Soil fungi of Collins glacier (Antarctica): evaluation of biodiversity and resistance to UV radiation

• Grant number: 15/25170-1
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): June 01, 2017
• Effective date (End): August 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology
• Cooperation agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Lara Durães Sette
• Grantee: Juliana Aparecida dos Santos
• Home Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The retraction of the front part of glaciers is frequently considered as an evident signal of global warming. Glacier's soils harbor an active microbial community of decomposers, and face to the continuous retraction of the glaciers, the soil starts to represent a gradient of physical, chemical and biological factors, which reflect the regional changes over time. Antarctic mycology is a relatively recent science and little is known about the biological nature of this group of microorganisms. In this context, the present work is part of the projects FAPESP 2013/19486-0 and PROANTAR/CNPq MICROSFERA, and has as main objective to know the fungal diversity (using dependent and independent culturing methods) of diverse samples of glacier soil retreat (Collins glacier, Fields Peninsula, King George Island), as well as to evaluate the fungal community structure and correlate it to the soils composition. Moreover, studies about the resistance of the isolates towards ultraviolet radiation (UV) will be conducted. The study of fungi from Antarctic glacier retreat samples can lead to the discovery of new species and compounds of utilization in many sectors of economic importance, in addition to a better comprehension of the inhabited biodiversity in these environments. The conduction of the present project can lead also to innovative data related to the resistance towards UV radiation. (AU)