# Cell Response to Oxidative Stress in Antarctic Filamentous Fungi
## 2 Biodiversity of Filamentous Fungi in Antarctica  
Despite the harsh conditions, Antarctica is home to a variety of microorganisms. The unique ecosystems here are dominated by fungi [12], which are the subject of growing interest in recent decades. Research on fungi in cold environments began in the late 19 th century [13; 14]. However, the initial research on the biodiversity of Antarctic fungi dates back to the 1960s [15]. The first evidence of the presence of fungi was obtained by studying mosses and lichens [16; 17; 18; 19; 20]. Microscopically viable fungi have been found on the surface and deep in permafrost sediments [21]. In the Antarctic, the most common fungal taxa to be found are _Ascomycata_, _Basidiumyota_, _Muconomycata_, _Chytridiomycta_, and _Gomeromycata_. The reports described species belonging to the genera _Alternaria_, _Botrytis_, _Cladosporium_, _Fusarium_, _Penicillium_, _Phaeosphaeria_, and _Phoma_[22; 23; 24]. [PERSON] et al. [17] reported that the major taxa identified in samples from Mac. Robertson Land and Enderby Land between December 1979 and October 1980 were _Penicillium_ spp., especially _P. brevicompactum_ and _P. cyclopium_, and _Cladosporium herbarum_. In this region, _Sporothrix ramossissima_ was found for the first time in Antarctica. A large number of sterile forms were also isolated. Since the beginning of the 21 st century, research on the abundance and diversity of fungi in the Antarctic regions has made a great deal of progress (Table 1) [25; 26; 27]. The number of habitats under investigation is increasing, and the list of fungi isolated and identified is rapidly growing. Antarctic soils are characterized by great fungal diversity because of their exceptional capacity for cold adaptation. Spores in the dormant state make up a greater portion of fungal biomass [21; 28]. In general, Antarctic soils contain mainly _Ascomycata_ filamentous fungi and _Basidiumyota_ yeasts [29], and _Zygomycota_ and _Chytridiomycta_ have been very rarely isolated [30; 31]. [PERSON] et al. [32] presented information on 309 strains isolated from soils of Collins Glacier. Most of them belong to the phylum _Ascomycata_ (more than 90%), followed by phylum _Mortierellomycota_, and phylum _Basidiumycta_. The strains were assigned to the genera _Pseudogymnoacus_, _Pseudeurotium_, _Mortierella_, _Passalora_, _Ploliota_, _Russulales_, _Acremonium_, _Schizophyll_, _Thelebolus_, and _Xylaria_. Similar data for the phylum _Ascomycata_ were reported by [PERSON] [33], who mentioned9 orders (_Eurotiales_, _Hypocreales_, _Leotiales_, _Microscales_, _Onygenales_, _Pezizales_, _Saccharomycesetales_, _Sordariales_, and _Trichosphaeriales_) with 12 families. For phylum _Basidiomycota_, the classes _Tremellomycetes_ and _Cystobasidiomycetes_ were reported [34], and for _Mucoromycota_--the family _Mortierellaceae_[35]. [PERSON] et al. [36] isolated 38 species from Antarctic soils belonging to the phylum _Ascomycota_ (the genera _Aspergillus_, _Penicillium_, _Trichderna_, _Alternaria_, _Aureobasidium_, _Caldosporium_, _Doratomyc_, _Trichurus_, and _Emericella_) and 1 species belonging to the phylum _Zygomycota_. A similar ratio between phyla was found in the fungal community identified in the soil of Syowa Station, Antarctica (11 genera of _Ascomycota_, 7 genera of _Basidiomycota_, and 2 genera of _Zygomycota_) [37]. A total of 145 fungal strains have been isolated from soil samples collected at Casey Station, Terra Nova Bay, and South Georgia [38]. They belong to the phyla _Deuteromycota_, _Ascomycota_, and _Zygomycota_ and the genera _Penicillium_, _Aspergillus_, _Mucor_, _Caldosporium_, _Alternaria_, _Verticillium_, _Botrytis_, etc.