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The Extremophile Endolithella mcmurdoensis gen. et sp. nov. (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorellaceae), A New Chlorella ‐like Endolithic Alga From Antarctica
Author(s) -
Martins Teresa P.,
Ramos Vitor,
Hentschke Guilherme S.,
CasteloBranco Raquel,
Rego Adriana,
Monteiro Maria,
Brito Ângela,
Tamagnini Paula,
Cary S. Craig,
Vasconcelos Vitor,
Krienitz Lothar,
Magalhães Catarina,
Leão Pedro N.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of phycology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.85
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1529-8817
pISSN - 0022-3646
DOI - 10.1111/jpy.12940
Subject(s) - biology , botany , extremophile , ecology , paleontology , microorganism , bacteria
The McMurdo Dry Valleys constitute the largest ice‐free region of Antarctica and one of the most extreme deserts on Earth. Despite the low temperatures, dry and poor soils and katabatic winds, some microbes are able to take advantage of endolithic microenvironments, inhabiting the pore spaces of soil and constituting photosynthesis‐based communities. We isolated a green microalga, Endolithella mcmurdoensis gen. et sp. nov, from an endolithic sandstone sample collected in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (Victoria Land, East Antarctica) during the K020 expedition, in January 2013. The single non‐axenic isolate ( E. mcmurdoensis LEGE Z‐009) exhibits cup‐shaped chloroplasts, electron‐dense bodies, and polyphosphate granules but our analysis did not reveal any diagnostic morphological characters. On the basis of phylogenetic analysis of the 18S rRNA ( SSU ) gene, the isolate was found to represent a new genus within the family Chlorellaceae.