Sub-Antarctic and Antarctic Marine Ecosystems: An Unexplored Ecosystem of Fungal Diversity

Abstract

In the sub-antarctic and Antarctic marine ecosystems, fungi occur in several living and nonliving substrates, and different species have been recovered from driftwood, invertebrates, and macroalgae, as well as from seawater and sediments. Considering different marine ecosystems around the globe, more than 700 species of obligate marine fungi and nearly 550 species of facultative marine fungi have been described. However, few reports have been published until now regarding fungal diversity and richness in the Southern Ocean that surrounds Antarctica. Considering the extreme conditions of marine Sub-antarctic and Antarctic regions, the resident fungal communities described display high diversity, including endemic and cosmopolitan cold-adapted species. Ecologically, Antarctic marine fungi seem to play an important role in the Southern Ocean as symbiotic and mutualistic organisms, parasites, and decomposers associated with marine fauna and macroalgae. Additionally, marine fungi have been explored as a source of bioproducts useful in biotechnological processes or compounds for use as medicine and in the cosmetic industry. In the present chapter, we provide a contemporary review of the diversity, ecology, and potential biotechnological applications of fungi present in Sub-antarctic and Antarctic environments and organisms.