Collection of VKM Paleofungi

Abstract

A unique collection of paleofungi from permafrost sediments, cryopegs, paleoseeds, and frozen volcanic ash from the Arctic and Antarctic, collected at different depths, was created in All-Russian Collection of Microorganisms (VKM). Some samples are as old as 3 million years. The collection includes psychrotolerant fungi, which have wide adaptive potential and are able to thrive in low-temperature habitats, and fungi that remain viable due to the presence of natural cryoprotectors that ensure the survival of fungal cells during low-temperature preservation in permafrost sediments. The collection contains 780 strains from 79 genera and more than 160 species and is maintained in accordance with international standards of microbial viability preservation and information support.