Fungal biodiversity in the periglacial soil of Dosdè Glacier (Valtellina, Northern Italy)

• Published in: Journal of basic microbiology Vol. 56; no. 3; pp. 263 - 274
• Main Authors: Rodolfi, Marinella, Longa, Claudia Maria Oliveira, Pertot, Ilaria, Tosi, Solveig, Savino, Elena, Guglielminetti, Maria, Altobelli, Elisa, Del Frate, Giuseppe, Picco, Anna Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2016
• Subjects: Base Sequence; Biodiversity; Cold Climate; Culturable analysis; DNA, Fungal - genetics; Ecosystem; Environmental Microbiology; Fungi - classification; Fungi - genetics; Fungi - growth & development; Fungi - isolation & purification; Ice Cover - microbiology; Italy; Microfungi; PCR-DGGE analysis; Periglacial areas; Phylogeny; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Soil; Soil - chemistry; Soil Microbiology; MED, Italy; Culturable analysis; Soil; Microfungi; Periglacial areas; PCR-DGGE analysis
• ISSN: 0233-111X; 1521-4028
• DOI: 10.1002/jobm.201500392

Periglacial areas are one of the least studied habitats on Earth, especially in terms of their fungal communities. In this work, both molecular and culture‐dependent methods have been used to analyse the microfungi in soils sampled on the front of the East Dosdè Glacier (Valtellina, Northern Italy). Although this survey revealed a community that was rich in fungal species, a distinct group of psychrophilic microfungi has not been detected. Most of the isolated microfungi were mesophiles, which are well adapted to the sensitive climatic changes that occur in this alpine environment. A discrepancy in the results that were obtained by means of the two diagnostic approaches suggests that the used molecular methods cannot entirely replace traditional culture‐dependent methods, and vice versa.