ИСТИНА

This is a first report on the fungal diversity and ecophysiology of the Chukcha Sea, one of the most inclement seas of the world. 22 bottom sediments samples (depth 44-110 m) were collected in different areas of the sea. The Warcup plate method with MEA (salinity 35 ‰) was used for the isolation of fungi. Both cultural (with light microscopy) and molecular (with ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequencing) methods were used for the identification of isolated cultures. Colonial growth rate and characteristic of spore germination with various conditions (temperature, salinity and C sources) were used in ecophysiological investigations. Examined sediments were very poor: only 150 fungal straits were isolated from all samples; from the 1 g of the solitary sample from 0 to 22 fungal strains were isolated. But species diversity was unexpected high. We identified 49 morphotypes belongs to 32 genera of Basidiomycota (4 genera, 4 species) and Ascomycota (all another). Originally were isolated about 40 non-sporulating cultures; after the molecular analysis majority of them were identified as Ascomycota, and two – as Basidiomycota species. Most number of species is referred to Eurotiales, Pleosporales, Helotiales and Hypocreales; fungi of Eurotiales family were most often in all samples (41% of all isolates).