CZECH POLAR REPORTS 10 (2): 281-296, 2020 Do new records of macrofungi indicate warming of their habitats in terrestrial Antarctic ecosystems? Götz Palfner1, Josefa Binimelis-Salazar1, Sandra Troncoso Alarcón1, Gustavo Torres-Mellado1, Gloria Gallegos1, Fernando Peña-Cortés2, Angélica Casanova-Katny3* 1Laboratory of Mycology and Mycorrhiza, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Concepción University, Campus Concepción, Chile 2Laboratory of Spatial Planning, Environmental Sciences Department, Faculty of Natural Resources, Catholic University of Temuco, Chile 3Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology, Faculty of Natural Resources, Catholic University of Temuco, Campus Luis Rivas del Canto, Rudecindo Ortega #03694, Temuco, Chile Abstract Relatively few macrofungi have been historically described from terrestrial environ- ments of the Antarctic Peninsula and its associated archipelagos which are characterized by a moss-dominated vegetation, most of them preferentially or obligatorily associated with bryophytes. During the study of the influence of penguin rockeries to moss com- munities on the South Shetland Islands, the bryophilous basidiomycetes Rimbachia bryophila and Arrhenia cf. lilacinicolor were found for the first time on King George Island, growing on carpets of Sanionia uncinata. Other bryophilous fungi previously recorded in the same region are Arrhenia antarctica, Omphalina pyxidata and the rare Simocybe antarctica. The detection of the supposedly parasitic R. bryophila, together with other new observations of macrofungi on different hosts in the Antarctic bryoflora could indicate increased sexual reproduction. The likely increase of reproduction as an effect of warming on the terrestrial antarctic tundra should be proven by follow up field studies. Key words: Basidiomycetes, bryophytes, antarctic fungi, parasitism, Antarctica DOI: 10.5817/CPR2020-2-21 ——— Received November 26, 2020, accepted December 30, 2020. *Corresponding author: A. Casanova-Katny <[email protected]> Acknowledgements: Dra. Casanova-Katny acknowledges the logistic support of the Instituto Antartico Chileno (INACH) during the ECA 55 and 56, also the staff of the Spanish station Gabriel de Castilla during field work on Deception Island; funding was by ANID- FONDECYT1181745. Our special thanks to Dr. Egon Horak, Innsbruck University, Austria, for providing important information about antarctic fungi and to the two reviewers for improving our manuscript. 281 G. PALFNER et al. Introduction The first native macromycete reported 2020, particularly during the scientific ex- from the maritime Antarctica, according to pedition in 2019 and 2020 to maritime Singer (1956), was Omphalina antarctica Antarctica, with forays on Deception Is- Singer collected by F. Behn on Deception land and Fildes Peninsula on King George Island in 1952. Since then, the number of Island. Some of the inventoried macrofungi records of mushroom-forming basidiomy- represent new records for the area, others cetes from natural habitats in the region extend the known diversity of bryophyte has slowly but steadily increased (Horak hosts and all of them contribute new spots 1982, Pegler et al. 1980). Owing to the on the map of higher fungi in Antarctica. vegetation which is dominated by crypto- We consider it important to publish this in- gams, most of these fungi are more or less formation in order to add to the baseline of exclusively associated with bryophytes. A local and regional fungal diversity, as cli- problem for more extensive surveys of mate change is strongly influencing biodi- macrofungi in Antarctica is the limited versity and interaction between organisms window in time for field campaigns due to in the Antarctic. Considering the important the climatic conditions and logistic restric- roles of saprobic fungi in nutrient cycling tions. Nevertheless, the research group led and of fungal parasites in the balance of by Dr. Casanova Katny, senior author of plant communities, changes in their rich- this article, has been able to join a con- ness, abundance and reproductive patterns siderable number of collections of bryo- of the mycobiota are supposed to impact philous mushrooms during field cam- the associated vegetation and thus to have paigns on different islands of the South an effect at the habitat and ecosystem level. Shetland Archipelago between 2008 and Material and Methods Study site Fildes Peninsula (62° 12' 6.56" S, 58° 58' climate. The mean daily air temperature on 16.61" W), our main collection site, is the Fildes Peninsula fluctuates between 0.6- main ice-free area of King George Island 1.5ºC during the spring-summer season, (KGI), forming part of the South Shetland with the lowest values during winter. The Archipelago on the western coast of the peninsula has