Diver­si­ty, Dis­tri­bu­ti­on, and Micro­bial Inter­ac­ti­ons of Mor­tie­rel­la­ceae in Alpine Eco­sys­tems

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Seminar of the Department of Microbiology

 

Sophie Szedlacsek, PhD candidate, UIBK - AG Peintner

07.05.2026, 11:00 - Hybrid

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Abstract

Alpine environments harbour precious and unique ecosystems, which are undergoing changes at accelerating speed due anthropogenic influences. Global climate change has severe impacts on environmental conditions, which can cause shifts in alpine communities, habitat loss, and even the extinction of nival species. Many members of Mortierellaceae, the one monotypic family within the phylum Mortierellomycota, are a central part of the fungal soil microbiome in alpine habitats. It is proposed that Mortierellaceae could play a crucial role in soil development and succession dynamics at the earliest stages. Many novel species were described in recent years, suggesting that a large proportion of Mortierellaceae in these ecosystems is still unknown. My PhD project aims to investigate the ecological diversity, distribution patterns and complex bacterial interactions of Mortierellaceae from alpine environments by combining high-throughput metabarcoding of environmental sequencing data with traditional cultivation- based approaches. Whole-genome sequencing, multigene phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses will be used to determine the position of obtained isolates within the Mortierellaceae family. If novel taxa can be isolated, they will be morphological characterized in detail via physiological assays, macroscopical and microscopical examinations (e.g., light, fluorescence, and scanning electron microscopy). The complex interactions between Mortierellaceae with associated prokaryotes will be an additional research focus, investigated through bacterial isolation, functional examinations, and confrontational assays. This aims to contribute a valuable and comprehensive understanding of Mortierellaceae in alpine habitats, in order to characterize and preserve life that is threatened by vanishing environments.

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