The study of biodiversity and ecology of cold-adapted yeasts living in cold habitats of Alpine and Apennine glaciers (supraglacial and subglacial sediments, cryoconite, snow, ice, and melt water) represents a contribution to obtain a better defined picture of the microbial ecology of these peculiar ecosystems. Most frequently isolated yeast species belonged to the genera Cryptococcus (mainly of the order Filobasidiales) and Rhodotorula (mainly of the class Cystobasidiomycetes). The majority of strains exhibited psychrotolerant characteristics and some of them were able to secrete extracellular hydrolytic cold-active enzymes. From an ecological point of view, some yeasts species could be subjected to an in situ selective enrichment in both supraglacial and subglacial sediments and cryoconite. Due to their heterotrophic nature, the possible role of cold-adapted yeasts in biogeochemical cycling through the mineralization of organic matter in cold environments is discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences and Industrial Yeasts Collection DBVPG, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121, Perugia, Italy

    Benedetta Turchetti, Marta Goretti & Pietro Buzzini

  2. Institute of Microbiology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstrasse 25, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria

    Rosa Margesin

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  1. Benedetta Turchetti
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  2. Marta Goretti
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  3. Pietro Buzzini
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  4. Rosa Margesin
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Correspondence to Benedetta Turchetti .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Perugia, Industrial Yeasts Collection DBVPG, Perugia, Italy

    Pietro Buzzini

  2. University of Innsbruck, Institute of Microbiology, Innsbruck, Austria

    Rosa Margesin

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Turchetti, B., Goretti, M., Buzzini, P., Margesin, R. (2014). Cold-Adapted Yeasts in Alpine and Apennine Glaciers. In: Buzzini, P., Margesin, R. (eds) Cold-adapted Yeasts. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39681-6_5

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