relatively high rainfall, with Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) (Fig. 2). This 40-70 mm in the summer season, being ice-free area has an extension of 28 km2, overcast almost 70% of days (Carrasco with 8 km long and a width that fluctuates and Gonzalez 2007). Deschampsia antarc- between 1.5 and 4 km. Geomorphological tica Desv. is the only vascular plant spe- evidence accounts for the occurrence of cies in the area and terrestrial landscape paraglacial and periglacial processes, which (Torres-Mellado et al. 2011) is dominated began 12 ka before the present, with the by cryptogam communities. For the area, removal of the ice sheet and subsequent 109 lichen species (Andreyev 1989) and occurrence of eustatic and isostatic proc- 40 moss species have been reported which esses. This has shaped the area that has represent 50% of the identified Antarctic been colonized by mosses and in particular mosses growing across the continent (Ochy- by the genus Sanionia (González et al. ra et al. 2008). Two species of Sanionia, 2019). The island presents a cold maritime S. georgicouncinata (Müll. Hal.) Ochyra & 282 ANTARCTIC MACROFUNGI Hedenäs and S. uncinata (Hedw.) Lowske ions of S. uncinata, were found on Fildes grow on King George Island (Ochyra et al. Peninsula, at Collins Bay, Juan Carlos 2008) where they cover large areas (Casa- Point and La Cruz Plateau. In addition nova-Katny and Cavieres 2012) (Fig. 1). to our collections on King George Island, S. uncinata is a pioneer species in water- three collections were found during the saturated areas in depressions with stag- expedition on Robert Island and Deception nant or running water from snow banks Island during the study of penguin rock- or glaciers on nutrient rich areas visited eries associated moss communities during by birds. Nine collections of macrofungi 2019-2020, at La Descubierta Point and (Basidiomycota) mainly associated to cush- the area of Crater Lake. Collection and processing of samples Basidiomata encountered during oppor- were used. Small pieces of basidiomata tunistic forays were documented in situ were removed with a razor blade or fine (photos, georeferences, field notes), care- forceps and soaked in a droplet of 5% fully extracted with a pocket knife and potassium hydroxide solution on a glass taken to the field station covered in alu- slide before being observed under a Leitz minium foil where they were dehydrated Dialux microscope (Leitz, Wetzlar, Ger- on a portable electric dryer for transport to many) at 1000 × magnification. Diagnostic the laboratory at Concepción University. attributes like spores and cystidia were For microscopical analysis, air-dried measured and documented with a Nikon specimens deposited at the fungal collec- Coolpix 950 digital camera (Nikon, Tokyo, tion at Concepción University (CONC-F) Japan) attached to the microscope. Fig. 1. View on Collins Bay, Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, maritime Antarctica (March 2019), with extensive moss carpets; one of the most favorable sites for viewings of macromycetes where several of our collection spots are located. 283 G. PALFNER et al. To visualize microscopic details with were used: Elborne 2012, Guminska et al. low contrast, samples were stained with 1994, Horak 1982, Høiland 1976, Gminder congo red solution. Spore measurements and Krieglsteiner 2001, Læssøe 2012, Peg- (minimum, average and maximum length ler et al. 1980, Putzke and Pereira 1996, and width; length-width quotient Q l/w) Putzke et al. 2012, Redhead 1984, Segedin are based on values obtained from at least 1994, Senn-Irlet and Moreau 2003, Singer 10 randomly selected spores in lateral 1956, Vizzini et al. 2012, among others. view. For species identification and re- Current names and basionyms were as- trieving information about their ecology signed to species mostly according to In- and distribution, the following references dex Fungorum [1]. Results We report 14 new records of bryo- descriptions are presented for five species, philous macromycetes (Agaricales, Basidio- and a dichotomous identification key is mycota) from the South Shetland Archi- provided for all well-documented agaricoid pelago between 2008 and 2020, belonging macromycetes reported so far from the ar- to six species. Two of them, Rimbachia chipelago. Locations of our findings are bryophila and Arrhenia cf. lilacinicolor, shown in Fig. 2. are first records for Antarctica. Taxonomic Fig. 2. Locations of macrofungi records from South Shetland Archipelago, maritime Antarctica, retrieved by the research group of Dr. Casanova Katny between 2008 and 2020. Legend: Rb – Rimbachia bryophila, Sa – Simocybe antarctica, Aa – Arrhenia antarctica, Al – Arrhenia cf. lilacinicolor, Op – Omphalina pyxidata, Rf – Rickenella fibula. 284 ANTARCTIC MACROFUNGI Taxonomy