A in high places: functioning populations or dormant cells from the atmosphere?

Here, we review the current state of knowledge concerning high-elevation members of the extremophilic clade (now classified as the genus ). These fungi dominate eukaryotic microbial communities across the highest elevation, soil-like material (tephra) on volcanoes such as Llullaillaco, Socompa, and Saírecabur in the Atacama region of Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia. Recent studies indicate that species are among the most resistant organisms to UV radiation, and a strain of from Volcán Llullaillaco is the first organism that is known to grow during the extreme, diurnal freeze-thaw cycles that occur on a continuous basis at elevations above 6000 m.

Microbial Communities of High-Elevation Fumaroles, Penitentes, and Dry Tephra "Soils" of the Puna de Atacama Volcanic Zone.

The aim of this study was to understand the spatial distribution of microbial communities (18S and 16S rRNA genes) across one of the harshest terrestrial landscapes on Earth. We carried out Illumina sequencing using samples from two expeditions to the high slopes (up to 6050 m.a.