Main description:

Over the last decades, scientists have been intrigued by the fascinating organisms that inhabit extreme environments. These organisms, known as extremophiles, thrive in habitats which for other terrestrial life-forms are intolerably hostile or even lethal. Based on such technological advances, the study of extremophiles has provided, over the last few years, ground-breaking discoveries that challenge the paradigms of modern biology. In the new bioeconomy, fungi in general, play a very important role in addressing major global challenges, being instrumental for improved resource efficiency, making renewable substitutes for products from fossil resources, upgrading waste streams to valuable food and feed ingredients, counteracting life-style diseases and antibiotic resistance through strengthening the gut biota, making crop plants more robust to survive climate change conditions, and functioning as host organisms for production of new biological drugs. This range of new uses of fungi all stand on the shoulders of the efforts of mycologists over generations.

The book is organized in five parts: (I) Biodiversity, Ecology, Genetics and Physiology of Extremophilic Fungi, (II) Biosynthesis of Novel Biomolecules and Extremozymes (III) Bioenergy and Biofuel synthesis, and (IV) Wastewater and biosolids treatment, and (V) Bioremediation.

Contents:

I. Biodiversity, Ecology, Genetics and Physiology of Extremophilic Fungi

Chapter 1.

Biodiversity and ecology of extremophilic fungi in natural CO2 springs

Irena Macek

Chapter 2.

Eukaryotic life in extreme environments: acidophilic fungi

Angeles Aguilera and Elena Gonzalez-Toril

Chapter 3.

Ecology of thermophilic fungi

Tassio Brito de Oliveira1 and Andre Rodrigues

Chapter 4.

New perspectives on the distribution and roles of thermophilic fungi

Miriam I. Hutchinson, Amy J. Powell, Jose Herrera and Donald O. Natvig

Chapter 5.

Ecology and biotechnology of thermophilic/thermotolerant fungi on crops under global warming

Robert Russell M. Paterson and Nelson Lima

Chapter 6.

Soil microfungi of Israeli deserts: adaptations to environmental stress

Isabella Grishkan

Chapter 7.

Extremotolerant fungi from lichens and rocks

Claudio Gennaro Ametrano, Lucia Muggia and Martin Grube

Chapter 8.

Antarctic basidiomycetous yeast

Masaharu Tsuji, Sakae Kudoh, and Tamotsu Hoshino

Chapter 9.

Adaptation mechanisms and applications of psychrophilic fungi

Muhammad Rafiq, Noor Hassan, Maliha Rehman, and Fariha Hasan

Chapter 10.

Melanin and resistance to ionizing radiation in fungi

Mackenzie E. Malo and Ekaterina Dadachova

Chapter 11.

Fungi in biofilms of highly acidic soils

Martina Hujslova and Milan Gryndler

Chapter 12.

Global Proteomics of Extremophile Fungi: Mission Accomplished?

Donatella Tesei, Katja Sterflinger and Gorji Marzban

II. Biotechnological Applications of Extremophilic Fungi

Chapter 13.

Yeast thriving in cold terrestrial habitats: Biodiversity and industrial/biotechnological applications

Marcelo Baeza, Oriana Flores, Jennifer Alcaino, and Victor Cifuentes

Chapter 14.

Pharmaceutical and biotechnological application of thermophilic fungi

Shyam Prasad Gurram

Chapter 15.

Biotechnological applications of halophilic fungi; past, present and future

Imran Ali, Samira Khaliq, Sumbal Sajid, and Ali Akbar

Chapter 16.

Biotechnological applications of xylanases from thermophilic fungi Sporotrichum thermophile

Ayesha Sadaf, Syeda Warisul Fatima and Sunil K. Khare

III. Biosynthesis of Novel Biomolecules and Extremozymes

Chapter 17.

Diversity and biotechnological applications of deep-sea fungi

Muhammad Zain Ul Arifeen, Ya-Rong Xue, and Chang-Hong Liu

Chapter 18

Bioactive compounds from marine extremophilic fungi

Lesley-Ann Giddings and David Newman

Chapter 19

Synthesis of Metallic Nanoparticles by Halotolerant Fungi

Sonia Tiquia-Arashiro

Chapter 20

Cellulases from thermophilic fungi: Recent Insights and Biotechnological Potential

Duo-Chuan Li and Anastassios C. Papageorgiou

Chapter 21.

-Galactosidases from an acidophilic fungus, Teratosphaeria acidotherma AIU BGA-1

Kimiyasu Isobe and Miwa Yamada

Chapter 22.

Fungi from extreme environments: A potential source of laccases group of extremozymes

Om Prakash, Kapil Mahabare, Krishna Kumar Yadav, and Rohit Sharma

IV. Bioenergy and Biofuel synthesis

Chapter 23.

Lignocellulose Degrading Thermophilic Fungi and Their Prospects in Natural Rubber Extraction from Plants

Shomaila Sikandar, Imran Afzal, Naeem Ali, and Katrina Cornish

Chapter 24.

Thermophilic fungi and their enzymes for biorefineries

Abha Sharma, Anamika Sharma, Surender Singh, Ramesh Chander Kuhad and Lata Nain

V. Bioremediation and Biosolids Treatment

Chapter 25.

Acidomyces acidophilus: Ecology, biochemical properties, and application to bioremediation

Wai Kit Chan, Dirk Wildeboer, Hemda Garelick and Diane Purchase

Chapter 26.

Bioremediation abilities of Antarctic fungi

Maria Martha Martorell, Lucas Adolfo Mauro Ruberto, Lucia Ines Figueroa de Castellanos, and Walter Patricio Mac Cormack

Chapter 27

Haloalkaliphilic fungi and their roles in the treatment of saline-alkali soil

Yi Wei and Shi-Hong Zhang

Chapter 28

Potential role of extremophilic fungus for extra-heavy crude oil bioconversion and the sustainable development of the petroleum industry

Leopoldo Naranjo-Briceno, Beatriz Pernia, Trigal Perdomo, Meralys Gonzalez, Ysvic Inojosa, Angela De Sisto, Hector Urbina, Vladimir Leon

Chapter 29

Thermophilic Fungi: Their Role in Composting and Industrial Processes

Sonia Tiquia-Arashiro