Fungi from extreme environments, including acidophilic ones, belong to biotechnologically most attractive organisms. They can serve as a source of enzymes and metabolites with potentially uncommon properties and may actively participate within bioremediation processes. In respect of their biotechnological potential, extremophilic fungi are mostly studied as individual species. Nevertheless, microorganisms rarely live separately and they form biofilms instead. Living in biofilms is the most successful life strategy on the Earth and the biofilm is the most abundant form of life in extreme environments including highly acidic ones. Compared to bacterial fraction, fungal part of acidophilic biofilms represents a largely unexplored source of organisms with possible use in biotechnology and especially data on biofilms of highly acidic soils are missing. The functioning of the biofilm results from interactions between organisms whose metabolic capabilities are efficiently combined. When we look on acidophilic fungi and their biotechnological potential we should take this fact into account as well. The practical problem to be resolved in connection with extensive studies of exploitable properties and abilities of acidophilic fungi is the methodology of isolation of strains from the nature. In this respect, novel isolation techniques should be developed.

• Keywords
• Acidophiles, Acidothrix acidophila, Biofilm, Bioprospecting,
• MeSH
• Bacteria growth & development   MeSH
• Biofilms growth & development   MeSH
• Biotechnology * MeSH
• Fungi physiology   MeSH
• Hydrogen-Ion Concentration MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH

Highly acidic soils (pH < 3) represent an environment which might potentially offer new biotechnologically interesting fungi. Nevertheless, only little data on fungal communities in highly acidic habitats are available. Here, we focused on the diversity of cultivable filamentous microfungi in highly acidic soils (pH < 3) in the Czech Republic. Altogether, 16 soil samples were collected from four sampling sites and were processed by various approaches. In total, 54 fungal taxa were isolated and identified using classical as well as molecular markers. All dominant species were found both as living mycelia and as resistant stages. Numerous recently described or unknown taxa were isolated. The core of the fungal assemblage under study consisted of phylogenetically unrelated and often globally distributed fungi exclusively inhabiting highly acidic habitats like Acidiella bohemica, Acidomyces acidophilus, and unidentified helotialean fungus, as well as taxa known from less acidic and often extreme environments like Acidea extrema, Penicillium simplicissimum s.l., and Penicillium spinulosum. The large number of identified specialized species indicates that highly acidic environments provide suitable conditions for the evolution of specialist species. The occurrence of ubiquitous fungi in highly acidic substrates points to the principal role of competition in the colonization of such environments. The detected taxa did not require low pH to survive, because they can grow in a broad range of pH.

• Keywords
• Acidea, Acidiella, Acidohtrix, Acidomyces, Diversity, Microscopic fungi,
• MeSH
• Ascomycota classification   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Biodiversity * MeSH
• DNA, Fungal analysis   MeSH
• Species Specificity MeSH
• Ecosystem MeSH
• Phylogeny * MeSH
• Fungi classification   genetics   growth & development   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Classification MeSH
• Hydrogen-Ion Concentration MeSH
• Acids MeSH
• Penicillium classification   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Soil chemistry   MeSH
• Soil Microbiology * MeSH
• Base Sequence MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Geographicals
• Czech Republic MeSH
• Names of Substances
• DNA, Fungal MeSH
• Acids MeSH
• Soil MeSH